When a 7″1′ Shaquille O’Neal performed a monster dunk on a 6″11′ Chris Dudley in a match between the Knicks and the Lakers.
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There is no doubt that NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is a mountain of a man. The 4x NBA champion’s ability to dominate in the paint was one of a kind. For years, Big Diesel impressed us with his monstrous dunks and intimidating physical stature.
One such timeless dunk of Shaq was over New York Knicks center Chris Dudley. The match took place in 1999 when the Lakers were playing the Knicks. During the 4th quarter, the iconic duo of Shaq and Kobe Bryant constructed a spectacular play.
The Black Mamba would pass the ball to Shaq, who was waiting to play the bully game in the paint with Dudley defending him. What happened next was sheer Shaq domination as Dudley stood no chance to stop Big Diesel, who would perform one of the greatest poster dunks.
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The dunk caused a heated moment between the two big men. It would result in Chris Dudley being ejected from the game.
Shaquille O’Neal posterizes Chris Dudley in what is regarded as one of the best dunks in NBA history
Shaq’s dunk on Dudley never gets old and is always worth a watch. However, the dunk did have some drama to it, as the Knicks center would throw the ball at O’Neal in anger and had some unpleasant words for the 3x Finals MVP as well.
After the dunk, O’Neal pushed Dudley off of him, and that’s when Dudley launched the ball at O’Neal. While responding to the incident of pushing Dudley during his dunk Shaq said, “He just grabbed me, he was under me, I had to get him off me.”
The Lakers center was fined $3500 for pushing Dudley. The dunk created so much storm that it actually has a statue at the Staples Center.
#OnThisDay in 2017, @SHAQ became the Big Statue! #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/CXtYtCCUbv
— STAPLES Center (@STAPLESCenter) March 24, 2021
Shaq was at the peak of his prime during the 1999 season averaging 26.3 PPG, 10.7 RPG, and 1.7 BPG. The following season, Big Diesel would win his first NBA title and would go on to 3-peat.
To date, Shaq continues to remain a force of nature that was every rims worst nightmare. There hasn’t been any player who could dominate the way the 15x All-Star did till today.