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Shaquille O’Neal’s name immediately conjures visions of domination in this sport. Aggression in bulk brought muscle to the game that few could contend against. It made scoring on most defenders child's play. However, there comes a time when everyone, including the greats, meets their match.
Shaquille ‘Shaq’ O’Neal admitted during a frank talk on Open Court that he was continuously giving fits to Kobe 'Big Country' Reeves, who played for Grizzlies teams in Vancouver and Memphis (1995 -2002).
Emphasizing Reeves's shooting, O’Neal, for instance, recalled how ‘Big Country’ using what can be described as a dysfunctional method worked against him. "Big Country would be 15 feet away, and I would have to rotate back.
He had the ugliest, Duckworth one-handed jumper. He'd shoot it, and it would always go in," O’Neal remembered. "So at halftime, I'm looking at the stats: Shaq 15 - Big Country 26 points."
Reeves' NBA Emergence
With great anticipation, Reeves came to the NBA after his tenure with the College All-Stars as an outstanding player at Oklahoma State.
Standing seven feet tall and weighing in at about 275-300 pounds, he had a more than imposing pro weight presence at that level. After being drafted 6th overall by the Grizzlies in the 1995 NBA Draft, his dominance continued at the professional level.
In the first three years of competition, the team gained 15.2 points. He lived up to the expectancy of a center taken in the top 10 of the draft, being solid offensively, though not the star everyone was hoping for. Although he played well, weight problems and degenerative disc disease led to chronic back surgeries, which Kreiss had that made it impossible for him to be in the long-term plans of the Grizzlies or any other NBA team.
This respect was earned because of the respect that "Big Country" was given to O’Neal. This is demonstrated when Shaq was frustrated by Reeves' mid-range jumper, as Reeves was one of the few players with such unusual talents on the floor.
It may be short in length, but what seemed even to be a stunted progression earned for him the respect of one of the NBA’s legends. Currently, Reeves is a family man who is also a cattle farmer, so he leads a peaceful life back in Oklahoma.
No amount of time spent in the NBA can take away from the fact that he is skilled and tough. Being one of the toughest players in the O’Neal puzzle is a stamp on his basement and respectable NBA career, particularly playing for the Grizzlies.
English (US) ·