Despite Shaquille O’Neal dominating Greg Ostertag in their 1997 playoff matchup, the Utah Jazz eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Because of that, Ostertag must have felt that he had bragging rights over Shaq, so he kept talking about that series during the offseason.
That was a huge mistake because word reached O’Neal that Ostertag was bragging about beating him and the Lakers all summer long. With the loss to the Jazz still leaving a sour taste in his mouth, Shaq circled the Lakers’ next meeting with the Jazz and vowed to make Ostertag pay. Former Lakers guard Nick Van Exel remembers the incident as if it were yesterday.
“Throughout the summer, Shaq is hearing things that Ostertag is just chirping,” said “Nick the Quick” on his podcast. “And Shaq wasn’t even tripping. You know what I’m saying? Like, ‘I dominated you. I’m going, Y’all beat us. Take your dub and move on.’ But he just kept chirping, chirping.”
Shaq knocked out Ostertag with an open-hand slap
The Lakers were slated to host the Jazz in their 1997-98 season opener. But Nick said Shaq did not even wait for game time to teach Ostertag a lesson. During the team’s afternoon shootaround at The Forum, O’Neal told his teammates that he was going to slap Ostertag.
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Van Exel and the other Lakers thought that O’Neal was just fooling around. After all, “The Big Aristotle” was a man-child who liked to joke around and say a lot of foolish things. Because they thought he was bluffing, they teased him and tried to hype him up. That made O’Neal angrier.
“So I’m walking to the tunnel getting ready to leave out, and then the next thing you hear is (slap),” recalled Van Exel. “Big Osterag fell on the ground. Shaq slapped that man and got a little suspension and everything…But it was just the playoffs, man. This is intense, and when you get you a** whooped, you feel a kind of certain way. And Shaq was feeling a certain kind of way. It’s like, ‘Mother fu**** you got your dub but shut your motherfu***** mouth.'”
Ostertag had more words for Shaq during their confrontation
To O’Neal’s credit, witnesses corroborate his claim that he did not immediately slap Ostertag, but he confronted him about what he was saying all summer long. Of course, Greg did not let Shaq do all the talking. After a brief exchange of words, that’s when the Lakers big man slapped the Jazz center on the head with an open left hand.
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“I saw him at the shootaround and I went over and confronted him,” wrote Shaq in Shaq Uncut: My Story. “I told him, ‘You should stop talking and stick to playing. Watch what you say.’ He said, ‘Fuck you, man. You watch what you say.’ So I said, ‘Oh, you bad now?’ We got into it, and he was mouthing off again, so I turned and slapped him upside the head. I know. Stupid.”
The league ended up suspending Shaq for one game and meting him a fine of $10,000. With the suspension, O’Neal also forfeited $156,794 of his salary. The Lakers star later apologized to Ostertag and the Jazz, but Karl Malone said, the incident ruined the rest of Greg’s career.