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Shaquille O’Neal has had an eminent career in the NBA. He was the first pick of the 1992 NBA draft, selected by the Orlando Magic. Ever since, the four-time NBA champion has dominated the league with his physicality. Shaquille O'Neal has played for six teams in the league, including one-year stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics.
Shaquille O’Neal was a strong and difficult to mark center in the paint. With his sheer strength, it was easy for him to reach the frame and dunk the ball into the ring. O’Neal has put up some monstrous dunks throughout his career, breaking and in-turn testing the standards of the backboard many times. Let’s now take a look at some of his most impressive dunks.
#5 1996 All-Star Game
For the fourth time in four seasons, Shaquille O’Neal was named an NBA All-Star. The 1996 All-Star weekend was conducted in San Antonio and the 23-year-old O’Neal was part of the Eastern Conference team. Coached by Phil Jackson, the East won the game 129-118. Shaq led the team in scoring and rebounds with 25 and 10 respectively.
On a fast-break play, Shaquille O’Neal sprinted down along with Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons. Hill assisted Shaquille O'Neal with a poster dunk on home-town boy David Robinson. It was a monster dunk, acknowledged by Michael Jordan, who looked on from the bench.
#4 Dunk on David Robinson
In the 1997-98 season, Shaquille O’Neal and the Lakers had a strong start to the season. With a five-game winning streak, they went on to face the San Antonio Spurs. Shaquille O’Neal led the team to a 109-100 win. He scored 34 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a closely fought battle.
During the game, Shaquille O’Neal had a monstrous play where he received the ball near the paint. O’Neal posted up and spun before he dunked the ball, flooring David Robinson, who was himself one of the most dominant centers in the league. That was some elite footwork by the 300-pound center, Shaquille O’Neal.
#3 Put-back dunk vs. the Phoenix Suns
As a rookie, Shaquille O’Neal did not need a lot of time to settle in. On the 7th of February in 1993, the Orlando Magic were up against Charles Barkley’s Phoenix Suns. Shaquille O’Neal put up 20 points in the 121-105 loss and fouled out of the game with over 3 minutes left in regulation time.
Despite the loss, Shaquille O’Neal will never forget this fixture. In the first quarter, the rookie O’Neal grabbed a missed shot and threw it down hard. Shaquille O’Neal was running back down to the other end to defend when he realized that his dunk had caused some damage to the backboard. As a result of him hanging on the rim for a few seconds, the support systems holding up the backboard were destroyed. The collapsible structure went into its folded state after Shaq let go and a repair team had to be brought out. The game was delayed for almost 35 minutes.
#2 The Kobe Alley-oop
In a win-or-go-home situation, the Los Angeles Lakers came up clutch against the Portland Trail Blazers. On the 4th of June in 2000, it was Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals and the Lakers were down 13 points to start the fourth. Shaquille O’Neal scored 9 points in the quarter, shooting 100% on three attempts.
Late in the fourth quarter, Kobe Bryant crossed-up Scottie Pippen and then threw up an alley-oop for Shaquille O’Neal. The chemistry the duo shared was evident when O’Neal went up high to collect it and slam it down, giving the Lakers a 6-point cushion. The Lakers progressed to the 2000 NBA Finals and Shaquille O’Neal’s dunk got etched in every highlight reel of the series.
#1 Breaking the backboard vs the Nets
One of the most outrageous dunks of Shaquille O’Neal’s career came on the 23rd of April in 1993, against the New Jersey Nets. The physical center was 20 years old and in his rookie season. The Magic beat the Nets by a narrow 3-point margin, taking their record to 40-41 with one game left.
The most memorable moment of the game was when Shaquille O’Neal received the ball from Anthony Bowie under the rim and went up for a dunk. When he came down, so did the backboard, completely disfigured. O’Neal got a shot in the head with the shot clock but fortunately nothing major. His dunk forced the players into the locker room as the game was delayed on grounds of equipment repair.
