After Orlando Magic’s jersey tribute, 4X NBA champ Shaquille O'Neal shares nostalgic rim-breaking clip from LSU
Say breaking backboards in the NBA and one person on everyone's mind is Shaquille O'Neal. In his career spanning 19 seasons, Shaq broke a grand total of two backboards in the NBA, right from his rookie year itself. Unofficially, he has broken many more boards in training gyms and sports facilities.
O'Neal actually picked up his habit right out of college. At LSU, the 7-foot-1 star ripped the rim during a game and Shaq recently looked back at it as he shared a clip on Instagram.
The timing of this throwback is understandable, as Shaq just had his jersey from his rookie team, the Orlando Magic, retired. In the tribute video, the team included a short clip of O'Neal's destructive dunking skills.
In his first season (1992–93) with the Magic, Shaquille O'Neal gained notoriety for his habit. He shattered the glass and broke the support holding the backboards against the New Jersey Nets and the Phoenix Suns. Following this season, the NBA decided to increase the steel brace strength and stability of the supports.
Besides this, Shaquille O'Neal's time with the Magic was memorable as he helped the franchise achieve its many firsts.
A look at Shaquille O'Neal's time at Orlando
As the first pick for Magic, Shaq's path was set to greatness from the get-go. He averaged 23.4 points on 56.2% shooting, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game in his first year.
He was the first rookie to be voted an All-Star starter since Michael Jordan in 1985 and was later named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year. Both of these instances were the first for a player to do so in a Magic uniform. While they came close to the playoffs, they lost it due to a tiebreaker with the Pacers.
The next couple of seasons saw the Magic go into the playoffs and NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Despite Shaquille O'Neal's impressive performances on both occasions, the team failed to bring in a title.
In his last year with the Magic, Shaq struggled with injuries. While the team performed well despite his missing games, the title was still a faraway dream.
When looking at his career, people may often focus more on his time with the Lakers or the Heat, but his time in Orlando was essential for him to grow. Speaking on this during the jersey retirement ceremony, Shaquille O'Neal shared:
“You know, there’s an old saying: never forget where you come from. And my professional career started here. I’ve been living here mostly all my life. The fans have been hospitable. The people have been very, very hospitable. I never thought this day would happen. Truthfully speaking, this will probably be the most impressive one."
What did you think of his career highlights with the Magic? Let us know in the comments section.