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Shaquille O'Neal entered the NBA with plenty of hype. The two-time consensus All-American averaged 21.6 points per game, 13.5 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game, 4.6 blocks per game, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 61.0% from the field over a three-year college career. O'Neal, who was also named College Player of the Year, became the first overall pick of the 1992 NBA Draft.
O'Neal did not struggle with the transition to professional basketball as he won the 1992-1993 NBA Rookie of the Year award. As a rookie, he averaged 23.4 points per game, 13.9 rebounds per game, 1.9 assists per game, 0.7 steals per game, and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 56.2% from the field. O'Neal accomplished the rare feat of being named to the All-Star Team as a rookie.
O'Neal had nine thirty-point games and one forty-point game as a rookie. Additionally, he had 70 games with double-digit rebounds, and in eight of those, he accumulated at least 20 rebounds. While he didn't have any games with double-digit assists, he did have two games with at least five steals and an incredible 23 games with at least five blocks.
Watch Shaquille O'Neal's highlights from his dominant rookie season below:
Shaquille O'Neal's rookie year against NBA legends
Shaquille O'Neal entered the NBA as a dominant force, and he often displayed that against some of the most legendary players of all time.
In four matchups against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, O'Neal averaged 24.5 points per game, 15.3 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game, 0.5 steals per game, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 66.1% from the field. The two Hall of Famers had a legendary meeting in January 1993 in which Jordan scored 64 points, with six rebounds and five steals, while O'Neal finished with 29 points, 24 rebounds, and blocks.
In two games against his Inside the NBA co-host, Charles Barkley, O'Neal averaged 23.0 points per game, 11.0 rebounds per game, 0.5 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game, and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 59.4% from the field.
Facing Hakeem Olajuwon, O'Neal struggled offensively as he averaged just 14.0 points per game while shooting 47.8% from the field in two games. His shooting also struggled against Patrick Ewing, as he shot just 39.8% from the field, scoring 21.0 points per game in four matchups. In two games against David Robinson, O'Neal averaged 17.0 points per game while shooting 51.7% from the field.
Watch Shaquille O'Neal's highlights below:
