"He'd play some games... Dunk over me" - Shaquille O'Neal once revealed how Michael Jordan welcomed him to North Carolina on a recruiting trip
Before they battled it out on the NBA stage, Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan had a memorable encounter. The future Hall of Fame big man still has a piece of memorbilia from the first time he met "His Airness."
While deciding which college to attend, Shaquille O'Neal made a stop to the University of North Carolina. It is one of the most historic programs in history, and where Jordan played before joining the Bulls.
Being the fierce competitior that he is, Jordan let Shaq know who the top dog was during his visit. He gave the young prospect an autographed photo and told him if he went to UNC he'd dunk over him in a game.
"Michael came in the locker room and gave me an autograph without me even asking,'' Shaq recalled. "He said if I went there, he'd play some games with me during the summer and dunk over me.''
In the end, Shaq ended up playing his college ball at LSU. That said, he never forgot this moment with MJ. When he faced off against the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs as a member of the Orlando Magic, he admitted he still had the picture.
Did Michael Jordan ever dunk on Shaquille O'Neal?
With the cameras rolling, Michael Jordan never fully dunked on Shaquille O'Neal. However, he did come close during one of their early playoff battles.
Late in the 1994-95 season, Jordan shocked the NBA world by coming out of retirement to re-join the Chicago Bulls. He played just 17 regular-season games before having to lead the charge in the postseason.
After beating the Charlotte Hornets in the first round, the Bulls squared off against Shaq and the Orlando Magic. On one occasion, MJ blew by his defender before splitting Shaq and former teammate Horace Grant to throw down a monster slam.
Despite the minimal preparation time, Jordan averaged 31.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in that series. However, it was Shaq who had the last laugh as Orlando won the series in six games. The former No. 1 pick averaged 24.3 points, 13.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists against the Bulls.
Even though Shaq didn't go to UNC, it seems as though he has a good relationship with Jordan. Even as players they got in friendly competition to see who was the better player. Before one All-Star game, Shaq got the upper hand in a game of one-on-one.