Shaq caused NBA rule change with unstoppable show of dominance that destroyed equipment

Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most dominant basketball players of all time.

The four-time NBA champion forged a legendary 19-year career, and had rim-rattling spells with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.

Shaq is an NBA legend who was famous for shattering the backboard during his early daysCredit: Getty
His jersey has been retired by half of those teams — in Orlando, Miami and LA.

That’s hardly surprise, considering he was a 15-time All-Star, who was also named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2000, on top of his three NBA Finals MVP awards.

And long before he lifted his first title, Shaq entered the league to a fanfare when he was taken as the first overall pick of the 1992 Draft.

He quickly became one of the best centers in the NBA, winning the Rookie of the Year award in his debut season.

But while Shaq delighted fans with his on-court display, he proved a bit of a headache for the league’s rule-makers, thanks to his habit of breaking backboards.

Whether he was posturizing opponents during his earlier days with the Magic, or dominating the league with Kobe Bryant on the Lakers, O’Neal never showed any mercy to the rim.

There is plenty of footage from years gone by of the 7-foot-1 star shattering the glass at the gym, or shaking the basket while playing college hoops.

Even before his rookie NBA season, Shaq was destroyed glass rims in as viral footage often shows.

And the support systems holding up the backboard were not safe.

A put-back dunk against the Phoenix Suns in 1993 somehow deflated the hydraulic system that held up the backboard, causing it to fold up and lower to the floor.

One of Shaq’s rookie year dunks against the Suns caused a backboard to collapseCredit: Hoopz

Another of his powerful slams brought the rim crashing downCredit: Hoopz

Later in the year against the New Jersey Nets, Shaq pulled the entire backboard down with a slam, and nearly got caught by the falling shot clock.

With a beast like him in the league, the NBA needed to Shaq-proof their rims.

“We had a new thing this year with (backboards) both coming down and being broken,’’ Rod Thorn, the league’s executive vice president of basketball operations, told the Orlando Sentinel in 1993.

‘’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.”

The NBA were forced to change their rules after Shaq’s rookie season accidentsCredit: Getty

Shaq went on to become a four-time NBA ChampionCredit: Getty
Soon after Thorn’s comments, the NBA changed their rules to avoid any more ‘Shaq-ccidents’.

The league first made changes to the materials of the backboards, making them more durable, by switching to tempered shatter-resistant glass and stronger braces.

They also changed a rule requiring backup baskets at every game, just in case Shaq or any other player would tear them down.

According to SB Nation, the NBA also adopted a rule that penalizes players for intentionally breaking the backboard.

The rule reads: “Any player whose contact with the basket ring or backboard causes the backboard to shatter or make the ring unplayable will be penalized with a non-unsportsmanlike conduct technical foul.”

Shaq is not the only basketball legend to fall foul of certain regulations over the years, with Michael Jordan also said to have violated the NBA’s 51% rule in his early days.

And while O’Neal shattered plenty of backboards over the years, he has actually put them to good use.

Rather than letting the rims rust out, he decided to create a massive tree that makes even the seven-footer himself look small.

Shaq has made a ‘rim’ tree from all the backboards he broke in the NBACredit: Instagram: @shaq
He calls it ‘The Broken Rim Tree’ and shared a photo of the massive structure back in 2017.

It’s certainly serves as a unique memento to his backboard-shattering NBA days.