Shaquille O’Neal was always too much for his opponents. His combination of size and skills enabled him to score points easily.
Since almost every opponent struggled to match up against him, taking on the Diesel became a challenge that the big men in the league took on.
But Shaq made a surprising admission about a former Grizzlies player who got him in trouble. He said that ‘Big Country’ Bryant Reeves, who played on the Vancouver and Memphis Grizzlies between 1995 and 2002, was someone he struggled consistently against.
“Big Country would be 15 feet away, and I would have to rotate back. He had the ugliest, Duckworth one-handed jumper. He’d shoot it, and it would always go in,” Shaq said on Open Court. “So at halftime, I’m looking at the stats: Shaq 15 – Big Country 26 points.”
Reeves had considerable hype going for him
When Big Country was in college, he was a superstar player for Oklahoma State. Standing at seven feet and weighing around 275 to 300 pounds, Reeves was one of the most imposing players in collegiate basketball. He used that size well because he dominated his opponents through post-ups and overpowering them.