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have had the pleasure of running into Shaq a couple of times. he mostly lives in the Atlanta area now. first time i met him i was taking an elevator down from a friend's condo in Buckhead area of Atlanta. the doors opened and the largest human being ive ever seen stepped inside. this was while the NBA all-star game weekend was in town, had some small talk with him. he is just a big kid at heart, nice funny dude.

The guy at 16:39 was George Mikan. The first true NBA star, he was also a center for the Lakers.

The Sacramento Kings series was in 2002, and it was the western conference finals. The Kings were up 3-2 going into game 6. There was plenty of missed calls and phantom calls and one of the referees later got imprisoned for betting on NBA games. There’s KZfaq videos of it

Yall should REALLY do a Jason Williams AKA White Chocolate reaction. Or did yall already and i missed it? One of my fav ball handlers/facilitators ever. He does things with a basketball i guarantee you have never seen

Just so you know, that series against the Kings was fixed by gamblers. The head ref went to jail eventually, for other things. And wrote a book about it.

The old white guy in the pic with Shaq and Kareem was George Mikan. He played for the Lakers back when they were in Minneapolis. As for the best center ever, my vote goes to Kareem.

One of the refs from that Sacramento Kings game was sent to prison a few years later for fixing games. That game, in particular, often gets pointed to as an egregious example. I don’t think he’s ever actually admitted to fixing that particular game, though.

Shaq is such an entertaining person, I find his activities after retiring just as entertaining as when he was playing

16:33 That's George Mikan. My dad used to watch him play at DePaul (a college in Chicago). Mikan was the first great big man and named the greatest player of the 1st half of the 20th century.

I was already an NBA fan when Shaq got into college. Before him, every 7-footer looked like a tall person, long and lean with extra long legs. Shaq had a normal shape, so that if he was at a distance with no one around, he didn't look big. Up close or with a normal human next to him, holy cow, he looked HUGE.

That IS Kareem. I love what you guys do, it’s amazingly entertaining to see the perspective of you two on an array of our greats! Thank you!

The older white guy in the great centers photo was George Mikan, the first superstar center in the NBA for the Minneapolis Lakers in the 50's.

Growing up in Southern California and being a Lakers fan prime Shaq an d Kobe were my childhood. When Shaq wanted to no one in the league could stop him and I mean no one.

Wilt is the greatest center ever. Hes the most physically talented player to ever grace a basketball court. People dont believe it because of the era he played in but you can time his running across the court and see his leaping ability on the little film that does exist of him. He just had the unfortunate luck of playing in an era where the rules were against him and league had the most stacked team of all time with the 50's and 60's Celtics. Back then a guy couldnt use his body to twist and bull through defenders without it being an offensive foul. An aging Wilt still had the leaping ability at the end of his career to be the only player to block Kareems skyhook and he did it twice.

I was sitting in front of the TV watching the Lakers win the 99'-00 championship. I was 9 years old. I remember freaking out when they went down in the 4th quarter. I watched almost every game that season. Shaq was my hero. Him and Kobe were in my opinion the greatest duo that basketball has ever seen. It's a shame that they didn't stay together for a few more years. They could have gotten 2 or 3 more championships together Yes, he's my greatest center of all time. I think top 3 centers are Shaq, Kareem, and Hakeem. All 3 are interchangeable. Only Shaq was unstoppable though. Free throws were his only kryptonite, so teams would literally just foul him, because they couldn't do anything else to slow him down. They called it "Hack-a-Shaq."

through Shaqs' career he was listed at or around 300 Lbs.. but young Shaq was listed at 296Lbs.. and when you look at him then, and when he was playing with the lakers later on he was sooo much bigger.. I really think he weighed closer to 400Lbs in alot of those seasons..

Regardless of the officiating that Sacramento Kings team is worthy of deep dive purely on basketball terms alone. Every now and then teams come along that play the game on such an elite level as a team, it has to be acknowledged just for the pure love of the sport. They were an absolute joy to watch. It would be worth doing a poll on your discord for the top ten teams who played the game the right way. Not who had the greatest star or even who won, although winning is a big part of doing it right. But I'm betting the Chris Webber Sacarmento Kings makes that top ten list. Others would - or should -include the Larry Bird Celtics team with Bill Walton. Bill Walton leading the Portland Trailblazers. Micheal's team with Rodman. Multiple San Antonio Spurs teams. Magic Johnson's Lakers teams. Golden State with Curry and Durant. -Ball movement. Player movement. High basketball IQ. Defensive intensity. Working for the best shot. Sacrificing personal numbers. Commitment to winning. All while delivering THE BEST SHOW a ticket holder could want to see. The Kings really put on a great show.

