“Caught behind Mike” – Shaquille O'Neal once called Dominique Wilkins his ‘mentor’ while comparing his clout to Michael Jordan's fanbase
NBA fans familiar with Shaquille O'Neal are also familiar with the fact that the former MVP doesn't throw praise around easily. So when someone is termed a "mentor" by Shaq, you know it is truly a legend of the game without much context otherwise. And that is an honor that has come along the way of former Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins.
On the occasion of Wilkins' statue being unveiled by the Atlanta Hawks in March 2015, the "Inside the NBA" crew discussed the legacy of the "Human Highlight Reel," and Shaquille O'Neal was all praise for his self-proclaimed mentor. According to Shaq, despite being rivals on the court, Wilkins helped him find his feet on his path to superstardom in the NBA.
O'Neal also spoke about the inevitable comparisons to Michael Jordan that followed Wilkins through his career and how he believed the Hawks star got caught behind the storm that was MJ, leaving Wilkins underrated in a sense in league circles.
"Dominique was sort of like a mentor to me," O'Neal said. "You know, one time we was playing in a game, and I was just trying to outscore him and he basically taught me how to not wear myself out in the first quarter. He said 'Shaq, how much do you want to average?' and I told him 'at least 30.' So, he said, break it down: seven points per quarter, get everybody involved.'
"He was always a great player. He was always one of those guys that were caught behind Mike. Mike just got so much fanfare and so much play. He really didn't get a lot of recognition."
Shaquille O'Neal's praise for Dominique Wilkins and the "mentor" tag were acknowledged by Wilkins, too
O'Neal has made up a few stories during his time as a player and a pundit in the NBA, but this isn't one of them. Years later, Wilkins talked about having been a mentor to a young Shaq and mentioned how they shared a "pretty cool friendship" with each other.
Their careers overlapped, with Wilkins as the star senior statesman to the young upstart Shaq. Their mutual respect is evident in their words of acknowledgment for each other. Shaq's words about how Wilkins was underappreciated and overshadowed by Michael Jordan must have meant a lot to the former Hawks star.