“He was the first white guy with style and flair” – Shaq reveals Pete Maravich was the first ‘white player’ to leave an impression on him originally appeared on Basketball Network.
In a league that was long ruled by traditional centers during its early decades, one would think that when a star like Shaquille O’Neal entered the NBA in the 1990s, the ‘white player’ who impressed him the most would be someone like Bill Walton, who led the Portland Trail Blazers to their first ever title, or Rick Barry, who once led the league as a small forward with 34 points per game. But surprisingly, for O’Neal, the ‘first white player’ who truly blew him away was none other than Pete Maravich.
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Pistol Pete was unlike any other player ever seen
For those basketball fans who only respect old-school players for their accolades or league-leading numbers, they probably would not understand what made ‘Pistol Pete’ so special. In an era like the 1970s, when flash and flair were almost non-existent, Maravich introduced all the eye-catching stuff: behind-the-back passes, no-look dimes, and fakes so smooth they left defenders spinning. For some, Pete wasn’t just an elite basketball player; he was a magician on the court.
Even though Maravich led the league in scoring merely once and never led the league in assists, his playing style was such that it forced the fans to glue themselves to the TV screens, including a young Shaq.
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So, when O’Neal finally had the platform, he made it loud and clear that no other ‘white player’ pulled him toward the game more than Maravich. He even recalled one particular move that Pete pulled off on the legendary Los Angeles Lakers guard, Jerry West, that he simply couldn’t get over.
“Pistol Pete, because for me, he was the first white guy with style and flair that I’ve seen,” Shaq admitted with a big smile on his face during an episode of NBA Open Court. “First white guy to have style: between the legs, behind the back “cause my favorite move was the move that he did to Jerry West.”
Pistol Pete remains underappreciated big time in the modern-day
There’s no disputing the fact that Maravich never led the Atlanta Hawks deep into the playoffs or the New Orleans Jazz into the postseason at all, during his prime years, but let’s not forget, playoff runs require a team, not just one brilliant player.
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Perhaps that lack of team success is often why modern-day fans and analysts tend to overlook Pete’s greatness. But make no mistake: the fact that Maravich still earned a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, despite limited team success, proves just how impactful he was.
More impressively, when Shaq, a player known for taking jabs at today’s top stars, goes out of his way to praise Maravich, that speaks volumes. If ‘Pistol Pete’ could impress someone like ‘The Big Aristotle,’ you can only imagine how jaw-dropping his flair and style must’ve been. In a league where stats and achievements were always the standard for measuring greatness, Maravich made everyone learn how there’s more to someone’s game than that.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.