Shaquille O’Neal Admits Escaping David Stern’s NBA Punishment Despite Damaging 10 Properties

Outside of the Crypto.com Arena, Shaquille O’Neal‘s bronze statue is suspended 10 feet in the air, supported by the arena’s side. He has just dunked the ball with a fierce expression on his face. He is holding the rim with both his hands as he hangs in the air, his feet 9 feet above the ground. This was O’Neal’s iconic pose, immortalized by the Lakers in the statue to pay homage to his legacy. During the unveiling, O’Neal watched it with tears in his eyes. The statue also reminds us of another hilariously dominant element of his career. In a recently surfaced interview, O’Neal opened up about it.

The pose, where O’Neal is holding the rim with the pole bearing his entire weight, takes us back to how many backboards Shaq has broken in the past. Five? That’s a lot! But the truth is, O’Neal has broken at least 10 backboards during his career! He himself admitted it. Some reports suggest that he had broken nearly 12. With that, 10 could be right. An old video from a Korean Television show is where he made the confession. Back in 2015, he went to South Korea to promote the brand Reebok.

And for that, he made an appearance in the famous TV show Off To School, where celebrities spent a brief time in school alongside the kids. So did O’Neal at a high school in Incheon. During the introduction segment, one of his excited classmates had a question for O’Neal about the backboards. When asked if he ever paid for them, O’Neal responded, “No, never.” 

One of the first that he broke was during his time with LSU. He broke two more when playing with the Orlando Magic. Well, each backboard cost nearly $90k. Interestingly, the league also never asked O’Neal to pay. Adam Silver joined as a commissioner much later but even the previous commissioners chose not to fine the player or charge extra money. 

Jan 19, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal sits courtside during the first half between the Florida Gators and the LSU Tigers at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Assistant NBA commissioner said, “We’re going to make sure that all of the equipment is up to snuff. Whether it was Shaquille O’Neal or someone else, with the size of these guys, it was just a matter of time. He just happened to be a little bigger and stronger than most.” However, the league had to do something to avoid these incidents!

Why was the NBA forced to make a new rule for Shaquille O’Neal? 

The Los Angeles Lakers legend was undeniably a dominant player who had a remarkable 19-year career. His game was among the most entertaining for fans. With flashy dunks and incredible speed, he was legendary. He also won the Rookie of the Year honor after entering the league. However, sometimes Shaq’s dominance became too much not only for his opponents but for the NBA as well like the instances mentioned above.

That’s when the league decided to make a new rule. While it might appear hilarious at first, it also raised serious safety concerns. As mentioned earlier, in a matchup against the New Jersey Nets, Shaq pulled the entire backboard down with a slam and nearly got caught by the falling shot clock. This could have been problematic. 

To avoid such dangerous incidents in the future, the league decided to make changes. The materials used in backboards were upgraded and replaced with more durable ones. They switched to tempered, shatter-resistant glass and stronger braces. 

Furthermore, The league also introduced a rule penalizing players for deliberately breaking the backboard. They even began to have backup baskets at games in case of such accidents!

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