“I love Shaq, but he needs another shot.”: Magic Johnson’s Critical Feedback While Training, Helped Shaquille O’Neal Get Better

Shaquille O’Neal is undoubtedly one of the most iconic players in NBA history. He was a dominant force, who caused mayhem for 19 seasons in the NBA. Ask anybody who opposed him, Shaq was one guy you did not want to guard.

However, there are those who question the Big Aristotle’s ability. After all, while he was unstoppable in the paint, there were severe concerns otherwise. He lacked a consistent jump shot and his free throw shooting was abysmal. But, this wasn’t news to O’Neal.

In fact, several NBA legends tried to help him with it, including Magic Johnson. The Laker legend trained with O’Neal several times, and he consistently had one thing to say – “He needs another shot“.

Magic Johnson once suggested that Shaquille O’Neal get another shot in order to improve his game

Over the course of his career, Shaquille O’Neal maintained a reputation as a paint monster. The man was known for his powerful dunking and ability to score close to the rim. Apart from that, he didn’t really have much going for him offensively.

So, back in 1996 when he first arrived in LA, Shaq had mastered only one play while on the Magic. He would set up on the right block and let the four cut through. But, all that changed a few years into his run with the Lakers. And, it’s all thanks to Laker legend Magic Johnson.

Sports Illustrated had a chat with Magic back in 1997, where they discussed Big Diesel. At this point, Johnson had regularly trained with the big fella and was convinced of his brilliance. However, he made one thing clear, in order to become truly dominant, O’Neal still needed another shot. In particular, a killer drop-step, much like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“I love Shaq. but he needs another shot. Kareem had more moves. Shaq needs the drop-step move Kareem had.”

Sound advice from the Hall of Famer, and advice that Shaq followed. A few years down the line and his arsenal grew from having his under-the-basket scoring as his only weapon to a whole different slew of shots.

Shaq went on to decimate his opponents for eight seasons with the Lakers

After taking Magic Johnson’s advice, Shaquille O’Neal was a force to be reckoned with. He spent eight seasons with the Lakers averaging a massive 27 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks per game. En route to winning three NBA Championships, three Finals MVPs, and a regular season MVP in that span.

With such a resume it’s almost impossible to deny his greatness. He is a true legend of the game and is widely considered to be one of the centers of all time.

This article is taken from an excerpt from Sports Illustrated in 2001.