“Thank You Stephen Curry”: Shaquille O’Neal Shares Heartwarming Tribute to Warriors Legend on Instagram

Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry are two of the most dominant and successful players in the history of the NBA. While they played in different eras and have different playing styles, the relationship between Shaq and Steph is one that has evolved over time.

At the start of Steph Curry‘s career, Shaq was critical of the young point guard. He openly questioned Curry’s ability to lead a team and win championships.

However, as Curry’s career progressed and he led the Golden State Warriors to multiple NBA titles and established himself as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, Shaq’s opinion of him began to change.

In recent years, Shaq has become one of Curry’s biggest supporters, praising his shooting ability, leadership skills, and overall impact on the game.

Shaquille O’Neal shares old video of Steph Curry as a boy

When Shaquille O’Neal made his NBA debut in 1992, he played against Dell Curry. By the time he retired in 2011 with the Celtics, he’d played against Wardell Stephen Curry Jr too.

By the time Steph was old enough to come and shoot around pre-game, Shaq was the most dominant NBA player. Naturally, a young Steph saw Shaquille O’Neal in his full glory. He also got to show off some of his skills alongside Seth to Dell’s other NBA competitors.

Shaq shared a throwback Instagram clip of Steph’s pre-game antics as a kid on his Instagram stories. It showed his journey from those times till his NBA debut.

https://t.co/ZWjVxjizxu pic.twitter.com/JA9meCyPea

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How Steph grew from his chest-high release in grade 7 to his robot-like current shooting form is a true sight to behold. Curry’s subtle adjustments to his form over the years have made him an even deadlier sniper.

Shaq has called himself the ‘Black Steph Curry’

The relationship between Shaq and Steph has also been shaped by their mutual respect for one another. Despite their different playing styles and personalities, both players recognize each other’s talent and impact on the game.

Shaq has acknowledged Curry’s ability to change the way the game is played with his shooting and ball-handling skills, while Curry has praised Shaq’s dominance in the paint and his impact on the game as a whole.

O’Neal once posted a video of him sinking a long-distance shot and calling himself the ‘Black Steph Curry’.

Shaq: I’m the Black Steph Curry

Kenny: Can you not be this drunk on national television ONCE, man?? pic.twitter.com/WMtdhVzVyW

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) February 17, 2019