Shaquille O’Neal has always had troubles with one aspect of basketball – scoring three-pointers. However, his thoughts on shooting threes have gradually changed over time. In fact, he recently flexed his skill set as a long-range shooter by unearthing an old clip of himself nailing a three-pointer from well outside the court.
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In December 2021, Shaq caught the attention of the NBA world by scoring a three-pointer with a long-range bomb. Standing a long way off the court, on an embankment a few meters away, the Diesel hit a sweet jump shot that swished in barely even touching the rim.
Immediately after conquering this challenge, O’Neal walked off with a smile, celebrating with both arms spread wide across. The people standing there went crazy as well after Shaq’s insane hit.
More than two years later, the 4x champion recently reuploaded this clip on his personal YouTube channel to remind his fans of his three-point prowess.
Even though at first glance, it looked like a lucky shot, the 2000 MVP has been working on his shooting skills since retirement. Despite securing only one three-pointer in his NBA career, Shaq has now gotten quite good with his shooting skills. Fans have witnessed a few instances of his impressive range during a handful of Inside the NBA episodes.
However, nothing compared to his mind-boggling endeavors in 2017. More than six years after retirement, the Big Aristotle dominated pro-trainer James Hunt in every aspect of their 1-on-1 matchup.
He even scored threes from various spots on the court, showcasing his prowess from the deep. In a typical Shaq fashion, he deliberately topped it off with a pinch of trash talk, announcing himself as the “Black Steph Curry”.
During his 19-year-long NBA career, Shaq had only scored one three-pointer from 22 attempts, as mentioned before. Shooting only 4.5% from behind the arc, Shaq retired as one of the worst long-range shooters in the league’s history.
He even struggled with free throws all his career. Every effort to improve his shooting during his career failed miserably. But it seems like things have started to turn around for Shaq after retirement.
