Shaquille O’Neal was almost guaranteed to be the first pick of the 1992 NBA draft. Even though Shaq would go first overall, there was no guarantee that his success at LSU would transfer over to the NBA. After getting drafted, his agent Leonard Armato made sure that a young O’Neal got his fair share of pro runs. Shaq revealed that during his camp how Magic Johnson, would make some absurd moves and just like the NBA, was also awarded with some ‘superstar’ foul calls.
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Armato knew a lot of players in the NBA, especially around the LA circuit, making it possible for Shaq to play alongside NBA-level talent even before training camp started. Recalling his experience in his biography, Shaq Uncut, O’Neal said,
” Leonard knew everyone in LA, so he got me invited into the game. I showed up the first day and I was all business. Let’s get to work. Tracy Murray was there and Mitchell Butler, and Magic, and Mike Dunleavy Sr…”
A common spot that Shaq used to hit as a rookie was UCLA. UCLA has historically hosted a lot of NBA pick-up games, something that was a trend even back in O’Neal’s time. Shaq often played with the likes of Magic and Mitchell Butler, making each practice a challenge for the young Shaquille O’Neal.
Later in his book, Shaq would reveal that Magic would often use his clout to get calls during practices. Talking about it further, O’Neal revealed,
” Magic is picking the teams and keeping score. He’s there every morning running the show. In the games, he’d come at you with some bulls**t move, and when he missed he’d yell “Foul!” We’d all roll our eyes, but he was Magic, so he got the call—just like in the real NBA.”
This trend would continue into the NBA as well, as superstars such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson would often receive calls which other players never would. The league during the 80s and 90s were notorious for favouritism when it came to referring, as technological interference was kept to a minimum.
Shaquille O’Neal recalls his practices with Magic Johnson
Those runs at UCLA during the 90’s were undoubtedly legendary, as many heavy hitters of that generation participated in them. In his book Shaq Uncut, O’Neal reveals that Magic and he often enjoyed a cordial relationship during those practices.
Even though Magic was a five-time Champion and a guaranteed Hall Of Famer, he always treated Shaq with respect, often giving the 7 footer words of encouragement. On the other hand, Shaq made sure that he never showed any softness towards the Laker legend, as he didn’t want to appear as a yes-man of sorts. Talking about his logic further, Shaq said,
” Magic was very nice to me. We didn’t have a ton of conversations because I’m not a jock sniffer, but he kind of looked out for me. He gave me a lot of “Let’s go, young fella.” Those basketball games were really good, really competitive, and a great way to stay in shape. I played hard, but I wasn’t going to show them everything—just enough so they’d all go back to their teams worried about me.”
O’Neal entered those practice games with a different mentality than most. He believed that he belonged, and often even held back as he didn’t want to reveal his entire stack of tricks just yet. To him, the pro runs at UCLA was nothing more than experience that he could use when he stepped foot in the NBA.
