Shaquille O’Neal once suffered an embarrassing fate and then proclaimed he would ‘rip the damn backboard off’ the next time he played a former NBA All-Star.
Shaquille O’Neal once suffered an embarrassing fate and then proclaimed he would rip the damn backboard off the next time he played a former NBA All-Star. Read more in detail here: how tall is shaquille o’neal.
Few NBA players can claim to have dunked on Shaquille O’Neal. If they did, it’s fair to assume Shaq was retaliated against in dramatic manner. Derrick Coleman is one example of this.
During The Diesel’s rookie season with the Orlando Magic, the veteran All-Star gave a young O’Neal some humiliation with a nasty jam. Coleman had no idea that his dunk would inspire Shaq to do an incredible act of power in response.
Shaquille O’Neal was dunked on by Derrick Coleman, who mocked him with a finger-wag motion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnZPGkq sDk
Derrick Coleman, a former New Jersey Nets player, was the first overall selection in the 1990 NBA Draft. In his first season, he averaged over 18 points and 10 rebounds per game and was awarded Rookie of the Year. He was a 20-point scorer a few seasons later.
In other words, when Shaquille O’Neal entered the NBA in 1992, Coleman was already well-known. During a game between the Nets and the Orlando Magic in March 1993, he attempted to convince a rookie Shaq that he was the boss.
Coleman gave O’Neal a slap in the face, slamming Shaq with a thudding left-handed jam. That wasn’t the only highlight of the highlight-reel dunk, however. Coleman imitated Dikembe Mutombo by looking down The Diesel and shaking his finger at him. The event served as a fitting conclusion to a spectacular performance. Coleman led the New Jersey Nets to a 116-97 victory with 34 points and 15 rebounds.
Shaq was, after all, a rookie at the time. Coleman, on the other hand, definitely shouldn’t have pulled on Superman’s cape.
Shaq vowed that the next time he played in New Jersey, he would lower the backboard.
After being placed on a billboard, Shaq was determined about getting even with Coleman. He devised a strategy to demonstrate to Coleman and the Nets what sort of dominating force he could be.
“I told myself that the next time we play in Jersey, I’m ripping the stupid backboard off.”
NBA Posterized! -Shaquille O’Neal
O’Neal didn’t just tear the backboard off the rim. He smashed the whole goal to the ground.
On April 23, 1993, Shaq and the Magic returned to Jersey to face the Nets. The Diesel made his move at one point throughout the competition. He took one strong dribble before snatching the rim and dragging the hoop down with him with two hands. The shot clock was removed, and the basket support collapsed, thanks to O’Neal’s power.
Shaq did not place it on Coleman’s head. Coleman, on the other hand, was in the frame, and when the rim fell to the ground, he just barely missed the shot clock.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time a rookie Shaq has blown a goal.
Previously, O’Neal had folded an entire basket stanchion.
Shaquille O’Neal grins as he is honored into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame in 2015 | Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Shaquille O’Neal smiles as he is inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame in 2015.
Against Coleman and the Nets, Shaquille O’Neal knew he could “tear” the backboard off. Why? He’d already done it once.
When The Diesel stepped up for a put-back dunk, O’Neal and the Magic were in Phoenix for a game against Charles Barkley and the Suns. He made it all the way through, only for the basket stanchion to collapse in on itself.
These two jams revealed Shaq’s ability to become an outrageously dominating force throughout the course of his career. They also altered the game’s dynamics.
Because of Shaq’s amazing demonstrations of power, the NBA had to evaluate equipment and strengthen breakaway rims and backboards. So, although he may not have realized it at the time, Derrick Coleman had a part in altering the NBA.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
RELATED: Shaquille O’Neal Refuses to Accept Losing MVP Awards Due to Steve Nash: ‘It Was This Little, Good-Looking, David Beckham Little Guy Running Around Like a Gnat.’
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