Shaq Attack: How Shaquille O'Neal became the only player to win Player of the Week in his first week in the NBA
Shaquille O'Neal is widely regarded as one of the most dominant players to play in the NBA. O'Neal's unreal combination of size and strength saw him get the better of almost all of his opponents throughout his career.
Popularly known as Shaq, the former LA Lakers legend averaged 20 points or more per game for 14 straight seasons, including his rookie year in the NBA. He also averaged a double-double in 14 different seasons during his career.
How did Shaquille O'Neal win Player of the Week in his first week in the NBA?
Shaquille O'Neal was a beast on both ends of the floor. He broke several records because of his scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking prowess. He's been a superstar in his own right since his rookie year. His numbers are a great testament to that.
Shaq averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game during his rookie year on 56.2% field goal shooting. While most rookies take time to get going, that wasn't the case for O'Neal.
The fact that he won the Player of the Week award in his first week in the NBA speaks volumes of the kind of confidence with which he walked into the league. He produced staggering numbers of 25.8 points per game, 16.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per contest across five appearances in his first week in the NBA to win the award.
Shaquille O'Neal's debut game saw him produce 12 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks against the Miami Heat. He led the Orlando Magic to a 110-100 win in that match, shooting 4-of-8 from the field. His defense was solid in that game, and he could have produced a higher scoring game if he had taken more attempts.
He did exactly that in his second game. Shaq improved his performance like he was already playing in his sophomore season. He tallied 22 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks on 8-of-16 shooting to lead his team to a 103-98 win over the Washington Wizards.
Shaquille O'Neal continued his explosive debut week in the NBA with a monumental 35 point game in his third appearance. He also had 13 rebounds and three blocks to his name, shooting 15 of 25 from the field. The game ended in a loss for the Magic, though, as the Charlotte Hornets won the tie 108-112.
After recording a 10/10, 20/10. 30/10 game, Shaq went a step ahead in his fourth game and recorded a 30/20 game. He tallied 31 points and a whopping 21 rebounds on 12 of 19 shooting, also tallying three blocks to lead the Magic to a 127-100 blowout win over the Washington Wizards.
In the fifth and final game of his first week in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal scored 29 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in a losing cause against the New Jersey Nets. Posting numbers like he was a seasoned veteran was key in Shaq becoming the first-ever player to win the Player of the Week award in his debut week in the league.
Shaquille O'Neal proved he was NBA-ready with this series of performances and even went on to become just the second player since Michael Jordan to earn an All-Star selection as a starter in his rookie season.