NBA History Books: Shaquille O’Neal made his debut today

NBA History Books: Shaquille O’Neal made his debut today
Shaquille O’ Neal

Not many can achieve the dominance and threshold obtained by Shaquille O’Neal on the basketball court, playing centre. Definitely one of the all-time greatest centres to have enriched the NBA. More popularly known as Shaq, made his long-awaited debut in the National Basketball Association today. Started his career during the ‘Jordon’ days till playing alongside Kobe Bryant. Shaq retired in 2011 from the NBA but his presence is still one which cannot be described by words. 

Shaq played for 6 different franchises in the NBA. But as the NBA History Books are unfolded, Shaq made his debut today in 1992 for Orlando Magic, wherein he played a dominant role in beating the Miami Heat 110-100.He scored 12 points, 18 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. 

Shaquille O’Neal made his debut today in 1992 

Kobe Bryant and Shaq won 3 consecutives NBA Championships from 2000 to 2002 for the LA Lakers

It is an interesting fact that Shaq had one of the best rookie seasons ever. He did not only win the Rookie of the Year Award in 1993 but also made it in the All-Star team the very year. He capped this season off with 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per game. This was just the beginning of Shaq’s dominance in the league. In the coming years, he won multiple individual accolades. 

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But little did all of us knew, what wis in store until Shaq joined the Lakers and played alongside Kobe Bryant. Shaq turned himself into the Diesel and helped the Lakers won consecutive Championships. The lethal duo of him and Kobe started the 2000s decade with a bang. They won three consecutive championships under renowned head coach Phil Jackson. 

Shaq had converted himself into a leader and led the Lakers in some style. But at the end of the day, Shaq’s time with the Lakers was bittersweet. The future Hall of Famer beefed with Kobe on numerous occasions during their time together. Also given his concerns with injuries, it was the end of the road with the Lakers. All the drama ended when he was traded out of the Lakers as the franchise placed trust in Kobe. 

Although Shaq played with several teams after the Lakers, he was still known for his accomplishments there. Having said that, Shaq was eventually named in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. 

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