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Al Harrington tells what Shaquille O’Neal said to him when his attempt to draw a foul went very badly wrong

Originally posted on NBA Analysis Network
By Pocholo Magsino | Last updated Oct 25, 2025 7:00 PM ET

As Shaquille O’Neal reached the final few years of his career, he played with all kinds of teams. He was still tough to stop due to his strength, but he was not as quick as before. Even though he was a step slower, taking a charge against him was still a tough decision to make.

During the 1990s and 2000s, Shaquille O’Neal was the most unstoppable player in the paint because of his physicality. O’Neal had a wide frame, and he knew how to utilize it to score points and dominate the paint.

This resulted in three consecutive championships and Finals MVPs in the early 2000s with the Los Angeles Lakers. He and Kobe Bryant formed a one-two punch that is arguably the best duo in NBA history. At the same time, he also contributed to the Miami Heat’s first championship in 2006.

He played for three more teams after his time with the Heat, and the best team he played for during that stage was the Phoenix Suns. During that time, he was still a tough player to go against, especially when players tried to draw an offensive foul against him.

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Al Harrington tried to draw a charge against O’Neal

During his playing career, O’Neal was a terrifying player to go up against. His sheer strength could overpower his opponents and send them to the floor. This is especially true for players who drew a charging foul from him.

Since he is such a strong player, the impact of drawing a charge was a feeling that stuck with players. In the modern NBA, people can say this about a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is as powerful as O’Neal was back in the day.

One of the players who drew a charge against O’Neal was Al Harrington. As a player who got to play against O’Neal multiple times throughout his 16-year career, Harrington knew what it was like going up against a physical beast.

During O’Neal’s stint in Phoenix, when he was a bit slower, Harrington drew a charging foul against O’Neal. Thankfully for Harrington, who played for the Golden State Warriors, he was spared from a full-power and full-speed O’Neal for one reason.

“When he was in Phoenix, he was rolling down the lane. I rotated over to take a charge. I just closed my eyes and I said, ‘God, please.’

“He hit me and fell on top of me. It just didn’t hurt, I was like surprised,” Harrington said about drawing a charge against O’Neal on the Bootleg Kev podcast.

“I opened my eyes, and he’s looking right at me. He was like, ‘You’re lucky you’re from Jersey. Other than that, I would have killed you.’ I was like Thank you, big fella.”

O’Neal’s legacy will always be strong

Now that O’Neal has been a retired player for a decade, people are recognizing that he was worth all the hype. He was one of the league’s most unstoppable players, even though he struggled from the free-throw line.

Harrington told a story about an older O’Neal, but he was still terrified. That shows that O’Neal had a strong reputation that people respected, even in his older years. Most people will recognize that he is an all-time great, as evidenced by his stints with the Orlando Magic, Lakers, and Heat.

The most dominant force our league has ever seen, Shaquille O'Neal pic.twitter.com/V9GYEhQhlq
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 20, 2019

Thankfully, more people are warming up to the fact that O’Neal deserved all the hype and praise. He might be a bit too vocal for some people on Inside the NBA, but viewers cannot deny O’Neal’s strength and legacy.

This article first appeared on NBA Analysis Network and was syndicated with permission.

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