Even Shaq gets scared sometimes.
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, arguably the most dominant player in NBA history, was feared by many during his illustrious basketball career – but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t shook when he had to go up against some of the game’s greatest players.
During a recent edition of Inside The NBA, Shaq spoke candidly about the four players who scared him on the court, including who flat out “terrified” the 7’1 center.
Jonathan Daniel
Says Shaq, “Since the statute of limitations is up – I was terrified out there.” When asked how long the terror of going up against MJ lasted, Shaq told his co-hosts, “The whole game.”
“For one, he’s the greatest player. Two, I was worried about him dunking on me and having to go back and face the fellas. And then three, he was just so hot. Like, the stuff that I saw when I was in college on tv, it’s like really real. I was terrified.”
In addition to his fear of playing against Jordan, Shaq admitted to being scared of fellow Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and Charles Barkley. But not Houston Rockets’ legend Hakeem Olajuwon because, “Olajuwon wasn’t really mean. He was nice but he wasn’t mean. Barkley was mean.”
Check out the conversation in the video embedded below.
