SUMMARY
- In the latest episode of his infamous 'The Big Podcast with Shaq,' the former basketball player spoke about how he wanted to pass Wilt Chamberlain in points.
- It doesn't come as a surprise that O'Neal's father wanted him to be like Chamberlain who was a legendary player when Big Diesel was just starting his career.
Shaquille O’Neal has etched his name in the history of the NBA. Despite playing his last game more than a decade ago, he remains one of the most popular players in the basketball world. Throughout his career, Shaq played for various teams including the Lakers, the Heat, etc. The last team that he represented before his career came to an end was the Celtics and he recently revealed the reason behind signing the deal.
In the latest episode of his infamous ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq,’ the former basketball player spoke about how he wanted to pass Wilt Chamberlain in points. He said. “I wanted to pass him up in points so bad” and revealed that he wanted to be able to arrogantly say that he is the most dominant big man ever. O’Neal also emphasized that he didn’t want to hear anybody else say this.
Furthermore, he explained when he started passing other (now former) basketball players in points and getting Championship titles on his name then he started getting in the conversation. O’Neal took everyone by surprise as he said, “That’s why I signed a two-year deal in Boston. I needed to average like 10 points for two.” He was aware that he needed to average 10 points for two years to pass Chamberlain.
Shaquille O’Neal’s father wanted him to be like Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain played in the NBA from 1959-60 season to 1972-73. He was one of the most iconic players and inspired countless people. He was the dominant man of the league long before Shaquille O’Neal even joined the NBA. Notably, the former Lakers player was drafted into the league in 1992, which is two decades after Chamberlain played his last game.
Out of these two legendary NBA Centers, who do YOU think is the greater Center: Shaquille O’Neal or Wilt Chamberlain?🧐🔥
Retweet Appreciated!🤩#NBA #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/PNx9FSn3Qe— TD Nash (@td_nash) December 27, 2023
It doesn’t come as a surprise that O’Neal’s father wanted him to be like Chamberlain who was a legendary player when Big Diesel was just starting his career. “When I was coming up, and my father was teaching me, he always used to say, “I want you to be strong and powerful like Wilt, play defense like Russell, and develop a skyhook like Kareem,” he revealed in his book ‘Shaq Talks Back.’
Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t impressed with Wilt Chamberlain’s performances
Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain’s names come up every time there is a debate about the dominant player of all time in the league. This has not been settled yet, and would likely never be. During his appearance on the ‘Fluent & Chill’ podcast, O’Neal was asked for his take on this debate and was shown some of the highlights of Chamberlain’s performances. He responded by saying, “I’m not impressed.”
Furthermore, O’Neal emphasized that he was a lot more hip-hop and a lot more style during his 19-year-long career. In addition to this, he claimed that he was the one who brought it up off a rebound in style. The 4x NBA Championship winner concluded by stating, “Young Wilt, young Shaq, I’m gonna go with Shaq,” and added that he wouldn’t be mad if anyone picked Chamberlain as he was a great player.