Shaquille O’Neal vowed to destroy NBA big man, he was left stunned by ‘clinic’, says Dwyane Wade

Shaquille O’Neal’s plan to embarrass Yao Ming backfired

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Dwyane Wade recalled his time playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal with the Miami Heat, a player he previously said ‘changed his career’.

Wade recounted how ahead of a game with the Houston Rockets, Shaq was fed up of hearing Yao Ming be compared to him.

He explained: “Shaq was in the locker room before the game. He was getting ready. He’s like, ‘I’m about to show him tonight. I’m about to show him tonight. They think he on my level, right?

“‘I’m like, Yeah, big fella, yeah, big fella, let’s go.'”

But as Wade explained, Shaquille O’Neal’s plan to dominate and embarrass Yao Ming did not go as planned.

He said: “When I tell you, Yao Ming came out and put on a clinic.”

Speaking about the variation in his game, he said: “He wasn’t just boom, boom, boom. He was boom, boom, fade, Yao was that. Yao was nice.”

Wade was only establishing himself in his career in the NBA at the time, and he says he was full of admiration for the Rockets star.

“Obviously they had some matchups, go and throw the stats out, I’m talking about watching him when I first came in the league.”

Yao Ming’s record vs Shaquille O’Neal

Yao Ming’s biggest ever game against Shaquille O’Neal came in an epic matchup in 2006 between the Heat and Rockets.

Ming posted a monster line of 34 points and 14 rebounds, while Shaquille O’Neal could only manage 15 points of his own and 10 assists.

The Rockets star holds a 10-8 career record against Shaquille O’Neal, who never scored more than 30 points against Ming while he was with the Heat, doing so twice with the Lakers.

In their matchups, O’Neal averaged 22.9 points, while Ming was a little more hot and cold, averaging 18.9 points per game.

Not many players in his era could stand a chance against Shaq – but Yao Ming certainly gave him a real test.