NBA Legend Dominique Wilkins Saw Shaquille O’Neal’s Great Traits Early On

Shaquille O’Neal’s rare combination of size and energy made him one of the most dominant players ever

When he played, Shaquille O’Neal was known for his neverending dominance on the court. 

Most of it was due to his size and frame but his high energy played a part in it, too. In a recent interview on DJ Vlad’s VladTV, NBA legend Dominique Wilkins said he saw how special O’Neal was going to be when the Atlanta Hawks lost to the Orlando Magic in the 1996 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

“We had them, too, by the way,” Wilkins said. “But, you know, they were a young team. They had Penny Hardaway, they had Shaquille O’Neal and guys like that on that team. They were a good young team. We had some missing pieces. We were pretty good but we had some missing pieces. But that was the emergence of Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway. He [O’Neal] was an energetic, young man. I mean, physical, athletic off the charts for a guy that big. And just was a fun guy to play against. I was kind of a mentor to him coming into the league when he was in college at LSU when I first met him. So we have a pretty cool friendship.”

After an incredible college career at Louisiana State University, O’Neal was drafted as the first pick in the 1992 draft. He went on to lead the Magic to three straight playoffs appearances from 1994-1996 and a Finals appearance in 1995. He even won the scoring title in 1995.

In 1996, O’Neal decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Eventually, he and Kobe Bryant became an iconic duo who won three straight championships from 2000-2002.

MORE BACK IN THE DAY NBA-RELATED STORIES

Was Latrell Sprewell the original Jimmy Butler? CLICK HERE

Rasheed Wallace explains his welcome-to-the NBA moment. CLICK HERE

When Kevin Johnson asked Hakeem Olajuwon to autograph a poster dunk. CLICK HERE

For a look at some of the latest Heat apparel. CLICK HERE

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.