"’If you put your hand there, I'll break your wrist’" - Former NBA champion gives insight into Shaquille O'Neal’s warning to players who tried to block his dunks
Not many players had the audacity to block Shaquille O'Neal's dunk during his prime. O'Neal was so dominant and powerful that only a handful of players were able to barely defend him in the paint. Former NBA player and one-time champion Richard Jefferson has given an insight into how scary O'Neal was back in the day.
Jefferson and Channing Frye's the "Road Trippin'" podcast had a special crossover episode with "The Long Shot" podcast by Duncan Robinson. One of the topics discussed was centers, and how dominant O'Neal and Yao Ming were during the mid-2000s.
Frye recalled guarding O'Neal, who was playing for the Miami Heat back then.
"I caught O5 Shaq. ... and if you look at the video, you're like damn he's so big," Frye said. "As a human being, he's not supposed to move like that. I was playing in New York; we're up; and I know he probably went out the night before. So I'm like not gonna say sh*t right, I'mma just let this game go by."
He continued:
"Third quarter comes, and he's doing okay; they're down six. He looks at me, and he's like, 'Okay, good game little Frye. We gotta win this now.' And boops (elbow gesture) and basically f***s me up for the whole quarter."
Jefferson then told a story about how O'Neal warned him when he tried to block his shot. The current ESPN analyst explained that as a help defender, there were times when he tried to take a swipe at O'Neal's dunk. However, the LA Lakers legend was not afraid to throw it down and break someone's hand.
"You would do a fly by like just trying to like, 'I'm trying to help,'" Jefferson said. "And he would be like, 'Watch it, little fella. If you put your hand there, I'll break your wrist.' If his body (arm), and you try to block a ball, and there's a rim right there? He'll f**k yeah, break your wrist."
Shaquille O'Neal makes hilarious bet on Dallas Cowboys
Shaquille O'Neal is literally one of the biggest fans of the Dallas Cowboys. O'Neal was a teenager growing up in San Antonio when there were no other NFL teams in Texas besides the Cowboys.
In an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," O'Neal made a bet with Eisen that the Cowboys would win the Super Bowl this season. He wagered that he'd run naked on U.S. Highway 101 in California if the Cowboys fail.
"Rich, the Cowboys will win the Super Bow this year, or I will walk b**t naked down the 101 for one exit," O'Neal said.
Last season, O'Neal also lost a bet after the Cowboys were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round. Anthony "Spice" Adams made O'Neal wear a wig and sing an original song on "The Big Podcast with Shaq."