NBA: Shaquille O'Neal Admits His Fear Of Facing Michael Jordan During His Rookie Year

KEY POINTS

Shaquille had 29 points, 24 rebounds and the victory in overtime
Michael Jordan had 64 points in a losing effort
Orlando won the game, but Chicago went on to win the championship that year

This may be one of the rare times that Shaquille O’Neal admits on live television that he once feared playing against some of the best players in the NBA during his era.

Perhaps one of the most dominant centers in history, Shaq opened up to his collegues during a segment of their program “Inside The NBA” when they commemorated the anniversary of his first match-up against the Bulls when the then-rookie Shaq and the Orlando Magic went to Chicago on January 16, 1993.

“I was terrified out there,” Shaq said before adding that he he felt that way the entire game. “One’s he’s the greatest player. Two, I was worried abot him dunking on me,” explained O’Neal who was the number one pick in the 1992 NBA Draft.

As the Magic’s starting center, the “terrified” Shaq managed to churn out monster numbers of 29 points and 24 rebounds while Jordan scored 64 points, six rebounds, and one assist as posted in The Post Game. Jordan, however, took 60 shots to achieve his scoring output and also 11 free-throw shots.

“He was just so hot,” Shaq said about his live-view experience of Jordan’s offensive showcase. “The stuff that I saw when I was in college on TV is like, really real,” said the amazed O’Neal.

O’Neal, who has been a regular on their program on TNT, also revealed other names that he was afraid of. “Him (Jordan), (Charles) Barkley, (Patrick) Ewing, and (David) Robinson,” the 47-year old revealed. When asked if he feels the same about Hakeem Olajuwon, he quickly said no. “Not Olajuwon”. “Olajuwon wasn’t really mean. He was nice but he wasn’t mean,” explained Shaq.

Despite Jordan’s second highest scoring output in his career, the Bulls still lost to the Orlando Magic in overtime, 128-124, but he brought the NBA title to Chicago that same year to complete their three-peat.

O’Neal moved to Los Angeles in free agency and won his three titles with the Lakers before his stints with Miami, where he won his last title, Phoenix, Cleveland and Boston.