mobile app bar

‘Backboard Breaker’ Shaquille O’Neal Reminds Fans of his ‘Dunking Ability’ 15 Days After Admitting ‘He Can’t Jump’

Rishabh Bhatnagar
Published

Orlando Magic and LA Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal could dunk a basketball like none other, back during his prime. Perhaps the world’s largest DJ, Shaquille O’Neal recently admitted on Bobbi Althoff’s The Really Good podcast that he cannot jump anymore, ever since he had hip surgery, earlier this year in March. The confession seems to have filled him with nostalgia. Around a fortnight later, Shaq posted on Instagram a reel of his most ferocious dunks over the years.

The clip, initially shared by Shaqwithme, showed a range of dunks, including one that he made during his time on TNT. The rest of the clip included some of the most ferocious, backboard-breaking heaves that are simply an incredible sight.

View on Website

Shaquille O’Neal shares clip of his most ferocious dunks

O’Neal is widely regarded as one of the most dominant players of all time. His ability to dunk over defenders and the force with which he attacked the paint was simply unparalleled.

Now however, since a hip surgery, he is no longer able to even jump, let alone the possibility of dunking like before. O’Neal’s admission has seemingly resulted in him looking back at his playing days with fondness.

The clip includes a range of famous dunks that proved a little too much for backboards. What’s more, it started off with a dunk by a retired Shaq, during his time on TNT.

Still only 51, dunking is not that distant a dream for O’Neal. He is still recovering from the hip surgery which occurred in March and should eventually be able to jump again.

For the time being, however, Shaq has had to contend with some of his most nostalgic dunks. Simply impossible to stop while attacking the rim, Shaq will be hoping that he will soon get back his jumping ability. His loyal fans will have similar expectations as well.

O’Neal could dunk like a monster even after retirement

O’Neal, ever the competitor, appeared to not have lost the spring in his step even after retirement. A rare footage of him dunking on his son Shaqir recently did the rounds on social media.

In very familiar fashion, Shaq whizzed past his youngest son Shaqir during a workout. While Shaqir was wearing proper attire, Shaq himself completed the feat while wearing pants.

The footage proves that O’Neal could dunk like his playing days even after he retired back in 2011, at the age of 39. He might have lost the ability to jump, but will be desperate to get it back as soon as he can.

About the author

Rishabh Bhatnagar

Rishabh Bhatnagar

linkedin-icon

Rishabh Bhatnagar is a Senior NBA Writer at The SportsRush. A lifelong NBA fan, Rishabh has been working as an NBA journalist since 2017. Before joining The SportsRush, he covered the NBA for another popular media platform. Rishabh is a bona fide NBA Historian specializing in uncovering stories from the league's past. He also likes covering trade rumors and player contracts. Rishabh has written almost 800 articles for The SportsRush and is always on the lookout for intriguing NBA stories. He is also a published novelist and an ardent Lakers fan.

Read more from Rishabh Bhatnagar

Share this article