Most fans of basketball would place Shaquille O’Neal on their lists of the greatest basketball players of all time. Standing an impressive 7 ft 1 in, Shaq, as he came to be known by his fans, exploded onto the professional basketball scene in the early ‘90s and earned the title of Rookie of the Year in 1993. Cementing his reputation as leader of the Orlando Magic and then the Los Angeles Lakers, basketball fans who grew up in the ‘90s came to love Shaq for his famous win streaks and positive attitude off the court. While Shaq earned a slew of awards in his 19 years with the NBA, the basketball giant seemed to struggle with one aspect of the game: long-distance shooting. In his entire career, Shaq only scored one 3-point shot. Examining this interesting highlight of Shaq’s career makes for a fascinating walk through ‘90s sports history.
Shaq’s only career 3-point shot occurred during a high point of his early years with the league in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 16, 1996. During this time, the Magic were flying high after coming in second in the 1995 NBA Finals. Shaq himself was playing hard and was a major asset to his team. At the time, the living legend averaged an impressive 26.6 points per game, as well as 11.0 boards and 2.1 blocks. In contrast, the Bucks were playing a losing season under their current coach, Mike Dunleavy, who would later be fired for the team’s poor performance during his tenure.
The first quarter of the game proved how unevenly matched the Bucks were against the superior Magic. At the end of the first quarter, the Magic led the Bucks by an astounding 40 to 25. The team’s 40 points represented their highest scoring in a quarter for the entirety of the season. The Magic’s 60.3 per cent shooting also became a season record. It was during the game’s first quarter that Shaq made his magnificent 3-point shot. Taking command of the ball after a near full-court pass from Joe Wolf, a reserve forward with the Magic, Shaq made the shot as the buzzer closed on the quarter, earning a raucous applause from fans in the crowd and the salutes of his teammates. While the Magic ran the gamut against the Bucks for the first quarter of the game, Shaq himself had played some of his best basketball. During the quarter, O’Neal scored 19 points and gotten 12 rebounds against the Bucks.
Enduring such a humiliating scoring disparity in the first quarter seemed to be too much for the Bucks. Vin Baker, who played center for the Bucks, told reporters with the Orlando Sentinel that Shaq’s 3-point shot to close out the quarter was liking pouring salt on a wound. Looking back on it after the game, Baker concluded that he and his team could not come back from such a loss. Coach Dunleavy added that Shaq’s 3-point shot was akin to the roof falling on the team. In the end, the Bucks lost against the Magic 121 to 91. While the Bucks came to the game after winning 4 of their last 6 games, their loss to the Magic sent them on a downward spiral for the rest of the season. After playing the Magic, the Bucks lost 23 of their ensuing 29 games.
In an interview with reporters from the Associated Press after the game, Shaq spoke modestly about the shot, noting that the team’s coach, Brian Hill, called the play and he was able to dunk it. Despite this great achievement, Shaq’s 3-point shot against the Bucks became the sole 3-pointer of his career. During the regular season, Shaq attempted 21 other 3-point shots that all missed the basket. Basketball’s big man also failed to score 3-pointers twice in the All-Star games and did not make any attempts in playoff games. Addressing Shaq’s viability as a 3-point scorer, Coach Hill later recalled that Shaq nonetheless worked on the shot during team practices. During these sessions, Hill conceded that O’Neal was only able to score a few times, admitting that while Shaq could get the ball to the correct height, he had trouble landing it in the net.
Shaq’s 3-point shot at the 1996 Bucks game remains one of the greatest highlights of his career. Although only successfully scoring one 3-pointer, the shot was a thrill in his storied history with the NBA and a great crowd pleaser for those lucky enough to be cheering him on from the stands.
