“We woke up the sleeping giant” Former NBA legend praises Shaquille O’Neal over 2001 Finals domination
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Shaquille O’Neal is well known for his calm and gentle demeanor these days. Fans and people adore him for his generosity and willingness to help society at any given moment. And to top it all off, his hilarious personality can make everybody crack up even if they were not his supporters.
Besides being an incredibly kind heart and owner of 50 brands locates around the United States of America, the Big Diesel had an iconic career in the NBA. Specifically, his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers had the world on the edge of their seats at all time.
Shaquille O’Neal helped the Los Angeles Lakers three-peat
Shaquille O’Neal was a very efficient scorer of the ball within the paint. He used his size and speed to the best of his abilities averaging 27 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists during his Lakers career. One of the most iconic duo emerged out of that particular roster and stormed the NBA for half a decade.
Shaq and Kobe Bryant, the most iconic duo of all time, helped the Lakers win three titles between 2000-2002. O’Neal was arguably their best player however averaging a finals career of 33.6 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists with the Lakers. He also won league MVP, Finals MVP and the All-Star Game MVP in 2000.
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Shaquille O’Neal led the downfall of “Shaq and Kobe”
Allen Iverson, a legend in his own right played against the Hall of Fame center during the 2001 finals. He recently posted an image on Instagram reflecting to when the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Lakers in Game 1. “We had a chance until we woke up the sleeping giant. @Shaq Finals MVP 33.0/15.8/4.8”
The second half of the caption referred to when Shaquille O’Neal absolutely let lose and helped his team win the championship. However, the “sleeping giant” may have never always dominated to defeat his rivals. A part of his game may have been an attempt to throw Kobe away from the limelight. The two had apparently argued over the Black Mamba being a selfish player. Eventually, it became one of the reasons why Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004.
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