Shaquille O’Neal Admits Watching Wilt Chamberlain ‘Elbow People in the Face’ Inspired Him to ‘Become Shaq’

Wilt Chamberlain displayed elasticity and athleticism rare for his size of 7’1. But it was his brute strength that really separated him from the rest of the field of players. His dominating low-post game opened doors for rim-rattlers like Shaquille O’Neal.

During a live appearance on Whozfire, Shaq admitted that Chamberlain was one of his inspirations back in the day. He pointed out that Wilt was one of the earliest players who used his elbows to throw off his defenders. This kind of bully ball really inspired Shaq to become the dominant big man he was in his prime.

The big man recently admitted Wilt’s role in his growth while explaining that taking inspiration from others is not a bad thing. “I played like Wilt Chamberlain… I turned into Shaq. Wilt Chamberlain was my inspiration. He was the first one to elbow people in the face and be dominant, throw people around,” Shaq said.

The elbowing method was perfect for players over seven feet. The displacement caused by the elbows made the job of finishing much easier and made for a dominant offensive arsenal. 

Chamberlain was indeed unstoppable like O’Neal in the paint. His immense wingspan allowed him to tower over even elite defenders like Bill Russell, whereas his quick feet movement helped him sneak past even quicker players.

Since dunks were frowned upon during his era, Wilt the Stilt didn’t always throw down power-packed jams. However, this was not a problem for Shaq, who could even bring the rim down in his prime.

So it was Chamberlain’s playing style in the early days of the league that helped normalize a player like Shaq. However, while Shaq has always shown him love, Wilt often refused to acknowledge the 3x Finals MVP’s greatness.

Wilt Chamberlain used to ignore Shaquille O’Neal

In 2020, Shaq sat down with NBA TV host Ro Parrish and discussed his dynamic with Wilt Chamberlain. O’Neal revealed that he always wanted to pass him in the scoring list. But his dream remained unfulfilled as he finished his career with 28,596 points compared to Chamberlain’s 31,149.

However, he did win four championships compared to Wilt’s two rings. Despite being a great player since his rookie year, Shaq didn’t get Chamberlain’s attention. O’Neal once recalled,

“I saw him one time in LA. This is no luck, we had a restaurant, I’m here, Wilt’s right here. No hi, no you suck, no anything.”

While O’Neal took exception to this behavior, it was a common NBA tradition at the time. The greats of the game wanted the youngsters to prove that they were good enough to replace them in the league.

Safe to say, O’Neal’s resume proves that he belongs in the same conversation as a legend like Wilt Chamberlain.