Shaquille O’Neal prides himself to be the most dominant player in NBA history. Even though he has the resume to secure a place in the GOAT conversation, with three Finals MVPs, four NBA Championships, and the 2008 league MVP to his name, Shaq has always maintained his preference for the ‘most dominant’ category. And the reason for that is pretty obvious. Shaq’s legacy takes a major hit if you only consider it on the basis of advanced stats, wins, losses, etc. The sheer devastation the 7’1 center unleashed in the paint with his backboard-breaking dunks on a nightly basis in his prime cannot be quantified in numbers. However, NBA 2K tried to do exactly that and ended up disappointing Shaq profoundly.
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Shaq couldn't believe he's the only player to ever get a 100 rating on NBA 2K: "But I was so lazy." 😂
(via @FairGameonFS1)pic.twitter.com/XarWGiny19
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 25, 2019
Shaquille O’Neal is the only NBA player to be rated a perfect 100 in NBA 2K in the history of the popular game. And somehow it’s not surprising at all. The big man took the league by storm from the very first day he stepped on the NBA hardwood, showing an unprecedented level of physical dominance. The fear he induced in his peers without even trying that hard was something surreal to behold. However, NBA 2K seems to have walked back on their 100 rating, keeping in mind the needs of the modern game. And it goes without saying, Shaq is not very excited about it.
Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t believe he’s rated 98 in NBA 2K24
Shaq recently appeared on the podcast hosted by Full Squad Gaming. The conversation covered a wide range of topics but mostly focused on the upcoming NBA 2K24. The Big Diesel couldn’t be more pleased with 2K’s decision to honor Kobe Bryant with his sixth cover.
However, one piece of information ended up upsetting him profoundly. The co-hosts of the show had asked Shaq to guess his 2K24 stats to see how close he could get to the actual numbers. The 51-year-old was not that surprised by his three-point shooting and free-throw numbers, which were 26 and 62 respectively. Shaq’s ball-handling also received a mere 69, but didn’t upset the big fella.
However, he was not thrilled at all with his shot-blocking stat. Shaq had guessed it to be 99, but it turned out be one less than that. “Ohhh! Whhhyyyyy!” the Lakers legend groaned. However, he did manage to get his dunking stat right, which was unsurprisingly a rim-rattling 99.
The real surprise came down the line, when Shaq was asked to guess his overall score. “Oh, 99 out of 100,” the four-time NBA Champion said confidently. “Dude, they did you dirty. 98,” the co-host had to break the bad news. Shaq was stunned by the relegation in his overall score, even if it was by single digit. His face turned sombre as his mouth and eyes widened in shock before the video cut.
Is Shaq’s 98 rating a correct overall assessment?
Even though Shaq was rated 100 overall at one point in time, his 98 rating shouldn’t surprise fans. It’s difficult to rate him higher than 98 with so many of his attributes drastically lower than the game’s standard.
As the game has evolved into a more shooter-friendly contest, Shaq’s appalling numbers in free-throw and three-point shooting would seriously affect his impact on the game. Therefore, it’s not egregious for 2K to adjust his numbers according to modern constraints even if it upsets the big fella.
