Just three years into his NBA career, Shaquille O’Neal was already in the NBA Finals, playing against Hakeem Olajuwon . It was a testament to how good Shaq was in the early part of his career, as he exhibited a unique skill set for a 7’1” big man.
Aside from his production as a dominant center, Shaq also had tremendous value outside of basketball. He naturally embraced the role of superstar for the Orlando Magic , but with that kind of responsibility, he also had to deal with the pressure. The Magic lost in the Finals, but Shaq was the first player to take responsibility for the defeat.
“He felt that everything was his fault. Of course, since he was our star, he was the man so to speak. I think he took a lot of it on his shoulders about why we lost,” Dennis Scott said about Shaq’s state after the Finals.
Shaq knew the Magic was capable of more
O’Neal had a superb series, averaging 28 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. Orlando went into the Finals by beating a returning Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the Playoffs. That victory proved the Magic could pull off anything, but they lost in the Finals in a sweep to the Houston Rockets .
Shaq felt the team could have done more because the Magic roster had plenty of talent. The Diesel was the prominent star, but the Magic had a solid cast of players. That includes Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, his secondary star playing the point guard position at 6’7”.
The Magic felt they could compete in the NBA Finals, but Olajuwon and the Rockets were unstoppable. Although they were only the sixth seed in the Western Conference, they went on a phenomenal run in the postseason, beating all the top seeds in the West en route to the Finals.
The Rockets also had championship experience from the previous year, so the young Magic roster struggled against them. Shaq was a stand-out but could not surpass Olajuwon, who averaged 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game while making an impact with two blocks and steals a game.
Shaq got his championships a few years later
While O’Neal could not lead the Magic to another Finals, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in 1996. It was the best move he could make because, in the 1999/00 season, Shaq would lead his Lakers team to the Finals alongside Kobe Bryant. It started an influential three-peat from the Lakers, with Shaq winning all three Finals MVPs.
O’Neal might not have won with the Magic, but he learned from what happened against the Rockets and implemented that during his time with the Lakers. He became a supporting player in 2006 when he helped Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat win a championship.
Related: "Hakeem had seven moves on each block" - Shaquille O'Neal on why Hakeem Olajuwon always torched him
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