Long before Shaquille O’Neal became the NBA’s most destructive force, he was a young basketball fan studying the game’s best players. One of his idols was David Robinson—but one unforgettable international performance introduced Shaq to another big man who demanded his attention.
That player was Lithuanian legend Arvydas Sabonis.
Sabonis helped the Soviet Union defeat the United States in the semifinals of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Team USA’s roster featured top college stars such as Robinson, Mitch Richmond, Dan Majerle, and Hersey Hawkins, but the Americans faced a Soviet team loaded with experienced international talent.
Sabonis finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Robinson recorded 19 points and 12 boards. The Soviet Union advanced and eventually won the gold medal.
The loss became a turning point in basketball history. International rules soon changed to allow NBA players to compete in the Olympics, helping clear the way for the legendary 1992 Dream Team.
But young Shaq was still thinking about the long-haired Lithuanian big man who had just beaten his idol.
During a recent visit to Lithuania, O’Neal revealed that Sabonis was one of his favorite players growing up. Shaq remembered being amazed by his size, passing ability, and overall feel for the game.
He also admitted that watching Sabonis get the better of Robinson created a little extra motivation.
“What he did to my idol David Robinson, I had to pay him back,” Shaq explained.
Apparently, basketball debts carry interest.
Sabonis entered the NBA in 1995, nine years after the Portland Trail Blazers selected him in the draft. By then, injuries had taken away some of his athleticism, while Shaq was already busy transforming into the league’s most terrifying interior force.
The two centers met 39 times across the regular season and playoffs. O’Neal’s teams won 23 of those games, and the Big Diesel averaged 28 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.1 blocks.
Sabonis averaged 10.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2 assists in those matchups. He delivered several strong performances, but trying to contain prime Shaq was not exactly a relaxing evening at the office.
Still, O’Neal made it clear that his aggressive play against Sabonis wasn’t personal. In fact, it was rooted in admiration.
Shaq recalled seeing Sabonis during his international prime and wondering who this tall, good-looking player with the flowing hair and flashy passes could possibly be. O’Neal even suggested that, during that period, Sabonis may have been the best basketball player in the world.
That is unusually generous praise from Shaq, especially when discussing another center. The Big Aristotle doesn’t hand out membership cards to the Great Big Man Club without checking a few credentials first.
Sabonis certainly had them.
Despite arriving in America late in his career, he averaged 12 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists across seven NBA seasons with Portland. His combination of size, shooting, intelligence, and passing made him an early model for the modern playmaking center.
His influence can be seen in big men who followed, including fellow European superstar Nikola Jokić. Sabonis was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
Shaq may have gotten his basketball revenge once they reached the NBA, but decades later, his respect for Sabonis remains just as big as the men themselves.