"If they don’t follow the rules, he's going to score 50 points every time" - Divac on how unstoppable Shaq was in his prime

Sacramento Kings icon Vlade Divac knows that playing against Shaquille O’Neal in his prime was both a gift and a curse. As for one, matching up against one of the greatest players of all time pushed you to your limits. If you could stop Shaq, even for a couple of possessions, then you could defend anyone in this world.

Mauling the Kings

However, guarding O’Neal takes a physical and mental strain on anyone. Vlade was the recipient of massive beatdowns whenever the Sacramento Kings faced the Los Angeles Lakers. In Game 1 of the 2001 Western Conference Semifinals, Shaquille abused Vlade and company for 44 points on 53.1 shooting, 21 rebounds, and seven blocks.

A disheartened Divac faced the media and tried his best to answer questions about the Kings’ defensive schemes on ONBeal.

“It worked, everything,” Vlade said in 2001, per the Los Angeles Times. “But the referees just didn’t follow the rules. If they don’t follow the rules, he’s going to score 50 points every time. He’s unstoppable.”

“But that’s the playoffs. You’ve got to learn and you’ve got to play through it. I don’t expect that it’s gonna change,” he added.

Kings coach Rick Adelman figured out one way to contain O’Neal was to send him to the free-throw line, as the star center barely shot 50 percent from the charity stripe. However, there was a hefty price to pay.

Fouling Shaq over and over again meant putting the entire roster in foul trouble. The Lakers, whose triangle offense revolved around O’Neal, didn’t mind the big man missing a couple of free throws at the expense of Kings players.

“We gave him 19 [free throws],” Adelman said. “Maybe we have to give him 30. But I don’t have a lot of guys.”

Great effort

O’Neal absolutely destroyed the Kings — and it was just the first game of the series. They had a couple of battles left, so instead of criticizing his players, Adelman commended his team for trying their best against the dominant force. Perhaps that’s all they could do: plan well and hope for the best.

“The first thing is, the guy [O’Neal] is unbelievable,” Adelman said. “I mean, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s quick, he really has learned to play to his physical talents. He’s learned how to use his skills as well as his bulk.”

“But I have to believe there are times he’s knocking us out of there. It’s really hard when he’s coming into you. You’ve gotta give ground, there’s nowhere for you to go. There’s nobody strong enough to hold him out…I thought Scot and Vlade, I mean, they tried,” he added.

Whatever the Kings devised didn’t work — O’Neal averaged 33.0 points and 17.3 rebounds. To make matters worse, he wasn’t the worst of their problems: the young Kobe Bryant averaged 35.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per night and killed them from the outside.

The Black Mamba even scored 48 points in Game 4, which was more than enough to send the Kings home. Over a month later, the Lakers would win their second consecutive NBA championship and establish themselves as a dynasty led by the dynamic duo of Kobe and Shaq.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“If they don’t follow the rules, he’s going to score 50 points every time” – Divac on how unstoppable Shaq was in his prime

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