In the past, Shaquille O’Neal was just a rising star that older players wanted to coach. Now he is one of the greatest basketball ever. One of the players who guaranteed he had a smooth transition to the NBA as a superstar was Michael Jordan.
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most famous names in basketball history. He made his name as the most dominant player on the floor. O’Neal always had a signature drop step to powerful dunkdown putts.
In the early days of the NBA at Orlando Magic, the rest of the league saw the superstars. At 7’1” he was a physical abnormality of his strength, but he was also very athletic. Despite his size, he made a soft touch around the rim in a hook shot.
O’Neill may not have improved from the free throw line, but he was great everywhere else. The transition to the NBA may have been tough, but he had the right people around him. This included the biggest name in basketball. Michael Jordan gave him valuable advice.
When O’Neal joined the league, Jordan was a respected figure as his most well-known superstar. The young players who joined the league knew that Jordan was the best and that the advice he gave was worth it.
O’Neill quickly became one of the best players in the league, so he and Jordan could interact with him. During those interactions, his airness said young diesel had a good career. But he motivated him, so he had to raise high expectations.
The dominant center had many failures in his magical career, but he was still a great player. He led Orlando past the Chicago Bulls in Jordan to reach the 1995 NBA Finals. Unfortunately, the losses got too big, and O’Neill moved to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“When you’re dealing with success, there are always high expectations every year. But I think what’s very important for Shaquille is to set his own expectations and respond to them,” Jordan said in an interview with young O’Neill.
“If he’s meeting his expectations, he’s going to exceed the expectations people may have for him.”
As one of the most exciting prospects in the 1990s, O’Neal already had high expectations before the NBA. It was a struggle as he had to play under immeasurable pressure. However, he brought about strong performance and dominance in the courts.
O’Neill has also become one of the most recognizable faces in the world due to his many ads and projects. Along with the money he earned, pressure was put on. The expectations were high, so winning for the Lakers was a huge relief for Diesel.
Jordanian advice was key to O’Neill. Because he raised high expectations and delivered them. The three-pet win with the Lakers was proof of his lofty expectations and how he continues to surpass them. The era ended suddenly, but it was still successful.
He finished his career with four championships and an incredible resume. It’s safe to say he met throughout his career and exceeded expectations. O’Neill is a superstar and deserves to be the case in the history book.