Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon nearly squared off against each other in a no-holds-barred pay-per-view event in 1995.
The Orlando Magic met the Houston Rockets in the 1995 NBA Finals, and fans were anticipating an all-time big man matchup between a young Shaq and a prime Hakeem – however, the series failed to live up to the hype as the Rockets swept the Magic en route to their second title in back-to-back seasons.
Despite the underwhelming series, the drama was only just beginning, as both legendary big men agreed to a first-ever pay-per-view event in Atlantic City.
The ‘War on the Floor’
Dubbed the ‘War on the Floor’ through a promotional video, Taco Bell put their hands up to sponsor the event at the Taj Mahal Casino on September 30th, and company senior vice president Jerry Gramaglia had this to say as the event was shaping up.
“The overwhelming outpouring of interest across America to see Shaq and Hakeem actually go one-on-one, no holds barred, left Taco Bell with just one choice: to help make the dream a reality. It’s a defining moment for Shaq, Hakeem and Taco Bell, and one that will go down in the record books as one of the most exciting events in the annals of sports history. We are proud to be the sponsor of this extraordinary event,” he said.