Twice in the last three years, Grant Hill has told a story about the time that Shaquille O’Nealchoked his former teammate Gordan Giricek out while they were both playing for the Suns. According to Hill, Shaq put Giricek into a sleeper hold and left him passed out on the floor in the locker room.
Steve Nash confirmed the story during an Inside the NBA interview over NBA All-Star Weekend, and Shaq himself also expanded on it. It seems Shaq didn’t appreciate Giricek talking trash and decided to shut him up by hitting him with the sleeper. The only problem? He did it right before a game was about to start, so it doesn’t sound like Nash was thrilled with Shaq’s timing.
“The game starts in about 25 minutes,” Nash said, “and the guy is about to die in the locker room. I mean…”
Watch Shaq tell the story in the clip above (it starts at around the 4:35 mark). Only he could make a story about a guy getting choked out sound entertaining.
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[via The Big Lead]
