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Shaquille O'Neal spent 19 seasons in the NBA, playing for six different teams. O'Neal has played against many big men during his career, but there was only one legend he had the most trouble with, Hakeem Olajuwon. O'Neal acknowledged the same during an AMA session with fans.
O'Neal joined Bleacher Report AMA, where he was asked which player gave him the toughest time in the NBA. At 7' 1", 325-pounds, there are not many centers that could handle O'Neal. However, the four-time NBA champion said that 'The Dream' was the toughest to guard.
"Hakeem Olajuwon. Most guys are tri-dimensional—one move, two, maybe three. Hakeem had seven moves on each block, so he was hard to stop," O'Neal said.
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Hakeem Olajuwon faced off against Shaquille O'Neal in the 1995 NBA Finals between the Houston Rockets and the Orlando Magic.
In O'Neal's first NBA Finals trip, Olajuwon led the Rockets to a four-game sweep. He was the first player to give O'Neal problems on the court, thanks to his primary weapon dubbed the 'Dream Shake'.
'The Dream' is one of the most underrated centers ever, but one of the most respected ones. O'Neal revealed on The Jordan Harbinger Show last month that he's friends with Olajuwon. However, the respect he gave Olajuwon in 1995 might have cost him a championship.
"I think I showed him too much respect. We had the same agent at one time, and he was just a nice guy. And I didn’t want to hurt my friend. He kinda set me up because during the regular season, I was having my way with him," O'Neal said.
"So, when we got to the finals that year in Orlando, I was real arrogant. We had 10 days off. We were doing things all wrong. Flying to Atlanta, partying. It was out of control. I thought we were gonna win it then; he just turned that switch on. And I couldn't get him to turn it off," O'Neal added.
Despite getting swept in 1995, O'Neal went on to win four NBA championships. He won three in a row with the LA Lakers, between 2000 and 2002, before adding a fourth with the Miami Heat in 2006.
Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon were like fire and ice
Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon are two of the greatest centers to have ever played the game. However, O'Neal and Olajuwon were players with different playing styles. While O'Neal was more about strength and power, Olajuwon was about speed and finesse.
Despite their contrasting playing styles, the two legends were able to dominate in their prime. O'Neal won three NBA championships during his prime, while Olajuwon won two. It's a shame NBA fans never got to see them play against each other during their prime.
