Donald Trump Once Offered Shaquille O'Neal An Eye-Popping Amount To Go 1v1 In Atlantic City In The '90s

In the mid-90s, Donald Trump attempted to bring one of the most exciting one-on-one matchups to life – Shaquille O’Neal versus Hakeem Olajuwon. The prize was a cool $1 million, which was a massive payday back then – even for NBA stars. Trump intended to organize the event at his famous Atlantic City Taj Mahal casino, lending some of his trademark grandeur to what may have been a historic confrontation.

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The idea came right after the two giants of basketball faced off in the 1995 NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon and his Houston Rockets had gotten the better of a young Shaq and his Orlando Magic. Hakeem was unstoppable, averaging 33 points per game in the series and winning his second Finals MVP award as his team swept Orlando.

Evidently, the world wanted more from these two superstars, who were at the core of the basketball universe – one established, one on the rise. Thus, their agent suggested a one-on-one showdown.

Trump, always a fan of the big spectacle, wanted in. He put up $1 million as prize money, a huge offer for its time. To give you some context, even though NBA salaries were beginning to skyrocket in the ’90s, $1 million was still enough to grab the attention of even the league's top stars. 

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The plan was to bring Shaq and Hakeem together for this epic one-on-one duel at Trump's Atlantic City casino and fans were pumped at the thought of these two titans battling it out without any teammates or distractions.

But the event never happened. At the last minute, Hakeem had to pull out due to a back injury and the matchup was canceled, never to be rescheduled. It’s one of those “what if” situations in sports history where Shaq had the opportunity to make amends with the man who had defeated him on the largest platform, but it was quickly lost.

For Shaq, the 1995 loss was a personal challenge – much more than “just” another Finals defeat. He later admitted that facing Hakeem was a turning point in his career, recalling, “He was the first guy to actually embarrass me.” 

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Most centers had just a few go-to moves, but Hakeem could do it all. He’d fake you out, spin the other way, hit a jumper, or come at you with an up-and-under. Shaq struggled to read Hakeem, which motivated him to push his game to the next level. It's no wonder Shaq went on to win four championships, becoming one of the most dominant players the league has ever seen.

Interestingly, over the years, Shaq developed a respect for Donald Trump, even calling him a friend. He was even invited to Trump’s wedding and brought him a Rolls-Royce as a gift. He admitted that Trump was a straight shooter – someone who would advise you to “tuck in your shirt” rather than mince words. Shaq thought Trump's approach might have rubbed people the wrong way, but believed there was logic behind his bluntness if you looked at it through a business lens.

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