When Shaquille O’Neal got the ball inside the paint, the scorers table knew what they had to. Big Diesel was as close to a sure bet as we’ve ever seen, scoring nearly 20 points in the paint per game during his prime.
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However, the reason Shaq was such a dominant force was not just his volume but his efficiency. For his career, the big man converted 58.2% of his shots, the highest field goal percentage of any player to cross 20,000 points in the NBA.
Impressively, from 1996 to 2006, O’Neal made the most field goals within 5 feet of the basket, beating out some Hall of Fame big men while maintaining an incredible level of efficiency.
Of course, his back-board breaking magic had already established O’Neal before he became a Laker. But since the league only started recording shot distances in 1996, Shaq’s dominance in Orlando is harder to measure. That’s why we’ll begin with his first few seasons in Los Angeles.
1996 to 1999: Shaquille O’Neal becomes the premier paint threat in the NBA
During the 1996-97 Season, Karl Malone (5.7) and Chris Webber (5.4) ranked second and third in field goals made 5 feet from the rim. Shaquille O’Neal obliterated the competition with 7.8 FGM and led in efficiency among all players who attempted at least 8.6 shots in the paint.
His 65.9% touch did fall off a little when he scored between 5 and 9 feet from the rim. However, he still led the league in field goals attempted and made in that distance while converting 43% from that range.
The 1997-98 Season saw O’Neal’s efficiency from the mid-post increase to 46.5% as he continued to reign supreme from 0-9 feet. Shaq somehow boosted his already dominant scoring within 5 feet and converted 8 of his 11.9 attempts in the paint.
Second place Chris Webber was far behind (5.4) and Vin Baker (5.3) came in at third, showcasing the massive schism between Shaq and his contemporaries. He once again led the league in FGM and FGA in both distances, 0-5 and 5-9 feet.
In the 1998-99 Season, Shaq’s shooting volume in the paint dipped to 7.3 field goals made but it was still best for first place as Gary Payton (4.8) and Chris Webber (4.7) finished out the podium. This was not an off year for Big Diesel though, as he reached his highest efficiency thus far, making 69.5% of his shots in the paint.
From 5-9 feet too, O’Neal continued leading the league. It was his first time as a Laker attempting over 6 field goals from that distance. This should have spelled impending danger for the league, as Shaq was learning how to use his rim pressure to create other looks for himself and for his teammates.
1999 to 2002: Shaq’s dominance during the Lakers’ three-peat
The 1999-00 Season would end with the Lakers lifting the first of their three consecutive NBA championships. While the leaps in Kobe Bryant’s game were essential for their jump, it was of course, the 7-foot, 325-lbs big man who led the way.
O’Neal’s game had gotten sharper and more effective with every passing year. He crossed the 70% efficiency mark in the paint this season, making 7.8 of his 10.9 attempts in the paint. Antoine Walker (5.3) and Antawn Jamison (4.9) were far behind him and both finished with sub-60% efficiency.
From 5-9 feet, Shaq continued growing his game, this time making the leap to 8.4 FGA. Without that jump, O’Neal wouldn’t have reached his career high in points (29.7) and won his only regular season MVP award that year. His dominance put him just one vote away from becoming the league’s first unanimous MVP.
In the 2000-01 Season, Kobe Bryant took his biggest jump as a scorer and O’Neal accommodated for it by scaling down his shot attempts from both 0-5 and 5-9 feet. However, that just made Diesel even more ridiculous in the paint as he shot a jaw-dropping 75.1% in the paint, making 7.3 of his 9.7 attempts within 5 feet and tallying 20.1 points in the paint.
Chris Webber (4.9) returned to the podium for his fourth mention with Allen Iverson (4.3) sneaking into third place as the second guard on the list thus far. Unsurprisingly, O’Neal continued leading in FGM and FGA from 5-9 feet as well.
Coming off of back-to-back championships and Finals MVPs, O’Neal maintained his efficient dominance during the 2001-02 Season. He was far and above the best player from 0-9 feet, attempting and making the most shots in that area once again.
Within 5 feet of the basket, Pau Gasol and Tim Duncan were tied at 4.7 field goals made. O’Neal converted a cool 7.6 shots and boasted his third straight season shooting over 70% in the paint. He also scored 20 points in the paint for the second consecutive season, leading the Lakers to a three-peat.
2002 to 2006: Shaquille O’Neal maintained his dominance
Despite losing a step or two to injuries, the three-time NBA champion remained resolute in his scoring during this stretch. However, the Clippers’ Michael Olowokandi finally dethroned Shaq in the 2002-03 Season by making and attempting more field goals than him in the 5-9 feet area. Nonetheless, Diesel continued reigning supreme in the paint even as new challengers arrived from the 2003 NBA Draft.
| 2002-03 Season | |
| Ranking | 0-5 ft (FGM/FGA) |
| 1. Shaquille O’Neal | 7.7 / 10.8 |
| 2. Elton Brand | 4.3 / 6.7 |
| 3. Tim Duncan | 4.3 / 6.8 |
| 2003-04 Season | |
| Ranking | 0-5 ft (FGM/FGA) |
| 1. Shaquille O’Neal | 6.5 / 9.2 |
| 2. Tim Duncan | 4.8 / 7 |
| 3. Amar’e Stoudemire | 4.5 / 7.5 |
| 2004-05 Season | |
| Ranking | 0-5 ft (FGM/FGA) |
| 1. Shaquille O’Neal | 6.9 / 9.7 |
| 2. Amar’e Stoudemire | 5.7 / 8.3 |
| 3. Lebron James | 5.1 / 7.3 |
| 2005-06 Season | |
| Ranking | 0-5 ft (FGM/FGA) |
| 1. Shaquille O’Neal | 6.5 / 8.9 |
| 2. Lebron James | 5.9 / 8.9 |
| 3. Carmelo Anthony | 5.3 / 8.7 |
Starting from the 2003-04 Season though, Shaq was finally starting to look human. He was still far and away the best player in the paint but his 6.5 FGM in the 0.5 feet area would be his lowest mark in recorded history. The next season, his first in Miami, would finally see the competition get within 1 field goal of Shaquille O’Neal.
At the behest of Steve Nash’s playmaking, Amar’e Stoudemire challenged O’Neal in the 2004-05 Season by converting 5.7 FGM in the paint, inching close to O’Neal’s 6.9. Both Stoudemire and LeBron James would also creep towards the hallowed 70% mark from 0-5 feet, signaling that Shaq’s unparalleled dominance in the paint might be coming to a close.
His last season atop the rankings would thankfully earn O’Neal his fourth NBA championship. However, it was clear that his reign was over as LeBron James became the first player in a decade to get within 1 field goal of Shaq. The fact that two wings were on the list during the 2005-06 Season was also telling of just how much the game had changed since Big Diesel first took over the leaderboard.
From 1996 to 2004, Shaq led in paint scoring during both, the regular season and the Playoffs. For the first 6 seasons of that run, O’Neal also led the regular season in scoring 5-9 feet from the basket. From 1996 to 2006, he was the sole leader in FGM and FGA in the paint.
Then came the 2006-07 Season, where an injury to his left knee caused Shaquille O’Neal to fall all the way to 6th with 5.2 field goals made in the paint. Carmelo Anthony would take his spot, making 6.2 of his 9.8 attempts from 0-5 feet.
It was also the first time in his career that Shaq averaged below 20 points per game. Interestingly though, his knee recovered in time for the playoffs as he returned to the top spot in the postseason rankings after 2 years, making 6 of his 9.3 field goals in Miami’s lone playoff series against the Chicago Bulls.
