Shaquille O’Neal, after his time as a professional athlete, has managed to stay relevant and popular because of his conversational skills. That baritone voice laced with his insight into an era full of basketball wonder and the signature Shaq comedy style make him one of the most entertaining analysts on TV.
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Perhaps this is why his ‘The Big Podcast‘ has gained far-spread popularity. People around the world tune in to hear him talk on a new episode of the podcast. The allure is also cemented by all the stories and hypotheticals that are part of the show. In one such podcast, O’Neal, Nischelle Turner, and Spice Adams animatedly debated the best possible matchups in NBA history.
Shaq at first suggested a matchup between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins. Spice Adams however disagreed and instead suggested a matchup between MJ and Isiah Thomas. Upon hearing his host’s answer, Shaquille O’Neal confessed that he was actually planning to produce such a meetup between the two legends.
Shaquille O’Neal planned to produce Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas’s one-on-one conversation
In the Big Honeymoon episode, O’Neal was just back from the All-Star weekend and was a part of the NBA’s top 75 players. His return naturally warranted a few stories and he relented once Spice and Turner pestered him.
O’Neal revealed he was disappointed with It was actually Nischelle Turner who started this line of conversation. She asked them about the best dunk matchups they wanted to see. O’Neal’s answer was essentially the recollection of the fierce dunk contest battle between MJ and Dominique. But Spice disagreed with Shaq’s take.
He instead suggested that a meeting between MJ and Isiah would be the most entertaining ever. This is when O’Neal revealed his plan for actually producing such a meeting between the Bulls and Pistons legends. To Shaq, this is likely big prey. He is not doing this for emotional healing but to give fans what they’d want to see badly.
Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas hated each other
Th feud between Thomas and Jordan started the day Jordan first met him on the court. Michael’s tactics and skills scared Thomas who was reportedly jealous of the young Bulls guard.
Isiah Thomas sends a message to Michael Jordan
“Until I get a public apology, this beef is gonna go on for a long long time, cause I’m from the west side of Chicago.”
(Via @Eurohoopsnet ) pic.twitter.com/ilqcy4aOOH
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) November 8, 2022
The entire thing escalated a lot more when Michael Jordan made it to his first All-Star game. Allegedly, Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson snubbed MJ’s spot and gave him horrible minutes.
Since then, their fierce rival literally started a war on these players. He dominated the entire league without any challengers and won far more championships than Isiah could ever have hoped for.
