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“They just put me in deep and I got 50”: Shaquille O’Neal describes how his 61 point, 23 rebound game on his 28th birthday came against the LA Clippers during his MVP year

Hemanth Amar
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"They just put me in deep and I got 50": Shaquille O'Neal describes how his 61 point, 23 rebound game on his 28th birthday came against the LA Clippers during his MVP year

Shaquille O’Neal reminisces about his career-high game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Shaq sits down for season 3 of the Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles and describes his early life and career. He talks about his career-high game while facing the LA Clippers in the 2000 season and what mindset led him to achieve the historic feat.

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On March 6, 2000, O’Neal set a career-high with 61 points, 23 rebounds, and 3 assists in a 123–103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. O’Neal’s 61-point performance is the most recent game in NBA history in which a player scored 60 or more points without shooting a three-pointer.

Shaq averaged 29.7 points per game, 13.6 rebounds per game, 3.8 assists per game, and 3.0 blocks per game in 2000. He led the Los Angeles Lakers to the league’s best record, 67-15, with the help of fellow superstar Kobe Bryant. Shaquille O’Neal dominated the NBA in 1999-2000, winning the league’s MVP award.

Shaquille O’Neal talks about what led him to drop 60 points on his historic career high game against the Los Angeles Clippers

Shaquille O’Neal was interviewed by Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles on Season 3 of the Knuckleheads speaking about the various phases of his career.

O’Neal speaks about certain events leading to the historic night and how his mindset was leading into the game. Shaq scored 61 points on that Monday night, becoming the first NBA player in nearly six years to do so, as the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to 16 games with a 123-103 thrashing of the Los Angeles Clippers.

“A couple of my teammates said they wanted me to get 50, so I just tried to get the ball in a deep position, and they looked for me. I have to thank my teammates and coach (Phil) Jackson for giving me an opportunity to do that,” O’Neal said after the game.

Shaq speaks about the stadium capacity not being enough and says it motivated him to put on a show and was unstoppable throughout the night putting up a monstrous 60 point double-double.

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O’Neal responded to all his doubters in 2000 with a historic season, one of the best of his illustrious career, leading the Lakers to the first of three consecutive championships.

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