How Orlando Shaq Ruined the League

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
With the first pick in the 1992 NBA draft, the Orlando Magic selects Shaquille O'Neal from Louisiana State University.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:09)
When Shaquille O'Neal entered the NBA, the Orlando Magic instantly became must watch basketball.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:20)
Oh, my goodness, Shaquille O'Neal, what an athlete!

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He quickly started to break records, backboards, and here, what a hole!

**SPEAKER_3** (0:28)
I've never seen that!

**SPEAKER_2** (0:29)
And opponents' spirits. Shaq also did what many thought was impossible, defeated Michael Jordan in the playoffs, and carried his franchise to the finals faster than most modern superstars. But he was still too immature to win it all, just like the franchise that drafted him.

**Shaquille O'Neal** (0:45)
We couldn't beat Houston, but that was all my fault. It really was. We were rolling, and we beat the Bulls. We was going crazy, like we beat Mike.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:52)
And even though O'Neal's dominance is mostly associated with his years as a Laker, Young Shaq was dominant in a completely different way. Weighing a whopping 130 pounds less than in 2002, when he won his third championship with the Lakers, O'Neal could run the floor like a gazelle and zip past most opposing big men.

**SPEAKER_1** (1:10)
O'Neal runs the floor, takes it all the way.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:14)
And even though he only spent four years in Orlando, those four years were just like the franchise's name, Magic. But how good was Orlando Shaq actually? And should he have achieved more playing for the Magic? By his own admission, Shaq wasn't the best collegiate player during his three-year tenure at LSU. Despite averaging 26 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks in his last two seasons, O'Neal gracefully put Duke's Christian Leitner at the helm for the best collegiate center. And the Dream Team thought so too, selecting Leitner to represent Team USA at the 1992 Olympics.

**Shaquille O'Neal** (1:47)
Christian Leitner, he had a better college career than me. Sometimes you have to sit down and just be honest.
I'm the best player, I should be on the team. But then I don't want to be on the team anyway if I ain't gonna play. So he had a better career, so I said okay, but you still keep it here, and it just drives you. So now I have to ensure that I'm the first pick.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:05)
But back in those days, O'Neal was still a mystery. Even though he had enormous potential, Shaq was still viewed as somebody who dominated in college just because of his size. However, The Magic were a young franchise in desperate need of a star. They were founded in 1989, and in their first three NBA seasons, they averaged only 23 wins, and they needed a superstar to win games and sell tickets. And because Shaq's physical dominance was just leaps and bounds ahead of everybody in the 92 NBA draft, The Magic selected him with the first overall pick, while Leitner got picked up third by the Timberwolves. But if anybody had doubts about Shaq, the big man silenced them faster than any other player in history. He averaged 25 points and 17 rebounds per game in his first four games, becoming the first player to ever win Player of the Week in his first week of NBA basketball. And despite being stronger than any other player, Shaq wasn't just some brute with no skill. O'Neal could handle the ball to lead the break or unleash a crossover that left opponents in the dust. He could consistently make short jump shots and hit teammates with pinpoint passes. We had never seen a player that big move with that kind of agility, and Shaq truly was an anomaly. His spins were so quick that he looked like a ballet dancer, and he would slip past the defenders with moves that had nothing to do with pure power. But his size and strength stole the headlines, especially after O'Neal brought down the basket in Phoenix.
And then completely tore the hoop in New Jersey two months later.
After his rookie season, the NBA had no choice but to fortify and Shaq proof the baskets, upgrading the backboards to be more durable, requiring a backup hoop at every game, and installing a breakaway rim system that bends under pressure. O'Neill averaged 23.4 points on 56.2% shooting, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game in his first season, and was two votes shy of winning Rookie of the Year unanimously. Shaq was also the first rookie to be voted an All-Star Starter since Michael Jordan in 1985

**SPEAKER_1** (4:23)
Back to those early years with that reviewing as Shaq goes up and sends it down.

**SPEAKER_2** (4:28)
The Magic won 20 more games than the previous season, finishing the season with a 41-41 record, but missed the playoffs by virtue of a tiebreaker with the Indiana Pacers. However, that proved to be a blessing in disguise. Because they didn't make the playoffs, the Magic ended up in the lottery. And even though they only had a 1% chance to get the number one pick in the draft, Lady Luck was on their side and Orlando had the first overall pick for the second year in a row.