Shaq is the closest thing we have to a real life superhero

Best center ever is a tough one. Wilt, Kareem, Hakeem, Russell, Mikan, Shaq are all in the conversation. It's hard to compare across different eras. Mikan was so dominant for the Minneapolis Lakers that they had to change the rules because of his dominance, Russell won Championships seemingly every year, Wilt was a fantastic athlete who once averaged 50 ppg and scored 100 in a single game, Hakeem was a great defender and posessor of the "dream shake", Shaq was massive and agile. My vote goes for Kareem, Wilt 2nd, and the rest I can't separate.

Again, you both do a GREAT job of paying attention to details. True fans of sport

It's crazy to go 68-1 but also not really if you have a dominant player like Shaq. Individual players can have outsized influence on the game. Especially at lower levels if one player has such a huge physical advantage.

One way to explain his dominance in his prime that they didn't exactly mentioned is that the league basically revolved around his presence. Any team that wanted to be a real contender, had to first answer the question of "how do we deal with Shaq?" Teams would carry multiple replacement-level centers/power forwards on their roster just to be able to FOUL Shaq, much less contain him.

The 2001 Sacramento Kings, to this day, is probably the most infamous basketball cheating scandal, up there with the rigged drafts and ref betting. It is...a story that still haunts that franchise. It's a great story.

It's pretty common for NBA players to absolutely dominate their high school careers. Even the ones that don't wind up being all that great in the NBA still obliterate players at lower levels and they're almost always freakishly taller than anyone else their age so even if they're not good defenders in the NBA, they are against 5 ft school kids. One great player in basketball has a lot more individual impact on the outcome of a game than most other team sports.

Shaq is a prankster too. One season he made one of the rookies carry his big electronic keyboard everywhere they went that season. At the end of the season, the rook asks Shaq why he made him carry it all over the country for him while not seeing him ever play it even once. Shaq replies, “oh that old thing, it’s been broken for years!”

The photo of the 3 Lakers over the line "one of the best centers ever" is Shaq in fact with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar but also Minneapolis Lakers great George Mikan. Mikan is probably one of the first dominant centers in NBA history. He played in the late 40s and early 50s and won 4 NBA Championships.

16:50 note- that's George Mikan's Jersey is blue because the Minneapolis Lakers color scheme was Blue and White.

To sum it all up. Shaq was one of the 5 or 6 greatest players ever without ever really trying because he was ridiculously gifted athletically

Shaq was the most dominant player since Wilt, there was no stopping him. The scariest part of Shaq was known to not being a serious person, and although he was a hard worker, but if he had really put in the next level work in he would have been even better. Because he so interested in everything else, he probably didn't live up to his full potential. Which is actually the scariest part about him.

In the 2002 WCF the kings were up 3-2 against the lakers when the worst officiating in nba history took place. Vlade divac and Scott pollard both the Starting and backup center fouled out despite multiple “fouls” where they didn’t even touch Shaq. Mike bibby got elbowed in the face by Kobe and they called the foul on Bibby. The lakers ended up shooting 27 free throws in the 4th quarter alone while the kings shot 25 all game.

Would be really cool to react to something on those early 2000’s Sacramento Kings teams. I don’t have a good recommendation off the top of my head, but any substantial video about those years will discuss the 2002 Lakers series. Those Kings teams really won a lot of hearts, even though they never got their championship. One of the funnest teams to watch in NBA history.

Great player, even better person.

Probably the most physically dominant center of all time. Heck, probably one of the most physically dominant players ever period. Guy was unstoppable in the paint during his prime (and that was with his lackluster training and preparation).

This video told you about Shaq more than anything else. Highlights were rare.

Crazy thing is Nick Anderson was one of the best shooters in the league but he was never the same after missing those free throws smh

I have been waiting for this one!

The old guy in the picture was George Mikan, the Original Laker. He played for the Lakers back when they were in Minneapolis in the 1950s. Largely considered the first great center the NBA had and defined how the position was played. The other guy behind Shaq is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, arguably the greatest big man ever.

The 3rd great center in that pic was George Mikan, the first dominant center in the NBA who led the Minneapolis Lakers to 5 championships in the first 6 years of the NBA's existence from the late 1940s to the mid 1950s.

The pic 16:47 is of Kareem , Shaq , and George Miken all considered the best big men of their generations and all were lakers.

I got Kareem #1, Shaq #2, and either Wilt or Hakeem #3 depending on the weather.

16:36 - Kareem, Shaq and _George Mikan_

Its possible that Shaq could have been the Goat with the Right work ethic. Definitely getting more than 4 titles.

Records like that happen quite a bit with dominant high school teams

16:50 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaq and George Mikan. Missing from that picture is Wilt Chamberlain who had died a few years prior. Anyway, those 4 are all Hall of Fame Centers that played for the Lakers.

allen iverson is one of the most influential basketball players to ever live, both on and off the court. he is the culture you see today.

