Shaquille O’Neal has never shied away from telling his side of history, and his latest take on the 2001 NBA Finals puts the spotlight on Dikembe Mutombo rather than Allen Iverson.
Speaking on The Big Podcast, O’Neal made his stance clear. The Philadelphia 76ers did not lose because of Iverson. They lost because of how Mutombo chose to guard him.
“I feel for Iverson that they had to meet us in the Finals. But it wasn’t his fault, it was Dikembe Mutombo’s fault. I take it as a sign of disrespect if you don’t double-team me.”
“So my uncle, my mother’s brother, he’s one of the most smartest guys I know. He liked to read the paper, because I don’t like to read the paper. He liked to read the paper. And he came in one day, I’m in there eating cereal. And he was like, you heard what Mutombo said?”
“I said no. He said he’s going to play you one-on-one. I said he didn’t say that. He already had that highlighted at 8:30 in the morning. Well, he needs to see this. So I’m looking at it. I’m the defensive player of the year. I’m going to play Shaq one-on-one. Shaq is an okay player.”
“See, hey, okay player is what I’m talking about. Shaq is an okay player. Now I can’t even finish my mother’s cereal. So I get on the internet at the time, and I learned how to say I’m going to bust your ass in Swahili, but I didn’t quite get it right.”
“But as a shot blocker, you got to take it to his face. So you’re going to see a lot of clips of me elbowing him in the face. I had to do that on purpose to let him know I’m coming. Oh, I’m coming. So like the first play of the game, once I bowled him and he backed up, I knew I had him.”
“So then after the first game, they beat us, but I still had a lot of points. He had a lot of bandages, and he walking down the hallway with his kids. I’m glad I had Uncle Jerome with me. Uncle Jerome said don’t let that mother***ker soften you up. Don’t let him soften you up.”
“He said, Shaq, why you do me like that in front of the kids? Why you be like that? Yeah, so after that, I knew I had him.”
According to Shaq, the turning point came even before the series began. He recalled reading a quote where Mutombo, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, said he would guard him one-on-one and even referred to him as an “okay player.” That line stuck.
From that moment, Shaq approached the matchup with intent. He wanted to dominate physically and mentally. He even described going out of his way to initiate contact early in games, setting a tone that Mutombo would have to deal with all series long.
The numbers back it up. Shaq averaged 33.0 points, 15.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 3.4 blocks over five games while shooting 57.3% from the field. Those are not just strong numbers. Those are overwhelming numbers, especially in a Finals setting.
Mutombo still produced. He put up 16.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game on 60.0% shooting. On paper, that looks solid. On the court, it did not slow Shaq down.
The series itself tells the story. The 76ers stole Game 1 in Los Angeles, winning 107-101 behind Iverson’s iconic 48-point performance. Shaq still had 44 points and 20 rebounds in that game, which showed the issue early. Even in a loss, he dominated.
After that, everything shifted. The Los Angeles Lakers won the next four games and closed the series 4-1. The Philadelphia 76ers had no answer inside, and the lack of consistent double teams allowed Shaq to control every possession in the paint.
From Shaq’s perspective, that was the mistake. Mutombo tried to take the challenge head-on, but against a player like Shaq at his peak, that approach rarely worked. Teams that had success against him loaded the paint, sent help, and forced the ball out of his hands. Philadelphia did not adjust enough.
There was also a psychological edge. Shaq described moments during the series where he felt he had already won the matchup mentally. Physical dominance, constant pressure, and confidence created a gap that grew with each game.
Iverson, on the other hand, did his part. He averaged 35.6 points in the series and carried the offense throughout. His Game 1 performance remains one of the most iconic in Finals history. But without defensive support in the paint, it was not enough.
That is why Shaq frames the series this way. In his eyes, the outcome was decided by how he was defended. One-on-one coverage against a player of his size and skill turned the series into a mismatch.
The result speaks for itself. Shaq secured his second straight Finals MVP, and the Lakers moved one step closer to a three-peat.
