Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal reveals his favorite player from Australia to make it to the NBA.
Regarded as one of the most dominant players in history, Shaquille O’Neal he achieved nearly every accolade during his 19 NBA seasons. A terror in the paint, the former six-foot center made opponents win with the sheer physicality of him.
Shaq faced some of the most formidable opponents during his career, including legends like Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Dirk Nowitzki. While many feared facing The Diesel in the paint, this was not the case for Shane Heal.
The Australia native enjoyed a lot of success in the NBL, which opened some international doors for him and eventually landed him in the NBA. While his tenure in basketball in the United States was limited to just 49 games in total, he made an impact.
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In a clip, Shaq reveals why Heal was his favorite Aussie player, addressing his toughness and shooting.
Shaquille O’Neal reveals why Shane Heal was his favorite Australian player.
While Heal was a superstar in Australia, the 6-foot point guard didn’t have the same success playing for the NBA during his two seasons with the Timberwolves and Spurs. The former NBL champion averaged just 6.3 MPG, with stats like 2.0 PPG and 0.8 APG.
However, Heal has something to be happy about, given that NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal was very impressed with him.
When asked who his favorite Australian player was, The Diesel had the following to say.
“Shane Heal,” the Hall of Famer said.
“Because he’s tough and a great shooter.
He’s tough because he went into lane one day, and I tried to hit him in the face, and he just kept coming back.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nLDQPw3K-w
Shaq added how he was assigned to retouch (heal) it. However, the Lakers MVP was very impressed by Heal’s fighting heart.
Heal, who failed to do his stint in the NBA justice, could have his daughter Shyla make up for it, selected as the eighth overall pick in the 2021 WNBA draft.
Also read: Shaquille O’Neal, who missed more than 5,000 free throws, insults himself while trying to flip a bottle