He’s one of my superheroes. I never need marvel or their movies, I always had Shaq

Should of watch Wilt, then Kareem, then Shaq. Ypu could have seen the evolution of the Center postion in basketball nd they are the three best centers of all time.

They showed 3 LAKER all-time centers. Best centers ever are Wilt, Bill Russell and Kareem--they are the top 3, but there are others who were great.

This video is informative, which is cool. I'd really like for you guys to react to a pure Highlights video of Shaqs' he was so dominant!

Now do Shaq highlights as a tv host lol.

You abosulty need to do a reaction to that Lakers vs Kings game! So many fouls called in the final quarter and one of the top games people called "Rigged" in sports history

I was 6'4 at 12 but sadly never grew any taller. They always played me at center but eventually I was out grown and couldnt dominate lile I did at a youmger age. Thankfully I was a baseball player first and that worked out for me.

fun fact. now he is a legit edm dj!

L-R Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaq, George Mikan.

I don't know what went on with the 2002 Lakers-Kings matchup; I would have given the worst officiating title to the 2003 Finals. Referee Tim Donaghy featured prominently in the latter series; he later went to jail for conspiring with gamblers to affect the outcomes of games, and if you think he was the only ref who did that, you didn't watch the NBA that decade; he's just the only one who got caught.

I love the video but I wish the original video showed more pure highlights. He has some of the craziest and jaw dropping highlights of all time.

Shaq is hard to rate because at his peak he was the best human to ever play basketball. But his peak was so short because he was so physically dominant he had no reason to give full effort. Most other greats are great because of their work ethic. Shaq was great in spite of his. But even with all that said. I'd still put him as possibly the 2nd best center of all time behind only Hakeem.

If you guys want to check out what Shaq is up to these days there are some videos that show the "Funniest Moments of Charles Barkley and Shaq" from NBA On TNT. It is by far the most entertaining sports commentary show on TV.

Shaq vs Hakeem was the best finals matchup ever. I dont care what anyone says. Remember eating chicken fried steak and watching game 4 on a tiny crt tv at a restaraunt in houston back then.

I remember seeing him for the first time when he was playing for LSU.. He looked like an adult playing against 10 year olds .

The word unstoppable is overused in sport but Shaq in his prime qualifies

Some additional context for the 1995 Finals, when Nick Anderson missed those 4 free throws, it psychologically messed him up for the rest of his career. He even mentioned that he thought about it every time he went to the line afterwards for his career. Nick Anderson's Career FT Percentage pre-'95 Finals - 69.6% Nick Anderson's Career FT Percentage post-'95 Finals - 60.5%

i know what ppl say but i have Shaq as the best Center to ever play. I know, i know, Kareem... but for me its Shaq, he had rules and whole strategies developed bc of him, they even changed what materials and how backboards were made bc he broke so many.

Going 68-1 is crazy and definitely not common. But its not a statistical anomaly at the high school level. For exactly the reason you said, if you get a generational talent or 2 on a high school team they will just overmatch the other schools made up of kids who will go on to be office workers. You see it once a lifetime at levels higher than high school. Everyone else is too good at that point.

U had it right Shaq was a animal and animal is a understatement

The pic of the 3 laker great centers was Shaq, Kareem, and George Mikan

On the 2002 Sacramento Kings series, basically the officiating was very suspicious. I’m pretty sure there’s videos on it.

Kareem is the top center, but Shaq is the most dominate in the modern era. Analysts aren't lying though when they say Shaq could have been the best player ever had he taken better care of himself. I can't remember the exact details, but there's a funny story about Kobe showing up to the gym super early to train before practice and Shaq being late with a bag of fast food burgers that he ate while everyone else worked out.

Oh this will be good !

That’s Kareem, Shaq and George Mikan. The 3 best living lakers centers. If wilt was alive he would’ve been in that photo as well.

As a Laker fan, I had wished that Shaq was as fanatical about winning as Kobe and MJ. But he was very, very immature early in his career and seemed to believe that having fun might be just a little bit more important than winning NBA championships. His talent and skills were mediocre but his size, athleticism and agility were superhuman. If he had been more dedicated to his fitness and working on his poor shooting (including his free throw shooting) he would have had no equal in the history of this league. He frequently had to be taken out of close games because of his inability to make free throws. Imagine having to remove your best player in a close game because if you fouled him and put him on the free throw line, he was guaranteed to miss one and most often both of them. Opposing teams knew this and would send in bench players just to foul Shaq and send him to the free throw line. Predictably he would miss free throws time and time again and becoming a huge liability to his team in the process. Teams brought in all kinds of experts to help Shaq improve this part of his game. Even Kareem was hired to help him. But to no avail. ***Here is something we now know about basketball players. If you don't develop good shooting ability in your youth, you can't do it in the NBA. There have been many, superstar players that were poor shooters and you simply cannot make them into one. The dye has been cast by the time they are late teens. Thats my opinion anyway! Shaq has a HUGE ego and he still retains much of that bully mentality too. Just ask Charles Barkley who is his co-host on "Inside the NBA." If he doesn't like you, he must be a nightmare to work with. Because even in retirement and on that show in particular, he's still the biggest star. ♠ Very entertaining video guys. And what a brilliant memory Damo brings to the team. I would never want to piss him off because he would never ever forget it. lol...♣

