"Wish I was here rather than that dunk contest" - Shaquille O'Neal sends fans in a frenzy with his hilarious reaction to the dunk contest
Former NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal took to Instagram to to let his displeasure be known about the 2022 NBA Dunk Contest.
The retired big man posted a picture of himself in a jacuzzi sleeping as an indication to show how disappointing this year's dunk contest was. His caption for the image read:
"wish i was here rather than that dunk contest."
After the incredible battles fans have witnessed over the years from the likes of Michael Jordan, Zach LaVine, and Aaron Gordon, this year's field, which included Obi Toppin Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson, failed to live up to the hype and past performances witnessed by the NBA.
The likes of Jalen Green from the Houston Rockets and Cole Anthony of the Orlando Magic also participated in this year's dunk contest but failed to generate the excitement the way LaVine and Gordon did during their participation. Obi Toppin Jr. in the end was crowned the winner of this year's Dunk Contest after Juan Toscano-Anderson failed to convert his final dunk after trying to imitate Jason Richardson's bounce pass into a windmill dunk.
Which was Shaquille O'Neal's best regular season?
Arguably the most dominant player to ever play the game, Shaquille O'Neal was a man amongst the boys in the NBA. Gifted with incredible size and girth, Shaquille O'Neal truly made his presence felt during his illustrious career spanning well over 15 years.
O'Neal's best season of his career came during the 1999-2000 campaign for the Los Angeles Lakers. Having signed for the Lakers as a free agent a couple of years prior, the pressure was mounting on Shaq to take the franchise to the promised land. Shaquille O'Neal duly delivered and went on to three-peat with the LA-based franchise.
Diesel, as he is nicknamed, won everything there was to win during the 1999-2000 season. O'Neal was named MVP, en route to winning his first ring and picking up his first of three Finals MVP awards. It was a truly dominant season from the most dominant player to grace the NBA.
🗓 This Day in Stats, 2000: @SHAQ scores 61 points & grabs 23 rebounds, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor as the only players with 60p/20r in a game. https://t.co/1dflQQ2ZYe
The Lakers, led by O'Neal, had the best record in the NBA, which read 67 wins and 15 losses. Shaquille O'Neal's best performance of the regular season came in a demolition of the Los Angeles Clippers, where the big man dropped 61 points and grabbed 23 rebounds while shooting the ball better than 68% from the field. In fact, O'Neal recorded 40 or more points nine times during the regular season.
But the Lakers were hunting for a championship and as great as the big man was in the regular season, the playoffs were the stage the Lakers needed him to be at his best.
The NBA Playoffs saw the Los Angeles Lakers go up against the likes of the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. The big man and the Lakers dispatched all these teams with relative ease barring Portland, as the Trail Blazers took the Lakers to seven games.
O' Neal had five games in the playoffs where recorded at least 40 points. It was an incredible season for the franchise from one of the greatest players of all time. Turns out, it was just the start as Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers would go on to create a dynasty.