Shaquille O’ Neal was one of the most dominant players of his time and lifted the NBA brand to a new level. In the process, Shaq scuffled almost every one of his stations. This did not detract from his popularity. Today the Big Diesel is 46 years old.
It was the 17th. May 1992, which finally brought the Orlando Magic to the NBA. Three years earlier, Magic had played their first match in the league, but it was a long time before their success.
The draft lottery changed everything. The No. 1 pick promised the jackpot. Shaquille O’ Neal. A center with incredible dimensions. 2.16 meters, 147 kg. There were eleven teams that had a jersey with O’ Neal’s name on it,”recalls the then Magic-GM Pat Williams.
Everywhere in the States, the fans sat spellbound in front of the TV on this Sunday. The tension on the stage in Secaucus, New Jersey was almost tangible. The coming draft was finally considered the best since the class of Michael Jordan in 1984 with O’ Neal as the cherry on a fat cake.
The disappointment of the Timberwolves was correspondingly great when, as the worst team with the highest chance of winning, they only managed to catch the third pick. When Commissioner David Stern next pulled the logo of Charlotte Hornets out of the oversized envelope, the winner was certain.
The Orlando Magic were allowed on 24. They had the jackpot, they had Shaq. They were the first to win the jackpot. It was like a big bang! Huge euphoria flared up around Orlando, O’ Neal was already a superstar in the league before he even entered the court of the Orlando Arena once.
And just one week after the start of the season, the hype was no longer confined to national borders. The rookie was the first player ever to be named player of the week in his first seven days in the league.
“He’s the new kid on the block. It’s like when Magic or Michel Jordan came into the league. That’s great,”said Knicks coach Pat Riley. Sun’s Forward Charles Barkley was not stingy about the 20-year-old with superlatives either,”He is an incredible talent. He is the future of the NBA,” both later made their experiences with Shaq.
Of course, O’ Neal won the Rookie-of-the-Year-Award. 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks Shaq Attack played on average. As the fifth player ever, he was chosen as a newcomer to the Starting Five of the All-Star Games. Invitations to talk shows, advertising contracts, photo shootings. The Shaq brand was born.
He took the league by storm and did so with a remarkable self-image and self-confidence. No Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, no Wilt Chamberlain had this dominance at the beginning,”My father always told me not to let anyone push you around,”he later explained.
When Shaq talks about his father, he means stepfather Phil Harrison, an army sergeant. His biological father, Joseph Toney, had an early conflict with the law and was imprisoned for various drug-related offences. Shaq hasn’t made contact with him yet.
Despite all his personal successes in his first season, Magic was not enough for the playoffs, although they scored 20 more victories than last year. One year later, Shaq Orlando and Rookie Anfernee Hardaway were joined in the playoffs for the first time.
His third season brought the final breakthrough in sporting terms. O’ Neal was the top scorer of the league with 29.3 points on average, the Magic won the Atlantic Division and were in the finals for the first time after victories over Boston, Chicago and the Pacers around Reggie Miller.
O’ Neal delivered strong performances, but the experienced Houston rockets around Hakeem Olajuwon were too big. Orlando was swept. Despite the disappointment, it was the highlight of his young career so far.
The first kink followed. Shaq had to pause 28 games because of injuries. Something that should accompany him throughout his entire career. The Magic finished the season with 60 wins behind the record bulls. In the Conference Finals, however, they lost out to Jordan, Pippen and Rodman.
The cracks that the success had previously concealed could no longer be repaired. Relations with the press were tense, they made him feel bad. The relationship with coach Brian Hill was considered problematic before and Sidekick Penny Hardaway wanted to step out of the centre’s shadow.
Page 1: The great hype in Orlando
Page 2: Successful years in L. A.
Page 3: The fourth title in Miami