Magic Johnson inspired every young kid in the ’80s decade, even 12-year-old Shaquille O’Neal. Before growing up to become the 7’1″ dominant center, Shaq aspired to learn basketball and become a playmaker just like Magic. Watching Johnson play for the Lakeshow was indeed an experience that would shape Shaq’s fundamentals in the game.
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Shaq’s step-father, Sergeant Phillip A. Harrison, served in the United States Army and was posted in Germany when Shaq was young. Shaq had befriended a young white kid named Mitch Riles in Germany then. Riles had an uncanny similarity to Larry Bird with the same long hair and, as Shaq calls it, ‘ugly nose.’ Furthermore, Riles was a great shooter while playing basketball as well.
Considering himself as Magic Johnson in this case, Shaq figured he had to learn to dribble and make the no-look pass to emerge as a better player between the two. Sharing this experience, Shaq described how the duo would often enact their made-up scenarios of Magic vs. Bird and Celtics vs Lakers.
Further elaborating on this experience from 1984, here is an excerpt from Diesel’s autobiography, ‘Shaq Uncut‘, that further describes this experience in detail.
“So he’s got the Bird thing down, so now I’ve got to get the Magic Johnson routine down. That means I’ve got to learn how to dribble, make the no-look pass, all that stuff. We’re out there every day playing Magic vs. Bird, Celtics vs. Lakers, and I’m learning skills that big men don’t ever show. I’m developing some moves.
I’m well over six feet tall at this point, but I’m still awkward, still haven’t grown into my body. My footwork is good, and I’ve got my ‘Magic’ moves, but I can’t jump that well and I can’t dunk. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s ever going to happen for me.”
As a 12-year-old, being 6 feet tall was indeed a massive stature for a kid. Shaquille O’Neal had embraced his body and realized that this could be his greatest asset while he developed his basketball skills and prowess.
Eventually, Shaq became the 7’1″ giant we know of him today. His incredible physique gave him a unique advantage over anyone as a center when he started in the NBA. Perhaps, thanks to Magic Johnson inspiring young Shaq, today we remember Diesel’s legacy as arguably the greatest center to have played in the league.
Shaq learning his skills early from Magic Johnson’s play helped him hone his basketball fundamentals
Shaq learning the highest level of skills and trying to emulate Magic Johnson greatly honed his skills. All of this contributed to him becoming one of the most dominant centers to terrorize the league in the ’90s and the early 2000s.
Shaq also followed in his idol, Magic Johnson’s footsteps in basketball. Moving from his draft team, Orlando Magic, to the LA Lakers in 1995, Shaq claimed to be the first big man to go ‘coast to coast.’ Like Johnson, Shaq won three championship rings with the Lakers, even emerging as the Finals MVP on all three occasions.
As one of the first big men to play on both sides of the coast, Shaq was extremely proud of his ball control and handles. He brought with him a unique sense of dominance that allowed him to shatter boards and posterize rivals with his stunning dunks. All of these culminated in the insane success the Big Man enjoyed, as a basketball player, that lives with him to this day.
