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Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most dominant players in the history of the NBA, an absolute force with his combination of power and quickness.
Shaq posted eye-opening statistics with the Orlando Magic. O'Neal, the 1992-93 Rookie of the year, averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game. Although O'Neal was no stranger to putting up jaw-dropping averages each season, he also put up some mind-puzzling individual game performances.
That's just what O'Neal did one night in a "road" game against the LA Clippers. On March 6, 2000, the LA Lakers superstar finished with a career-high 61 points and 23 rebounds. He shot 24 of 35 from the field and 13 of 22 from the free-throw line.
Looking back at the dominance of Shaquille O'Neal in the NBA
There's always plenty of talk about how Shaq was one of the most dominant big men to play in the NBA. In some capacity, it's easy to forget just how ridiculous O'Neal was when it came to his prime.
Shaq was a three-time Finals MVP as well as a 14-time All-NBA team member during his 19-year career. He was also a three-time All-Defensive team member and lead the league in scoring twice.
Despite putting up absurd averages throughout his entire career, O'Neal only won one regular season MVP award (in 1999-2000). During that year, Shaq averaged 29.7 ppg, 13.6 rpg, 3.8 apg and 3.0 bpg while shooting 57.4%. What was even more impressive during that season was that O'Neal averaged 30.7 ppg and 15.4 rpg during the playoffs.
If that wasn't impressive enough, Shaq followed up that playoffs performance by averaging 30.4 ppg and 15.4 rpg in the 2000-01 playoffs. Against the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals, O'Neal averaged 33.0 points, 15.8 rpg, 4.8 apg and 3.4 bpg while shooting 57.3%.
O'Neal was the 1991 national player of the year and a two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and a two-time first-team All-American at LSU.
O'Neal, the No. 1 pick in the 1992 draft, is a Hall of Famer and a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary teams. He teamed up with Kobe Bryant to win a three-peat for the LA Lakers and with Dwyane Wade to win the 2006 title for the Miami Heat. O'Neal also has a gold medal from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
