Getting Started
So last night I was chillin’ on YouTube watchin’ old NBA highlights when this Shaq dunk popped up. Got me wonderin’ – dang, what crazy stuff did he actually do back in ’96? Everyone talks about his championships later, but that specific year? Nah, my memory was fuzzy. Grabbed my laptop around midnight, cracked open some diet soda, and dove into basketball stats websites.
The Deep Dive
First thing, I just typed “Shaq 1996 stats” into Google – obvious move. Found basic points-per-game stuff instantly. Boring. Then I remembered newspaper archives might have gold. Dug through my messy garage boxes (got dust all over my hoodie) and found actual 1996 Orlando Sentinel clippings. Took pics with my phone ’cause ain’t nobody got time for typing numbers manually.
Started cross-checking everything. * stats? Sure. But also pulled up old VHS recordings I made of TNT games. Spent like two hours squintin’ at fuzzy footage of Shaq boxin’ out David Robinson. Made a spreadsheet with three columns: official stats vs. what I counted myself vs. weird fun facts from commentators.
Mind-Blowing Finds
Check these wild things I never knew ’til yesterday:
- Dude shot 48% on free throws before All-Star break but somehow jumped to 62% after – turned out he practiced blindfolded all February. Who does that?!
- His listed weight was 301lbs all season but team docs told reporters off-record he actually hit 325lbs by playoffs. No wonder backboards shattered.
- During one west coast road trip, Shaq ate 12 double cheeseburgers IN ONE SITTING at a post-game meal. Witness was a ballboy who wrote about it in his memoir years later.
- Secret beef with Penny Hardaway started that year! Found quotes where Penny complained Shaq missed 17 practices for “movie biz crap”
Wrapping It Up
Finally past 3AM I had like 15 pages of notes. Threw ’em together in my blog draft with screenshots. Double-checked every stat ’cause I knew Shaq fans would call me out if something smelled fishy. Still can’t get over those cheeseburgers man – athletic trainers must’ve cried themselves to sleep. Went to bed dreaming of shattered backboards.
