In the realm of competitive basketball, picking enemies wisely plays a major role in the success of both the individual and the collective. The Los Angeles Clippers had to learn this lesson the hard way after once choosing Shaquille O’Neal as their foe. After all, the New Jersey-born had responded to the franchise rejecting seats for his family by one-sided on-court domination. The sportswriter Jeff Pearlman captured the entire episode in his book Three-Ring Circus while elaborating on the tale of resilience.
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The instance dates back to Diesel’s 28th birthday on March 6, 2000, the day of their encounter against the Clippers. Upon arriving at the Staples Center ahead of the tip-off, the Los Angeles Lakers star learned the shocking news of his request being denied. A Clippers staff informed the 7ft 1″ MVP of the franchise’s decision to refuse to allocate free seats to his family members before demanding payment.
The exchange shocked the NBA center after which he began plotting an act of revenge on the spot while trusting his basketball prowess. The 15x All-Star pulled Derek Fisher aside before requesting him to provide him with the ball more often. “Man, can a brother get 60 on his birthday?” Shaq stated as the former Lakers point guard obliged, mentioning, “Absolutely. Let’s make it happen”.
The proposition paid dividends as the 4x champion registered a double-double of career-high 61 points and 23 rebounds in 45 minutes. While leading his organization to a deserved 123-103 victory, O’Neal silenced the Clippers crowd and management. The 3x Finals MVP showcased further authority with the declaration, “Don’t ever make me pay for tickets,” before putting further emphasis on, “Ever”.
While re-establishing the importance of mutual respect in professional sports, the event further displayed the repercussions of actions. Therefore, the dishonorable act from the home rival was subjected to mercilessness from the towering center. Simultaneously, it strengthened the bond within the Lakers roster while Shaq’s operations sent shockwaves around the league.
Alongside anger, the inclination for validation motivated Shaquille O’Neal
Nearly half a decade ago, the 51-year-old revealed the intricate details of the moments while reflecting on his career-high night. During an episode with the Knuckleheads for The Players’ Tribune, he cited the presence of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a source of inspiration. One of his idols’ association with the rival as their assistant coach while providing mentorship to the Clippers center Keith Kloss further fueled Shaq.
“Another thing that made me mad, a lot of people don’t know this, was Kareem was your assistant coach. Every time I touched the ball, he put his head down…so I was like, ‘Oh, Kareem don’t know my name. He doesn’t know my name but he gonna know it tonight’. So I’m a real sensitive guy but again, I don’t get mad, I get even,” the sports analyst mentioned.
Hence, a pile of mixed emotions was running through the 1999 ROTY on that game. Eventually, the entire range of feelings translated into a substantial outcome. Thus, a recreation of such an occurrence remained impossible, paving the way for a unique dominance.
