Shaquille O’Neal won four NBA Championships en route to being the most dominant player in history. He always boasts about these rings to Charles Barkley, but you can’t blame him. Those rings were a product of his hard work and dedication to his profession.
Shaq’s NBA journey
O’Neal admitted that he felt he would never win an NBA title. But when he went to Los Angeles and met Phil Jackson, his pessimism turned to optimism. Together with Kobe Bryant , the LSU standout won three straight Larry O’Brien trophies.
It seemed like the fairytale ended when the 2000 NBA MVP was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. To end his feud with Bryant, the Lakers had to let him go. But as fate would have it, "The Big Diesel" snagged another ring with the help of Dwyane Wade .
Despite his superb resume, the Hall of Famer still has some regrets. Looking back at his illustrious career and those postseason campaigns, O’Neal feels he should won more than four chips.
“Even though I got four, I felt I should have six or seven,” Shaq said, per SLAM . “The first, with the Magic, we shouldn’t have lost that one. Then when the Lakers lost against Detroit, we shouldn’t have lost that one. And we should have made it to the Finals the year I played with LeBron, but we never quite got that far. In my mind, I should have seven rings; in my mind, I should be number two in scoring; in my mind, I’m the most dominant big man to ever play the game.”
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Three more rings?
O’Neal’s first trip to the NBA Finals was in 1995 when they faced the Houston Rockets . Shaq’s confidence is admirable, but they did not stand a chance against the Hakeem Olajuwon-led squad. Houston easily swept them in four games, proving that the Orlando Magic were not yet ready for primetime.
Concerning the 2004 NBA Finals, the Lakers were the favorites to win it all against the Detroit Pistons. On paper, a team led by four Hall of Famers seemed to have the upper hand against good but not legendary ballers.
But as it turned out, the Pistons five, Chauncey Billips, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace, had the tools and talents to oust the powerhouse Purple and Gold. Some say this '04 Finals was the biggest upset in all of sports.
It was Shaq’s significant postseason experience that prolonged his career. One of his many quick stops was in Cleveland, where he was hired to try and help young LeBron James win a ring. O’Neal got the Cleveland Cavaliers to win 61 games in the regular season.
But in the postseason, things just didn’t click for the Wine and Gold. Shaq’s injuries, coupled with a weak supporting cast, dragged down the Cavs’ chances of winning a title.
"The Big Aristotle" has no reason for regret. He gave everything on the court and earned four championship rings for his efforts, building a resume that surpasses most players in NBA history.
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