In 1996, when the NBA announced its 50th Anniversary Team, Shaquille O’Neal was the youngest member. Even though there was some backlash on his inclusion, by some of the NBA veterans, Shaq made the list and was very proud of it. Recently, the big fella shared a post on his Instagram story, reminding everyone just how incredible his achievement was back then.
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A post, made by one of Shaq’s fan clubs, named ‘Big Shaq Fan Club’ gave the interesting trivia on their IG page. The post mentioned that Shaq at 24, and only four seasons in the league, was the youngest player on the team by a large margin. The second spot on the team in terms of age belonged to the Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen who was 30 years old at the time.
Shaq was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 1992 and moved to the LA Lakers in 1996. In that short tenure, he made an impact worthy enough for an inclusion on the celebrated team.
Before he moved to LA, Shaq played 295 games for the Magic averaging 27.2 points, 2.4 assists, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks while shooting 58.1% from the field. He represented the Orlando franchise in 36 playoff games averaging 25.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 3.7 assists while shooting 58.3% from the field.
During his time in Orlando, Shaq only made it into the NBA Finals once, and that could be the reason why his inclusion in the Anniversary Team was contested.
In the four games that he played for the franchise in the NBA Finals, Shaq averaged 28.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. He shot 59.5% from the field during that tournament. The Magic lost their first shot at the title in four straight games to the Houston Rockets.
Wilt Chamberlain trashed Shaquille O’Neal’s inclusion
Shaq’s inclusion in the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team was obvious, but his being part of the 1996 team didn’t sit well with a lot of people. One of the loudest voices against Shaq at the time was Wilt Chamberlain‘s who thought that the big fella wasn’t deserving of the honor alongside some of the legends of the game.
In a rare clip uploaded by ‘The Universe Galaxy NBA‘ on YouTube, Chamberlain can be seen letting out his frustration.
The NBA veteran said,
“I did not vote for Shaquille. I think that maybe he has not put enough time as a professional to be on that list. I don’t think he has. Maybe 10 years later in the 60 year [team] he maybe there.”
Chamberlain said that the list boasts people who have accomplished greatness and Shaq at the time was nowhere near their level. However, looking back, it can be safely said that Shaq is well deserving of the position.
