Shaquille O'Neal reveals which two dunks in his NBA career are his favorite: "He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me'"
Shaquille O'Neal reveals which two dunks in his NBA career are his favorite: "He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me'" originally appeared on Basketball Network.
At his peak, Shaquille O'Neal wasn't just a dominant force in the NBA; he was an unsolvable problem for the opposing coaches and a nightmare for the opposing big men. Double-teams, triple-teams, even entire rotations collapsed in the paint to try and slow him down. Most of the time, it didn't really matter because the 7 '1", 325-pound monster would just power through them all.
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So when a guy like that singles out "just two" dunks from a career filled with broken rims, you know there's more to the story than just the highlight slam.
One of the most disrespectful plays of all time
On a recent podcast appearance, O'Neal was asked to recall his most memorable play — and his mind immediately went to two of those nights. The first? A poster that's become etched into NBA legend as one of the most disrespectful moments on the hardwood. The infamous throwdown over New York Knicks center Chris Dudley.
"My favorite dunk of all time is two of 'em. And I actually seen this dude the other night, Chris Dudley, and I was like, 'Are you trying to fight or you trying to give me a hug?' He started laughing," the LSU product shared in his recent appearance on the "New Heights" podcast.
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Now, the two guys laugh about it, but in that moment, it was anything but funny. Dudley had the thankless task of guarding Shaq one-on-one, and "Diesel" quickly recognized he wasn't getting help. So he went to work.
"I take it as a sign of respect when you didn't double me. I take one dribble, the double still ain't coming… I take two dribbles, I even carry it on the second, 'Oh, these motherf****** not coming?' Now I gotta take that, just dropstep and boom it. He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me,'" the legendary center detailed.
The visual still lives rent-free in every fan's mind — Shaq powering through Dudley, throwing it down with two hands, then shoving the Knicks big man to the ground. Chris was humiliated, but all he could do was throw the ball at the legendary Laker's back. It was the pure display of dominance from the 7'1" behemoth.
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Related: Luc Longley on why he and Michael Jordan couldn't get along: "Mike was doing what he did to rookies, what he was doing to me"
The dunk that started a dynasty
But as close and personal as the Dudley dunk was, "The Big Aristotle's" other favorite came with far higher stakes. Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals. Lakers vs. Blazers. Fourth quarter. L.A. was down 15 after the first play of the final period, the wheels falling off in front of a stunned Staples Center crowd. That's when Phil Jackson, always playing chess, delivered what felt like a farewell speech in the timeout huddle — telling his players they had a great season, subtly preparing them for the end. However, it sparked the much-needed fire in their superstar duo Kobe Bryant and O'Neal.
Kobe and Shaq took it personally. What followed was one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history, capped off with one of the most memorable plays in the Association. With the score 83–78 in favor of the Lakers, Bryant found himself facing Scottie Pippen — still one of the league's premier perimeter defenders — and crossed him to the left. "Mamba"came down the lane, but the help was there so he threw a lob for his big man to finish.
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At first, it looked like the ball was going a bit too high. But Shaq pulled the ladder out of nowhere, reached what felt like an impossible height, and finished the play with a thunderous one-hand dunk.
Two iconic slams. One was rooted in raw power and disrespect, and the other was all about timing and trust that made the early-2000s Lakers a nightmare to deal with. However, the memory of both remains the same for "Shaq-Fu."
Related: "Shaq, I'm from the Balkans, you cannot haze me so hard, I've seen everything" - Goran Dragic recalls how he survived Shaquille O'Neal's rookie treatment
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
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