On November 20, 1993 Shaq got his first career triple double in a Magic v Nets game. The cherry on top? He scored 24 points, grabbed 28 rebounds, and had 15 blocks while he had a cold.
As Shaq walked out onto the hardwood that day, he was the NBA’s leading scorer with a 30.5 average. His 15 blocks that night were just shy of the NBA record of 17, set by Elmore Smith in 1973. Shaq scored a quarter of the total Magic points that night for a final score of 87-85, Magic.
“I guess I played OK,” Shaq said after the game. “The change in weather bothers me. It’s hard to play in one city where it’s 40 degrees and the next where it’s 80. I knew I had a few blocks, but I didn’t realize I had 15. But if we had lost, it wouldn’t have meant anything.” (Associated Press)
Best of all, Shaq scored his first triple double in the Shaq Attaq II. The least well-known model from his signature line, the Shaq Attaq II saw only a brief stint on the hardwood during the first half of Shaq’s 93-94 season. It sat on retail shelves about just as long as it lost many tech specs that made his first sig great. The price dropped from $125 to $100 for the Shaq Attaq II and it was only available in two colorways — Black/Blue and White/Black/Blue.
Strangely, the II was a mid, not a high top like all of his other sigs. The heel was split, much like the tongue of the ASICS Gel-Lyte III, which allowed the big man more ankle movement. It featured a bold ’32’ on the heel as well as a black strap with blue SHAQ branding across it. Finding a wearable today is almost impossible–trust me, I’m still looking.
For almost 22 years there was absolutely no footage of Shaq’s first triple double. On August 19, 2015, footage finally got on YouTube. Interestingly, in Al Harvin’s post-game recap for The New York Times, the late Chuck Daly argued that some of the blocks did not receive the proper goaltending calls. Whatever the case may be, check out the footage below and let me know what you think in the comments below.
