Two NBA legends explained how they defended Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal is often considered the most dominant force in NBA history.

He possessed the rare combination of size, strength and speed that left him unarmed in most cases. A few years ago, two NBA legends explained how they would have defended O’Neal, often referred to as “Superman.”

Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain shared their strategies with NBC’s Ahmad Rashad.

“First of all, I would make the game horizontal as much as possible,” said Russell, who led the Boston Celtics to 11 championships in the 1950s and 1960s. “I would force him to run up and down the field all day. I guess if I weigh 240kg and he weighs 300 and he has to carry 300kg up and down quickly every time, the fatigue factor adds to some of it.”

Chamberlain agreed with Russell. Chamberlain was the O’Neal of his era, recording the league’s only 100-point game and winning seven straight titles.

“You take guys out of their comfort zone,” Chamberlain said. “I wonder how Bill would play someone as big, as strong and as fast as Shaquille. He’s right. You just find the things he does worst, and those are the things you try to get him to do the most.”

Slowing down O’Neal is much easier said than done, but it’s hard to argue with the likes of Chamberlain and Russell.

Shandel Richardson is the editor of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at [email protected]

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