How Shaq Changed The NBA

NBA Basketball

In the 1990s Shaquille O’ Neal (Shaq), broke backboards and changed the rules of the game. When Shaq was on the Orlando Magic in 1993, he made a put-back dunk that was so strong, it deflated the hydraulic system that holds up the backboard, and the goal ended up folding and lowering to the floor. This caused the National Basketball Association (NBA) to now always have a backup hoop / goal for every arena.

Shaq nearly hurt himself after pulling down the entire backboard on a dunk while playing against the New Jersey Nets. This showed the NBA that something needed to be done with the goals. They needed to be “shaq-proofed”.

During his career, Shaq was the most dominant center in the NBA no question. He averaged 23.7 points per game during his career, 10.9 rebounds per game, and has a player efficiency rating (a…