Shaquille O’Neal revealed how Tim Duncan made an exception to the norm and trashtalked him during one of their battles.
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Shaq published his book “Shaq Uncut: My Story” shortly after his 2011 retirement. After spending his final season with the Celtics mostly sidelined by injury, the 7-footer decided to call time on his career. It was one hell of a 19-year journey in the NBA for O’Neal.
He had many great opponents, but Shaq always held Tim Duncan in the highest regard. His press statements aside, Shaq clearly spotted something different about Tim Duncan. The two greatest big men of this century split their playoff faceoffs 2-2.
Kevin Garnett is one of those who’s talked about how The Big Fundamental was loath to talking trash. However, Shaq has a different kind of story to relate to us in his book.
What Shaquille O’Neal wrote about Tim Duncan in ‘Shaq Uncut’
Shaquille O’Neal dedicated a segment of his book to his relationship with Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich and the Spurs. Here is a small extract:
“The Spurs won because of Tim Duncan, a guy I could never break. I could talk trash to Patrick Ewing, get in David Robinson’s face, get a rise out of Alonzo Mourning, but when I went at Tim he’d look at me like he was bored and then say, ‘Hey, Shaq, watch this shot right here off the glass.'”
“You gotta love that. I used to say Duncan and I were like two mafia bosses. I was the loud East Coast boss, taking names, knocking heads. Tim was the laid-back, one-hundred-acre farm don. Nobody knows what he does, he’s the chill mafia guy, but we both know how to carry out a hit. I was jealous of guys like Duncan and Kevin Garnett, who got to do stuff like face up and shimmy.”
