Year of examination: 2024

Subject: English A

Candidate Number: 190003

Candidate Name: Jai Shahani

Title of Project: How Shaquille O’Neal made the NBA

change their rules.

Name of Teacher: Liverpool-Green

Members of Group: Jai Shahani 1900031234

Nikcolesh Ragubeer 1900032345

Yash Matani 1900033456

Eriak Bendahand 1900034567

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Table of Contents

Plan of Investigation 3

Participation Measure 5

Stimulus Material 6

Stimulus Material 1 6

Stimulus Material 2 7

Stimulus Material 3 8

Additional Stimulus Material 1 9

Additional Stimulus Material 2 10

Written Report 11

Reflection 12

Reflection 1 12

Reflection 2 13

Reflection 3 14

Oral Presentation 15

The Plan 15

The Presentation 16

Works Cited 17
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Plan of Investigation

The title of my investigation is: How Shaquille O’Neal made the NBA change their

rules. I chose this topic because, I grew up watching and playing basketball. The thing that

was complicated was when a new rule was implemented by the NBA to affect individual

players for better or for worse.

I would like to obtain a grasp of the process and reasoning behind the development of

regulations that are uniquely impacted by individual athletes in basketball. In this SBA I hope

to improve my time management, teamwork, and critical thinking. I will retrieve the data

from an online article, a blogger, and a YouTube video.

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Participation Measure

Areas Questions for students Final score

1. Do/Did you know what you are/were expected to do to work well 1/1

in a team?

2. Are/Were you able to focus on what is/was taking place in your 1/1

group?

3. How do/did you feel in the group? I feel/felt self-confidence, self- 1/1

esteem, and self-efficacy.

4. Do/Did you know how to manage the way you behave in the 1/1

group?

5. Do/Did you manage your tasks on time and thoroughly? 1/1

Total Score: 5/5

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Stimulus Material

Stimulus Material 1

In the early 1990s, backboards stood no chance against Shaquille O’Neal.

He didn’t just shatter the glass, Shaq actually destroyed the support systems holding
up the backboard.

During his rookie season with the Magic in 1993, Shaq’s put-back dunk somehow
deflated the hydraulic system that holds up the backboard, causing it to fold up and
lower to the floor.

Later against the New Jersey Nets, Shaq nearly decapitated himself with the shot
clock after pulling down the entire backboard on a dunk.

So, clearly, the NBA had to Shaq-proof the hoops.

“We had a new thing this year with (backboards) both coming down and being
broken,’’ Rod Thorn, the chairman of the competition committee at the time, told the
Orlando Sentinel. ‘’We’re going to make sure that all of the equipment is up to snuff.
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Stimulus Material 2

In the 1990s Shaquille O’ Neal (Shaq), broke backboards and changed the rules of
the game. When Shaq was on the Orlando Magic in 1993, he made a put-back dunk
that was so strong, it deflated the hydraulic system that holds up the backboard, and
the goal ended up folding and lowering to the floor. This caused the National
Basketball Association (NBA) to now always have a backup hoop / goal for every
arena.

Shaq nearly hurt himself after pulling down the entire backboard on a dunk while playing
against the New Jersey Nets. This showed the NBA that something needed to be done with
the goals. They needed to be “Shaq-proofed”.

During his career, Shaq was the most dominant canter in the NBA no question. He averaged
23.7 points per game during his career, 10.9 rebounds per game, and has a player efficiency
rating (a measure of per minute production, the average being15) of 26 with a total of 1206
games played during his career. You can see the statistics here. He would show no mercy on
offense or defence, and was able to put up 30 points with 4 blocks easily like he was playing
with children during his prime.

Because Shaq had continued to break the hoop, the league made changes to the materials of
the backboards (This was the second time after Darryl Dawkins forced them to change it
earlier). The zone defence was the biggest thing changed. Zone wasn’t allowed until Shaq
started dominating. He even changed one rule now popularized as “Hack -a-Shaq”, this
change meant players couldn’t foul opposing players on purpose that didn’t have the ball in
their hands during the last 2 minutes of the game or they would reward the opposing teams
with 2 free throws and the ball. The Hack-a-Shaq strategy was used against Shaq, where they
would foul him because of his poor free throw percentage. During his entire career, Shaq
made an average of 52.7% of his free throws per game.

Shaq’s best season was with the Lakers during the (1999–2000) season, where he averaged
29.7 points per game. His second & third best season during his career with regards to points
per game was with the Orlando Magic during the (1993–1994) & (1994–1995) season with
an average of 29.3 points per game. He also played the greatest number of games in a season
during the (1994–1995) season with the Orlando Magic. Shaq averaged the least number of
points made during his last season in the NBA (2010–2011) with the Boston Celtics and an
average of 9.2 points per game. You can see these statistics for yourself here.
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Stimulus Material 3
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Additional Stimulus Material 1

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Additional Stimulus Material 2

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Written Report
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Reflection

Reflection 1
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Reflection 2
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Reflection 3
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Oral Presentation

The Plan
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The Presentation
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Works Cited

Cali, Mike. "When Shaq Broke Backboards and Changed the Rules." Orlando Pinstriped

Post, 11 Oct.

2018,www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2018/10/11/17965080/orlando-magic-

shaquille-oneal-backboard. Accessed 20 Aug. 2023.

randerson112358, Randerson. “How Shaq Changed the NBA.” Medium, Medium, 20

May 2019, https://randerson112358.medium.com/how-shaq-changed-the-nba

e4f85cc1f1e8#:~:text=He%20even%20changed%20one%20rule,free%20throws

%20and%20the%20ball.Accessed 20 Aug. 2023.

“Shaq Pulls Down Entire Basket In New Jersey (Extended Video Footage).” YouTube, 31

May 2014, https://youtu.be/ts9zejnTOKk. Accessed 12 May 2023.