Shaquille O’Neal admitted an important mistake he made in the 1995 NBA Finals.
He and Penny Hardaway led the magic to the first-ever final after beating Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
The superstar duo then faced Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rocket in the championship round, but was swept 4-0.
O’Neill is ashamed of his performance against Rockett and has promised that he will never make the same mistake again.
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O’Neal was naturally excited to play the finals in his third season in the NBA, but he got caught up in the moment rather than focusing on future challenges.
“It was my fault for losing, because as a leader, I didn’t lead. After we defeated the bull, I gave up,” O’Neill said, taking full responsibility for the magical loss.
“We beat the Mike. We’re straight. We played Houston before. What did they give us? The series too.
“And then, off the record, we took eight days off, Dennis Scott and I were doing things we shouldn’t have done, and they had a little parade.
“We were just celebrating, but when we got into the game we were hanging with them… I can’t blame it on Nick, but he misses the free throw, which is my fault.
“The second game, it’s 0-2. I’m going to Houston, I know I don’t have a shot, so I’ll be swept.
“Okay, if I go back to the final, I have to dominate, in my 40s. Forget the 28 and 10 I’m talking about. So when I got back to the final, I was trying to put up a big number.
Unfortunately for magic, O’Neill’s learning didn’t pay dividends with them. Instead, he made things right with the Los Angeles Lakers a few years later.
Shaq won three consecutive championships alongside Kobe Bryant between 2000 and 2002, winning the final MVP every time.
Shaquille O’Neal’s NBA Finals statistics showcase the significant growth of his game, from his magical days to his time with the LA Lakers.
He still averaged an impressive 28 points, 12.5 rebounds and six assists in the first final, but he really stepped up after five years.
| season | team | Opponent | point | rebound | assist | block |
| 1994-95 | magic | rocket | 28.0 | 12.5 | 6.3 | 2.5 |
| 1999-00 | Lakers | Pacer | 38.0 | 16.7 | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| 2000-01 | Lakers | 76ers | 33.0 | 15.8 | 4.8. | 3.4 |
| 2001-02 | Lakers | net | 36.3 | 12.3 | 3.8 | 2.8 |
| 2003-04 | Lakers | piston | 26.6 | 10.8 | 1.6 | 0.6 |
| 2005-06 | heat | Mavericks | 13.7 | 10.2 | 2.8 | 0/8 |
O’Neal scored an astounding 38 points and 17 rebounds per game in a victory over the Indiana Pacers in the LA Lakers series.
He also managed similar statistical lines in the next two finals.