Former NBA champion Rasheed Wallace once gave his invaluable insight on what he endured when he had to guard someone like Shaquille O’Neal.
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Shaquille O’Neal was a gigantic presence on the basketball floor back in the day, to put it mildly. Diesel’s sizeable stature and physique enabled him to impose his physical presence on his opponents.
O’Neal was extremely adept at the art and was an ascending presence on the low posts during the offense. And the defensive ends of the floor, where he protected the paint.
The 50-year-old was, in fact, terrific at it that he made his living foisting his humungous physique at opposing forwards and centers.
The memory of Shaq’s dominance remains vivid in the minds of his victims, with former NBA champion and defensive anchor of the Detroit Pistons sharing his two cents on the strenuous challenge of guarding O’Neal.
Rasheed Wallace reveals the onerous task of guarding Shaquille O’Neal!
It’s no secret that O’Neal’s inordinate and cumbersome anatomy was the recipe for his success. The former NBA MVP used his never-seen-before frame to catapult himself into elite status, thereby winning four NBA championships.
It certainly has left its mark on the supporters of the sport, with several often wondering just how arduous the task of guarding Shaq was. Well, one of the stars of the same era, Rasheed Wallace, has shared his experience on how he handled the task instilled upon him.
Wallace said:
“Shaq outweighed me by at least 90-95 pounds. So I’ll bang with you a lil bit, I’ve banged with the Big Fella a lil bit, but damn, the first time I actually banged with down low on offense and defense, I’m sitting in my locker room, sitting in my locker, I got ice, ice, ice on my knee, ice on both my ankles and I’m just sitting there like this..
It doesn’t sound too welcoming now, does it? It also provides a comprehension of how enormous O’Neal was back in the day compared to his counterparts.
Suffice it to say, it was never pleasant to guard Diesel, from the sound of it.
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Was it O’Neals IQ or stature that was the root of his success?
While the apparent argument sides with his size, it’s worth noting that his basketball IQ was off the charts. The four-time NBA champion’s anticipation and determination to get to the basket were unparalleled.
Shaq deserves a ton of credit for his basketball IQ, which is frequently left under the radar. It was the foundation of his success aligned with his physical attributes.
In the coming years, the NBA will focus on extraordinary talents, but none resemblant to Shaquille O’Neal’s. The most tremendous dominant force in NBA history.
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