“He walked out he knew he was Shaq. Like, he came out and the Undertaker’s music starts playing” - Jamal Crawford on being in awe of Shaquille O'Neal's presence

Jamal Crawford was amazed by Shaquille O'Neal's presence [Photo: HoopsHabit]

Every NBA player has marveled at Shaquille O'Neal's size, and Jamal Crawford is the newest member of the club. Shaq was one of the biggest players in league history, and he used his size to his advantage, embodying the bully ball.

Crawford, who retired in 2020 at age 40, never got the opportunity to play with Shaq, but they shared the court on multiple occasions. He had arguably the deadliest crossover in league history, and it seemed like Shaq wanted no part of that.

On the latest episode of The Big Shaq podcast, the crew had Crawford as a special guest and he was a contributor for the entire one-hour ride. Shaq revealed that Crawford is one of the players he lets do whatever they like on the court.

The seven-footer recounted when he first saw Crawford, which was during a pick-and-roll situation that left him intrigued. However, Crawford's reaction to seeing Shaq up close was a lot more fascinating. Barely four minutes into the podcast, JC spoke about Shaq's presence.

"When I saw Shaq walk out, I had never seen somebody with that presence. Size is size just the presence, when he walked out he knew he was Shaq. Like, he came out and the Undertaker's music start playing. And he walk to the music, I'm like wait what we supposed to do with that? We ain't got a chance."

"The one picture when he's in the Finals, where it feels like eight Nets are hanging on, that should be in the Louvre or something."

"There was nothing like Shaq, and there still isn't."

The three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year had high praise for Shaq, and so do many other players who have seen him work. His accolades and making the NBA 75 team is a testament to how much of a force he was in his 19-year career.

Shaquille O'Neal disagrees with Jamal Crawford's 2022 1st Team All-NBA

Shaq is known to say exactly what is on his mind at every turn, and he did so once again on NBA on TNT, where the panel was asked to choose their All-NBA First Teams.

Of the 12 names on the board, Crawford went first, choosing Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid. Although Shaquille O'Neal agreed with everything Crawford said, he swapped Luka Doncic for Ja Morant.

.@SHAQ, @JCrossover, @DwyaneWade & @AdamLefkoe pick their First Team All-NBA squads from this season 👀 https://t.co/HEubZW8ufK

All the aforementioned players have had incredible campaigns and have been instrumental in their teams' success this season. Although all are deserving, there is only space for five players in the first team, with another five in the second team.

Shaquille O'Neal made ten All-NBA Teams in his career, with eight selections being for the first team. On TNT, the big man stated that he felt robbed whenever he was part of the second team and it got him upset.

Diesel played for six NBA teams before retiring as a Celtic in 2011. His most successful run was with Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers, where they won three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. Shaquille O'Neal was named the Finals MVP in all three title runs with the Lakers.