'He hit me in my sternum one time, I couldn't laugh for a week' - Brendan Haywood shares why he was 'afraid' of playing against prime Shaq

Getting drafted in the NBA and playing the first official game is, for many, a moment they will remember their whole life. However, as much as this is the first step in what players hope will be a long and successful career, the realization that you're truly in the big boys' league now, playing against the cream of the crop athletes in the world, can be overwhelming.

For retired center Brendan Haywood, this "wow" moment when he realized he was truly in the best league in the world was any time he faced one of the most dominant players who touched a basketball, Shaquille O'Neal.

It's one thing to watch "The Diesel" on television from the comfort of your couch and a completely different one to see that 7'1", 325-pound physical specimen as your matchup for the night.

"Shaq. Shaq!" "Big Huey" quickly answered when asked who was the guy that made him realize he is in the big boys league. "I ain't talking about the Boston Shaq. I've seen Lakers Shaq and Miami Shaq. So Lakers Shaq it was just, you walk out there, and you playing the Lakers. Yes, it's Shaq and Kobe, yes it's the hottest team in town. And then, he is bigger than you, he is stronger than you and he's faster than you. Wow, he is everything I saw on TV. I really hope Kobe goes for 40."

Prime Shaq was the most dominant player ever

Haywood was the 20th pick of the first round in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, so he saw prime O'Neal close and personal. Although he was quite a big guy himself, Brendan simply couldn't handle the sheer physicality of the 4-time Champ.

However, he was definitely not the only one. "The Big Aristotle" terrorized opposing centers, and whole teams planned their defensive schemes against him, but it rarely paid off.

"Big Huey" added that if anyone tried to stand in the way of the Los Angeles Lakers center, he would just bulldoze through them, leaving them with a "not-so-friendly" reminder from that night for their attempt at guarding "Shaq Fu."

"He would just go through your chest. He hit me in my sternum one time, I couldn't laugh for a week. It hurts to laugh, all them jokes were no longer funny," Haywood added.

No stopping "Diesel" wrecking ball

When Shaq might have an off night by his standards, there was young Kobe Bryant to pick up the slack. It was on the wings of this unstoppable duo that the Purple and Gold dominated the league for so long and notched three consecutive titles. Of course, in those matchups on the biggest stage, Shaq took home the Finals MVP award every time.

Nowadays, physically dominant low-post players are a thing of the past, and the league is evolving into a perimeter-focused game, so guys like Shaq and Brandan are becoming extinct. However, these stories remind us that no matter how hard you tried to stop him, there was no stopping prime "Diesel."