Guarding Shaquille O’Neal in the paint was every center’s worst nightmare. The 7-foot-1, near-350-pound behemoth was deceptively quick and an impeccable finisher. Teams had no choice but to put two players on him or risk giving up an easy dunk. On the rare occasion they didn’t, the Lakers icon ensured the player guarding him faced the full brunt of his team’s error, as Chris Dudley learned firsthand.
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During an appearance on Complex’s ‘GOAT Talk’ the Hall of Famer claimed he took it as a slight when he wasn’t double-teamed. He spoke about a game where the Knicks erred by leaving only Dudley on him. The center decided to send them a message at the veteran’s expense. O’Neal said,
“I’m at The Forum and I take a bounce and Chris Dudley is on me… It’s against my religion if you don’t double-team me. It means you’re not showing me proper respect and he’s trying to use his strength and the double’s not coming… So, now I’m pissed, I take another bounce, drop that dunk, try to put my nuts all up in his freakin’ face.”
Dudley couldn’t prevent O’Neal from getting an easy dunk but avoided getting embarrassed further like the Lakers superstar intended. However, as soon as the four-time NBA champion landed on his feet, he intentionally shoved the Knicks center to the floor, who did not take it too kindly, and chucked the ball at him in rage.
Most. Dominant. Ever. #BestOfLakersKnicks pic.twitter.com/cWFnhLIkJw
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 8, 2020
Teammates and officials formed a wall between the two players to prevent the situation from escalating into a brawl. However, O’Neal had already achieved what he set out to. He put Dudley on a poster and made the Knicks regret not double-teaming him. The Lakers icon dubbed it the greatest highlight of his career.
Dudley is on a laundry list of stars who were on the receiving end of a vicious dunk from O’Neal. However, two players had the privilege of giving the Hall of Famer a taste of his own medicine.
Shaquille O’Neal vividly remembers the two times he was dunked on
In an episode of the ‘Shareef O’Neal: My Time’ series on the Home Team Hoops’ YouTube account, the Lakers icon claimed only two players have ever dunked on him during his illustrious NBA career. He even described in detail how they put him on a poster. He said,
“I have been dunked on twice in my whole career. [Michael] Jordan and Derrick Coleman, look it up… Michael caught me late too, cause I was right here, and I knew he was gonna go baseline. Like I met him here, and he moved that hand and he stretch out. Derrick Coleman got me on a dropstep left.”
O’Neal is revered for his offensive exploits but is seldom credited for being an incredible rim protector. It speaks volumes about his defensive ability that despite him living in the paint for 19 years, only two players can claim that they dunked on the Hall of Fame center.
