Syracuse, N.Y. — Shaquille O’Neal made a name for himself as one of the most dominant players to ever pick up a basketball.
The four-time NBA champion and Hall of Fame center was known for his demoralizing dunks that often left his opponents in shame. But why did he dunk the ball with so much force?
Turns out, it’s related to two things: his father’s tough love and former Syracuse basketball star Rony Seikaly.
During a recent interview on “All the Smoke,” a weekly podcast series hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, O’Neal said he never wanted to dunk when he was in high school. Instead, he desired to play with finesse like Magic Johnson.
20040229JM 11/ Shaquille O'Neal dunks over Lucious Harris during the NBA game between the New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Lakers at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford. EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ 2/29/04 8:02:53 PM JOHN MUNSON/THE STAR-LEDGER Taken at F 2.8, shutter 1/500, ISO 1000 white balance 3500K sharpening Standard/0 Canon EOS-1D 29137 SLSL
At the 18:15 mark of the interview, O’Neal recalled a game from high school when he attempted to finger roll a layup but missed, causing his father, Phillip Harrison (a former U.S. Army drill sergeant), to walk on the court and call timeout. O’Neal said he was taken outside, where Harrison smacked him and told him to “be Shaquille O’Neal” instead of mimicking Johnson.
“That’s when I started dunking,” O’Neal said. “And the reason why I’ve always dunked so fierce is because I was mad at him and I wanted to tear the rim down. But it was just regular dunks. So then I would go home and he’s making me watch college games, and I’m watching Syracuse play. Sherman Douglas throws it to Rony Seikaly and he dunks it but he’s getting his legs up.
“I said OK. So the next game, my father was there and I’m dunking and getting my legs up. What I learned from that is people started (hunching over). I said ‘Ahh, OK. (laughs). I got something there.’ So that’s when I started dunking, dunking, dunking and dominating.”
Seikaly played center at Syracuse for four years, including on the 1987 men’s Final Four team during his junior season. He averaged 16.3 points and 9.6 rebounds as a senior. Seikaly was drafted with the No. 9 pick by the Miami Heat in 1988 and went on to have an 11-year career in the NBA.
O’Neal’s famous Dunkman logo can be found on his popular Reebok shoes.
Now it’s apparent that the credit goes to Seikaly.
Basketball -- Syracuse University -- Rony Seikaly (New York) Syracuse Post-StandardSyracuse Post-Standard
Contact Mike Curtis anytime: Email | Twitter
MORE ORANGE BASKETBALL
Former Syracuse forward Alan Griffin posts video announcing he will enter NBA draft
Breanna Stewart reveals engagement to Phoenix Mercury guard Marta Xargay
Quincy Guerrier isn’t coming back to Syracuse, will transfer if he doesn’t turn pro
What to know about Hidden Stash, the Kentucky Derby horse owned by Adam Weitsman and Jim Boeheim
ORANGE BASKETBALL FANS
Face masks | Gear and apparel | Stream games on fuboTV, Sling, Hulu + Live TV