"I used to pick up cows that weighed 450 pounds and carry them on my back" - Why Rodman wasn't worried about matching up with Shaq

“I used to pick up cows that weighed 450 pounds and carry them on my back” – Why Rodman wasn’t worried about matching up with Shaq originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Shaquille O’Neal immediately imposed his hefty presence and brute strength as soon as he stepped onto the NBA’s hardcourts. The 7’1″ LSU standout wreaked havoc on unknowing centers while propelling the Orlando Magic into legitimate playoff contenders. O’Neal was a new breed of center that no one wanted to mess with.

The Diesel vs. The Worm

Everyone feared Shaq, except Chicago Bulls power forward Dennis Rodman. He’s been undersized and underestimated all his life. Standing at just 6’7,” Rodman matched up against power forwards taller and heftier than him.

Despite weighing over 300 pounds, O’Neal was no different from the others Rodman had faced. Dennis’ will, skill, and upbringing in Oklahoma prepared him for battle against the biggest and most athletic men in the world.

“I’m from Oklahoma,” Rodman said in 1996, via the Chicago Tribune. “I used to pick up cows that weighed 450 pounds and carry them on my back. Shaquille O’Neal is no load.”

Rodman’s comments came after the Bulls’ 90-86 regular-season victory over the Magic in 1996. Bulls center Luc Longley missed his seventh straight game with tendinitis in both knees, and so head coach Phil Jackson had no choice but to use his undersized forward against O’Neal.

Shaquille had 21 points and nine rebounds against Dennis. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year was fronting Shaq when the Magic were trying to set up the big man for a game-tying shot in the final seconds. O’Neal failed to get the pass due to Rodman’s tight defense.

Even though The Diesel snagged the offensive board off the Penny Hardaway miss, he also botched the putback, which eventually led to the Bulls’ victory.

“I pushed his butt,” Rodman said. “They just didn’t call the foul.”

Shutting down Shaq

That wasn’t the only time Rodman effectively defended O’Neal. In 1993, when Dennis was still with the Detroit Pistons, he also taught the world a lesson on how to stop the big man.

Pistons center Bill Laimbeer was initially assigned to O’Neal, but his efforts — both dirty and illegal — did not affect Shaq. And so Pistons coach Ron Rothstein told Dennis to switch on Shaquille at the three-minute mark of the third quarter.

The tweak proved pivotal as O’Neal failed to make a field goal to end the third quarter and in the entire fourth quarter. Crucially, Shaq attempted just one shot and scored one point in the last quarter.

Thanks to Dennis, the Pistons escaped with a 98-97 victory. The Worm finished with his usual stat line of 10 points and 16 rebounds. After the game, he bragged about defending O’Neal.

“I love to play against guys who are supposed to be great players,” Rodman said.

“(O’Neal) is really something, but so is Dennis,” Rothstein added. “He came over and said: ‘Somebody play him.’ So I said, ‘OK, you play him.'”

Was Rodman O’Neal’s kryptonite? The Worm had a 13-3 regular season and 4-0 playoff record against The Diesel. While numbers reveal Shaq averaged almost 30 points and over 10 rebounds against Dennis, we have to look at the actual gameplay and not just the stats to appreciate Rodman’s defensive masterpiece on Shaquille.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.

“I used to pick up cows that weighed 450 pounds and carry them on my back” – Why Rodman wasn’t worried about matching up with Shaq

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