"You don't want to mess with god" - Shaquille O'Neal revered Michael Jordan so much he refused to trash talk to him
Shaquille O'Neal was an avid talker of trash in his day. Trash-talking has always been huge in the NBA, and no matter how good a player is, they will always receive their fair share.
O'Neal trash-talked nearly every opponent he played against at one time or another, but there was one glaring exception: Michael Jordan.
During an appearance on the “PDB Podcast” in 2022, the LA Lakers legend disclosed just how harmful it was to trash-talk MJ:
“Michael Jordan. You don’t want to mess with God. You got to stay away from Mike. Leave that man alone.”
Michael Jordan was not only an impressive player on both ends, but one of the most fierce competitors in the NBA. He never backed down from any challenge and used trash-talking as extra motivation.
Apart from having one of the most lethal offensive arsenals, the six-time NBA champion and Chicago Bulls legend knew how to deal with trash-talking. Jordan was absolutely ruthless while talking smack with opponents.
Hence, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Shaquille O'Neal gave him a wide berth.
Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan had a lot of respect for each other
Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan were two of the most dominant players ever. The Lakers legend was unstoppable inside the paint, while Jordan's numbers and accolades speak for themselves.
The two megastars had a lot of respect for each other. Whenever they met, they brought their A-games and brought out the best in each other.
Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan faced each other 21 times in all competitions, most of which came when Shaq played for the Orlando Magic (1992-1996). Even as a young player, O'Neal was huge. After one of the games against the Magic, Jordan called O'Neal one of the biggest opponents he had faced.
Jordan recorded a 12-9 advantage over O’Neal head-to-head, including 6-4 in the postseason. Jordan even went for a spectacular 64 points against O'Neal, which could be why he avoided talking trash to him.
Despite Jordan's dominance with the Bulls, O'Neal was one of the very few players that managed to stop him in the postseason. The last time Jordan failed to make progress in the playoffs as a member of the Bulls was against the Orlando Magic led by Shaq in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals.