Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal once sat down and described his mindset behind being the most dominant player in the league.
When it comes to being a monumental player for their franchises, only a select few can hold their heads high. The fact that there have been numerous extraordinary players in the history of the game who have won next to nothing is terrifying.
But more so, it speaks to the paramount importance of having a good system and structure behind you. People like Allen Iverson, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, etc.
However, even for the best players in the league, several of them have had to go through too many ups and downs. The abject failures some face have stunted their career growth and eventually a place in the NBA.
However, those who persevere go straight to the top. The likes of Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, etc. The mark they have left on the league will be remembered for generations to come.
Shaquille O’Neal is the most dominant player in NBA history. However, his goal was to truly be the baddest!
If you ask any NBA fan, who was the most dominant, not cool, dominant, all fingers point to ‘Shaq.’ A trailblazer, the size and stature that O’Neil possessed meant he was unplayable on his best days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkdQ7YpiYIU
In an interview, ‘Diesel’ spoke about his intention and need to be the best player. O’Neil stated-
“Jordan told me that before he succeeded, he was the first to fail… As if he never wanted to be the best player. He wanted to be the baddest. I want you to say that Shaq is the most dominant player or one of the most dominant players of all time. Period.”
In his prime, ‘Shaq’ was untouchable. In 2000, he won the following awards: NBA ‘MVP’, NBA Championship, scoring title and ‘All-Star’. In the 2000 NBA Finals he averaged 38.0 points per game and 16.7 rebounds per game, in addition to 2.
7 blocks per game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te9VQbONNUY
A freak of nature in its own right. Do you think we’ll ever see someone as dominant as Shaq O’Neil in the NBA again?