The white guy was George Mikan. He was the Laker center when the franchise started

6:00 I just want to point out that every starter averaging 15 ppg in a playoff series is absolutely mental and not something that happens often

That was a photo of three great lakers centers.....of course that was Kareem on the back left...on the back right was George Mikan, who played for the Minneapolis Lakers...and is considered the League's first "star"....let alone the first star center! There's even a practice drill named after him..."The Mikan Drill"....pretty much every center, and other positions, knows and practices that drill.

My best ever. The guy taken no 1 overall in the 1984 draft ahead of Michael Jordan and no one complains about that to this day. Hakeem Olajuwon

You should watch some extended highlights. To see how dominant Shaq really was. Unstoppable.

Harrison Barnes and Doug McDermott never lost in Iowa. If you get a couple guys together they can dominate smaller states.

Shaq high school record... Incredible Kareem Abdul jabar: hold my skyhook 😂

Shaq was 7'1 and easily over 400 lbs of pure power in his Lakers days. The NBA had him listed at 350 lbs when he was with the Lakers, which is a lie lol, it's impossible to be 7'1 with his massive frame and only be 350. But needless to say he was impossible to guard without fouling. He manhandled pretty much everyone including Rodman and Malone who were both very powerful defenders. Nobody could stop him one on one

Loving the content. HIGHLY reccomend watching Tracy McGrady's ultimate mixtape posted by the NBA. He is Vince Carter's cousin and one of Kobe's best friends. Freak of nature and was similar to Kobe in a lot of ways. Can't recommend him enough

I like that the video was pretty balanced. I feel like too many of these sports retrospectives are excessively positive whereas this was pretty realistic about Shaq's career and ranking. Though I think they actually underrated him a bit. Consensus he's top 12, probably even top 10.

Kareem, Shaq, and George Mikan were great Laker centers (photo).

As a Laker fan I would like to deny what happened against the Sacrament Queens but when the paid off refs who were betting on the games did their thing it was egregious lol

I have a friend whos brother was 6ft 6in and 315 pounds at 13. Now an adult he is 6ft 11in and 275lbs.

Well done getting Kareem in that photo. The old white guy appears to George Mikan. The first great NBA player and the last before basketball was integrated at the pro level.

The 2002 series with Kings was seen as "questionable " reffing. Lot of videos about it, not sure which is best one to recommend

The older guys in the pic with Shaq at 16:55 are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and George Mikan, the first truly great big man in NBA history

The record is pretty ridiculous. Cole is a smaller school though. I was not around to follow TX ball back then...But when smaller schools land a talent like that, it's not super uncommon to have a couple of perfect seasons

Shaq had greatest peak/prime (2000-2002) of any player ever, but Russell/Kareem/Hakeem are centers who arguably had better careers

Most Dominant Ever! in his prime, 300lb men would bounce off of him!

You have the wrong inflection at 6:55 should be, "Four free throws missed in a row? On a team with Shaq on it, and it wasn't Shaq? Bizarre." Shaq was a 52% free throw shooter for his entire career. Though his 58% from the floor for his career is also a bonkers number, Shaq joined a very weird list of legends that shot worse from the charity stripe. In the picture at 16:45 that is Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Shaq and George Mikan, three great centers that played for the Lakers.

Bill Russell is a good story, has more rings than fingers! He really had to deal with so much and in Boston and still produced.

all you need to know about the 2002 playoffs is, i quit watching basketball because of the refs, i had never seen such blatant bullshit in my life.. years later the refs admitted they had fixed the Game 6 so they could have a Game 7 and get paid more i wasn’t even a Lakers or Kings fan, but as a basketball fan i just couldn’t take it, it soured me for life 😑

There’s a secret base episode about the Kings lakers series you guys should watch that

He is an astute businessman as well. They mentioned his wealth but that’s not just basketball money

I wanna suggest the video about Wilt Chamberlain called the most athletic giant ever

Hell yeah! SHAQ

That’s George Mikan the first great big man in the NBA. I encourage you to look him up.

I would like to recommend the "making the case" series by Clayton Crowley. He does a series for best players, and one for best teams, and is quite talented.