It is no secret that everyone who's ever encountered the sheer strength of Shaquille O'Neal during his prime has walked away saying the same thing — he was the most dominant player of all time.
Sure, Wilt Chamberlain has long kept that prestigious title attached to his name, and then Michael Jordan came in and dominated in his own right. However, no one did it in one of the most physical periods in NBA history quite like Shaq.
And one guy who was there through O'Neal's entire tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers , the years where his game truly peaked, was longtime head athletic trainer Gary Vitti . He knows better than most just how much of a force Shaq was to deal with, and how, when he came ready to play, there was no hope for the opposing team.
"Shaq was dominant…" Vitti, a guy who's been through everything with the Lakers, shared on his recent appearance on Byron Scott's "Fast Break" podcast.
"And this is going back when we talk about Shaq and throw stones and stuff, as much as we love him. If Shaq wanted to win every single game, there was nothing you could do about it," he continued. "They would have had foul him out of the game… If Shaq wanted every single rebound, you wouldn't have gotten one. "
To further illustrate his point, Vitti recalled a situation in which Brad Miller , a giant in his own right, realized firsthand just how immovable the Big Diesel truly was. Miller had just checked into a game against the Lakers when he turned to Vitti on the sidelines and, half-joking but half-dead serious, asked him to tell the truth about O'Neal's actual weight. Miller believed he was 400 pounds; however, Vitti clarified that, at the time, O'Neal was "only" 350.
"I am trying with every ounce of strenght, I cant move him," Gary recalled Brad's words. "And Brad Miller was probably the biggest, strongest guys in the league."
That's the type of strength and raw power O'Neal carried with him every single night. However, it would be an understatement to say that The Big Diesel relied only on that aspect, while it was the combination of skill, size and agility for that build that made him a walking nightmare. Guys who thought they were strong quickly learned that against Shaq, strength was simply relative.
Three consecutive championships, three straight Finals MVPs, and a regular-season MVP during his tenure in the Purple and Gold uniform are the perfect representation of just how dominant O'Neal was at his peak.
And yet, despite all of those accolades and the jewelry that came with them, there's still a lingering feeling that he could have done even more. That's exactly what Vitti meant by saying "when he wanted" . Because when Shaq locked in, there wasn't a player, a scheme, or a team that could slow him down. The only thing that could stop him was himself.
And that is the well-known story of the 7'1" monster. On the one hand, he is, by many, recognized as the most dominant player of all time; however, the thought of him working his tail off and playing hard every single night still lingers. If he did that, we might just be talking about a GOAT right there.
Either way, Shaq's reign in Los Angeles remains one of the most impressive peaks, and a reminder that there was no messing with The Big Diesel.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
