Shaquille O’Neal was a formidable figure in the NBA in his prime with a unique physical presence in the paint, which allowed him to dominate the league for almost two decades. Being 7’1″, Shaq was easily his era’s most athletic and physically dominant center who was also pretty quick for his size.
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Shaq’s dominance was such that defenders had to figure out a hack to stop the Big Diesel from pouncing on them. Dubbed the Hack-a-Shaq, defenders would often foul Shaq within 15 feet of the basket, exploiting his weakness in shooting free throws.
Chris Dudley, however, would regret trying the Hack-a-Shaq on the Big Aristotle in a Lakers vs. Knicks game from the 1998-99 season. As Dudley tried his best guarding Shaq with immense intensity, the Lakers superstar posterized Dudley in what many regard as one of the most ‘disrespectful’ dunks of all time.
The Big Fella still remembers this moment quite fondly, as he reposted a clip of the same recently on his Instagram story. The clip famously features the commentary quote, “Chris Dudley just got overpowered by Shaquille O’Neal!”
Shaq reminiscing about days he could dunk like he did here on Chris Dudley pic.twitter.com/G81VEX5ZNn
— What are NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) November 29, 2023
Dudley’s reaction to the dunk was exactly as expected from someone getting posterized. He didn’t seem too happy about being shoved by Shaq inside the paint and was yelling about the same.
Years later, while speaking about this incident on the Pivot Podcast, Shaq said, “Because when I got the ball, and I’m looking, you motherf***ers aren’t doubling [double-teaming]. I take that as a sign of disrespect. You better double, triple me. I take it as a sign of disrespect.”
Shaquille O’Neal was once fined $3500 for pushing Chris Dudley
Many might think that it was Chris Dudley at fault for intending to try Hack-a-Shaq on the Big Diesel while he was trying to get into the paint. However, a seemingly frustrated Shaq kept shoving and pushing Dudley to record his iconic, posterizing dunk. No wonder this move from the Big Aristotle is still dubbed one of the most disrespectful dunks ever.
As the sidelines witnessed an intense drama between Shaq and Dudley, the league noticed Shaq shoving Dudley during this play. He was fined $3,500 for his actions following this game. This dunk, however, wasn’t completely out of the blue for Shaq. In fact, it was his way of avenging a flagrant foul on him by Dudley during a 1997 matchup against the Trail Blazers.
Indeed, the Big Diesel knows how to show rivals his immense prowess and dominance. This dunk, to this day, remains one of the nastiest posters in the history of the league.
