“Michael Jordan was intimidated when he first saw Shaq!”: His Airness recalls his first encounter with a menacing young Big Diesel.
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The 90s was an era of pure Basketball excellence. It was a time when some of the greatest players to grace the game flourished. Michael Jordan was the most notable headliner.
There were other players, the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, young rising stars, who would go on to define the next decade.
The late 90s was when these all-time greats had a chance to face off against each other. An encounter between these players in their prime would have been mouth-watering.
The closest we got was when Shaq and Mj ran into each other.
Michael Jordan recalls how he was intimidated by Shaq at first, and then he wasn’t!
The late 90s was when MJ returned to basketball after his early retirement. He was still in his prime form and there weren’t many players that could stop him.
Despite knowing this MJ was intimidated by a young and powerful, Shaquille O’Neal. The Big Diesel was terrorizing defenses at the time and was quickly becoming a dominant force.
MJ said that he didn’t know how to guard or stop him and that he was fearful of the young superman. However, all those fears were put to rest when Shaq fouled him and offered to get Jordan up.
For Michael, this was a sign of softness. He didn’t play like that. He was all about being tough and trying to destroy your opponent.
Shaq’s niceness is what helped MJ form a different image of the big man and eventually punish his team in the playoffs. Talk about brutal.
