Shaquille O’Neal wanted to fight his idol after the intimidating NBA legend ‘punked’ him

Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning defined the era of big men’s basketball in the 1990s.

But for legendary center Shaquille O’Neal, one giant stood out as his favorite player of all time.

Patrick Ewing.

The former No. 1 overall pick was the face of the New York Knicks in the ’80s and ’90s and is one of the greatest players in franchise history.

The menacing 7-footer epitomized the tough and raw nature of basketball in New York City, putting his physicality on display every night on both offense and defense.

However, the 1992 Olympic Dream Team member never managed to win a title during his storied career, making him one of the best players in NBA history never to win a championship.

However, that didn’t matter to Shaq, who grew up Ewing and even wore his No. 33 jersey at Louisiana State University (LSU) as a tribute to his favorite player.

“When I was coming up, my dad would always say, ‘Hey! I’m going to make you like Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain,’” O’Neal recalled.

“And when I was young I was practicing all these old school moves… old school moves… really old school moves. And one day I was watching Patrick Ewing at Georgetown, a big guy, mean, physical, throwing people around, running And I said, ‘Daddy, that’s how I want to be,’ and he said, ‘I know, that’s why I let you watch the game.’ So I look at Patrick Ewing, he wore number 33, so as I got better I wanted to be like Patrick Ewing.”

But Shaq had lofty ambitions of his own, which he brought with him it being the greatest big man in The Association.

To do that, O’Neal knew he had to give up his idol and go from student to master.

‘The Big Aristotle’ was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in 1992 and it wasn’t long before he was pitted against his hero on the NBA hardwood.

“He was the first guy I was intimidated by when I played against him,” he admitted.

Although their best years did not clash, Shaq found himself in the latter part of Ewing’s career, and their first meeting proved to be an unforgettable experience for the Magic youngster.

In his 2011 book “Shaq Uncut,” The Big Diesel recalled his first meeting with Ewing and how the Knicks center “punked” him.

“I was a rookie with the Orlando Magic when I first met Patrick,” O’Neal wrote.

“We were playing at Madison Square Garden and my plan was to shake his hand and say, ‘Hello, Mr. Ewing,’ but before I got a chance he gave me a punk. I went to shake his hand, but he didn’t. So I put my fist out and he hit me really hard on my knuckles. Then he said, “I’m going to beat you up, rookie.”

Shaq later earned a starting spot in the 1993 All-Star Game, which he said irritated Ewing and Pat Riley, who was Ewing’s Knicks coach at the time and happened to be in charge of the Eastern Conference All-Stars that season.

“Ewing was mad because everyone was talking like I was the Next Big Thing (which I was),” Shaq said.

“I led the All-Star Game in votes my first year in the NBA, and afterward Ewing told some guys not to start rookies in the game. Pat Riley was the East coach that year, but he was Patrick’s coach with the Knicks, and he told everyone it was “ridiculous” that I was the starter. So when it came to the All-Star Game, Riley started me because he had to, but he played me and Patrick the same number of minutes.

Fast forward to 2000 and Ewing was well past his prime, while Shaq, now with the Lakers, was at the height of his powers.

However, the Knicks were still a championship-caliber team, and Ewing and O’Neal nearly came to blows during a heated regular season game between LA and New York.

At one point during the game, a fight broke out between Kobe Bryant and Chris Childs. Child threw a punch at Bryant, leading to an all-out brawl on the court.

In his book “Shaq Talks Back,” O’Neal said that when other Knicks players got involved, especially Ewing, he was willing to fight him to protect his teammates.

“Right after the altercation, I pushed Patrick Ewing. I wanted Ewing to come back. I was going to screw Ewing. I promise you I did,” he wrote.

“If he stepped up, I’d give Ewing a two-piece. I would knock Ewing out and hit him with a beep-beep-beep. Really and truly. Just to distract from the fact that Kobe is getting hit.”

Shaq and Ewing got in each other’s faces, but that’s about it.

O’Neal would ultimately have the last laugh when his Lakers team won three straight NBA titles between 2000 and 2002.

Shaq was named Finals MVP in all three championship series, eclipsing everything Ewing had ever accomplished.

He also enjoyed a 15-11 record against Ewing during his pro career, averaging 28.7 points, 12 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.1 blocks per game against him.

Despite their differences, Shaq harbored a deep respect for his childhood idol, even long after his own retirement.

In 2013, the four-time champion got emotional on NBA TV when he talked about how even though Ewing isn’t always mentioned when discussing the greatest players ever, he is “one of the greats.”

“Are you okay? You look like you’re getting emotional,” host Jared Greenberg told Shaq.

“I just saw Patrick Ewing, man,” O’Neal replied, fighting back tears.

“Those are real tears,” Dennis Scott noted as cameras zoomed in on Shaq’s face.

“When a lot of people talk about the greats, Patrick Ewing’s name never comes up, but I put Patrick Ewing’s name up there as one of the greats,” Shaq continued.

“He was a great competitor even though he never won a championship.

“I watch a lot of karate movies and in every karate movie the student always had to kill the teacher to become the best.”

That’s exactly what he did.