There Was Only 1 Player That Didn’t Show Shaq Any Fear On The Basketball Court
NBA Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal was a big 7’1” 325 pound player when he terrorized the basketball courts during his NBA career. The fact that he was tall and wide is reason enough for opposing players to fear playing against him, especially when he was in his prime. But, Shaq admitted recently that there was only one player he went up against who showed him no fear while they were both on the hardwood.
On Shaq’s latest episode of “The Big Podcast,” he revealed that San Antonio Spurs legend and big man, Tim Duncan had no issue lining up against him during their battles when both were in the league.
In a discussion that aired last week, Shaq was speaking to Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and they were talking about the intimidation factor some players utilize while playing any sport. Shaq mentioned that he purposely stared down whoever was standing in front of him to let them know that this was not gonna be an easy task defending him. While he is looking them in the eye, he knows that if they look down, he is already in their head and he will get the intended results.
“If I look at you and you put your head down, I got you,” O’Neal said. “…First play of the game, I’m trying to get an offensive foul…so now you know I’m not playing. I’m coming to kill you.”
When questioned if anyone showed him no fear when he used that intimidation technique, and without hesitation, Shaq responded, “Tim Duncan.”
“I was looking at him, I’m bouncing, and he’s going and I’m going and he’s bouncing back and I was like s**,” O’Neal said.
Shaq says Tim Duncan is the only player who showed no fear before playing against him
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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 19, 2024
You can check out the full episode:
Duncan, who won five NBA championships while playing with the Spurs was not a small guy either. He may not have been over seven feet, but he was right there at 6′ 11.” And although Shaq outweighed him by about 75 pounds, Duncan had no issue going up against the behemoth during their playing days.
