Shaquille O’Neal Agrees to Share Wilt Chamberlain’s Glory After Failing to Achieve 1 Milestone: Chamberlain got the league to change more than one rule to curb his dominant gameplay
Most Dominant Player Ever? — the first name for most modern-day NBA fans would be Shaquille O’Neal. For most fans of veteran basketball, it could be Wilt Chamberlain. But what does Shaq himself has to say on the debate? Well, the 4x NBA champ who once declared himself the “most dominant player to ever step on a basketball court” is now ready to share the title.
But how did this change of heart come in place for the 15x All-Star? It’s all because of Wilt’s scoring proficiency over Big Diesel, as admitted by him. The discussion on Most Dominant Ever (MDE) emerged on The OGs podcast and host Udonis Haslem gave Shaq the respect but the 4x NBA champ refused to be arrogant about it.
“I was wanting to pass up Wilt Chamberlain in points. After I passed him up in points and I was going to arrogantly say, I am the MDE. I don’t want to hear nobody else’s name. But out of respect, he still has more points,” the 4x NBA champ said.
However, Shaquille O’Neal pointed out how people look at different things like he got more championships but Wilt got more points. “So out of respect for Will Chamberlain, I will allow you guys to say Shaq and Wilt Chamberlain, but nobody else. Nobody else,” he added. Seems fair, given that Chamberlain scored 2823 points more than the 15x All-Star. Meanwhile, Big Diesel has 2 more NBA championships than Whip. But let’s have a deeper look at the level of dominance these players had in the league.
It’s no secret that the NBA had to introduce stronger rims and boards because of how many Shaq initially broke. But then the league having to legalize zone defense — allowing a player to guard an area instead of a player — to limit his dominance in the shaded area speaks volumes about the level of dominance he had.
Prior to Shaquille O’Neal, the NBA had to change multiple rules to contain Chamberlain’s dominance
The league would not have wanted to give a complete freehand to the player who stands as the only one in NBA history to score 100 points in a single game. No wonder Chamberlain got the league to change more than one rule to curb his dominant gameplay.
From expanding the paint area from 12 ft to 16 ft, to a ban on offensive goaltending in 1956, it was all done to limit Wilt’s unfair advantage because of his huge build and athletic abilities. After the ban on offensive goaltending, players could no longer touch the ball while it was on or above the rim. Something that Wilt used to do to cash in on the inbound passes from his teammates.
In fact, the 2x NBA champ even got the league to make a new rule regarding the free throw line. “Players cannot cross the plane of the free-throw line, even if your feet are not touching the ground, until the ball hits the rim or passes through the basket,” the new rule stated. Now, there are some NBA stars and experts who even claim the 2x NBA champ to be more dominant than Shaquille O’Neal. But for now, Big Diesel has agreed on sharing the tag.
Stay tuned for more updates. Join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host, BG12, sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.