History records that it was on November 6, 1992 that Shaquille O’Neal played his first NBA game. First choice of the 1992 Draft, and a real physical phenomenon, the Shaq was obviously eagerly awaited.
For almost 30 years, there has never been such an athletic phenomenon in this position. You have to remember that the young Shaq, at 20, was 2m16 for about 130 kilos.
Facing the neighbors of the Heat, the pivot of the Magic will not disappoint with a solid copy: 12 points, 18 rebounds and 3 blocks in 32 minutes. Two small flats however: 8 lost balls and 6 faults. Proof that Shaq, even being a monster among children, had a time of adaptation to the professional world.
Rookie, he finished 7th in the votes for the MVP!
Nevertheless, all Shaquille O’Neal is already present in this match. The power, the speed, the mobility, the systematic double takes on him, the smile before the in-between, the two-handed dunks…
If his total points can disappoint, he will quickly catch up with a first meeting with more than 30 points from his 3rd game, and from the 4th, he will already gobble up more than 20 rebounds. Result: he was elected Player Of The Week from the first week! He will end his rookie season with statistics worthy of his future legend: 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks on average! He will start at the All-Star Game, and will capture five franchise records. He will even finish 7th in the votes for the MVP!
When we tell you that there has never been an equivalent to this position and especially at this age…
