One of the most dominant players the league has ever seen is Shaquille O’Neal. Before, this kind of strength and agility like Shaq wasn’t seen. The big man established himself as unique for his time and was a recurrent All-Star throughout his playing career.
Thus, Superman has always been connected to NBA All-Star Weekends since he made his debut. O’Neal was one of the select few rookie All-Stars, and even after retiring, he still finds himself in the middle of the action as a pundit and an enthusiastic spectator.
Who can forget Shaq’s expression as Vince Carter gave the NBA probably the greatest dunk contest moment of all time with his lips open and a handy cam in hand?
Throwbacks are currently popular once more as we approach the All-Star break and start practicing for 2023. Hence, following the trend in a Shaq-sized way seemed only appropriate. O’Neal used All-Star Weekend to showcase his skill set to his friends, especially Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan. Don’t miss a dunk: How Mac McClung’s Brilliant Advice from Shaquille O’Neal Saved the Dunk Contest
Shaquille O’Neal showed off his skills one-on-one vs Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan at All-Star practice.
O’Neal is one of the league’s all-time great crowd-pleasers. And what better platform than the All-Star weekend to display your talents? The one weekend in the NBA schedule when plays and schemes are not in play.
O’Neal was not required to handle the ball in Phil Jackson’s triangle style or Brian Hill’s Penny Hardaway-led tactics. And for good cause. No team had a response to Shaq’s terror in the paint.
And a requirement for success was to play to his strengths. Clearly, there isn’t a lot of game footage of O’Neal performing moves behind his back or launching deep jumpers off his elbow. Yet, the All-Star practises and games did provide us a peek at what he was capable of.
Shaq 1-on-1 vs Isiah Thomas (1993) and Michael Jordan (1996) at All-Star practice pic.twitter.com/yOYVZqEuiZ
hoops bot (@hoops_bot) February 19, 2023
In this video, O’Neal is shown practicing his skills against two of basketball’s best stars one-on-one. Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas are shown on the receiving end of some outstanding O’Neal offensive plays. Zeke appears in 1993 footage, while His Airness appears in the 1996 tape.
Of course, it was just an All-Star practice, and the excitement of a game is incomparable. O’Neal did, however, have a few movements. Give credit where it’s due.
Curiously, this isn’t the first time in the 1990s that these three big personalities have been associated together.
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Shaq and Zeke Were the High-Profile Absentees from The 1992 Dream Team.
The 1992 Dream Team was made up of the top players in 1990s basketball and is recognized as the greatest basketball squad of all time. The team did not include Shaquille O’Neal or Isiah Thomas, two of the most important NBA stars.
O’Neal was expected to be the college basketball star on the squad at the moment because he had recently entered the league. Christian Laettner was the recipient of the honor. O’Neal lost to Laettner despite having a more successful collegiate career than him despite having clearly superior talent.
Thomas was excluded because of rumors of conspiracies and disputes. According to rumors, he was left off the squad because Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan didn’t want him there.
Zeke and Shaq have undoubtedly also communicated their resentment about their individual rejections. And possibly too many times in Thomas’ case.
