'Before the game started, I talked about your mama, I bully you in your face' - Shaq names Hakeem Olajuwon as the only player he 'couldn't break mentally'

During the Chicago Bulls' reign in the 1990s, Shaquille O'Neal stood out as the only superstar who had the prospect of eliminating Michael Jordan and clinching an NBA championship in the same playoff run. However, that dream crumbled when the Houston Rockets humbled his Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals. 

Reflecting on the loss, "The Big Aristotle" attributed the defeat not just to premature celebrations after overcoming "His Airness" but also his inability to intimidate or 'mentally break' Hakeem Olajuwon on the biggest stage.

Shaq was confident on winning the title after beating MJ, Bulls

When Mike returned to the Chicago Bulls late in the 1994-95 regular season, he played limited games but managed to lead the team in scoring with 26.9 points over 17 contests. MJ then improved his scoring average to 32.3 points in the first-round series against the Charlotte Hornets. Seeing Jordan return to his old flair, the Bulls had plenty of momentum heading into the second round against the Magic.

However, when the series began, despite Michael Jordan averaging a series-best 31.0 points and leading the series in that department in four games, it was O'Neal's 24.3 points and 13.2 rebounds that proved to be more impactful, leading the Magic to close out the series in six games.

Even though the Magic were tested to their limit in the EC Finals, with the series stretched to Game 7, "Diesel" felt certain of success as he had overcome Jordan in the previous round. Interestingly, the Hall of Famer believes that overconfidence became his downfall.

"After we beat Michael… we celebrated," O'Neal said. "We had a pre-parade, I'm like, 'It's mine.' That makes you lose focus."

O'Neal couldn't break Hakeem mentally

Though Shaq had all the strength and domination in the world to emerge as the best player on the court, he never hesitated to add an extra layer and get inside the heads of his opponents. But against "The Dream," his efforts were futile.

Even though the 7'1" improved his numbers to 28.0 points and 12.6 rebounds in the championship round, Olajuwon's 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game overpowered Orlando to suffer via a clean sweep 4-0.

"They smoked us. I got embarrassed. Like Hakeem was the only guy I couldn't break mentally. Before the game started, I talked about your mama, I bully you in your face, imma find what section your baby mama and wife in," O'Neal added. "But I could never break Hakeem. So they whooped me."

In hindsight, the humbling experience against "The Dream" and the Rockets became a turning point for Shaq. The 2000 MVP acknowledged that the embarrassment and failure on the grandest stage motivated him to ensure he never experienced such a defeat again. Perhaps that was the learning lesson that helped him win three consecutive Finals MVPs at the turn of the century.