Jaime Jaquez Jr., a rookie for the Heat, reveals shocking information about Shaquille O’Neal’s dunking.
Surprisingly for most, Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s debut season with the Miami Heat has gone quite well. Happy birthday, Jaime! The recently turned 23-year-old has established himself as an important member of the Heat rotation, willing and able to provide Erik Spoelstra a reliable and steady presence off the bench when needed, but also capable of handling more minutes and offensive pressure when called upon.
The three games in which Jaquez has scored the most this season have been against teams that are currently vying for a spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs: Philadelphia, Indiana, and Cleveland. However, the most remarkable physical accomplishment of Jaquez’s first five months as a professional occurred on All-Star Saturday Night when the 6’6″ rookie from UCLA leaped over one of the largest human beings who has ever stepped on an NBA floor.
The fact that Jaquez claims he had never attempted to hop over Shaquille O’Neal before to pulling off the dunk in the 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest only serves to highlight how amazing this slam was.
“Hey, I’m not going to lie. According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Jaquez stated after the Slam Dunk Contest, “I didn’t practise jumping over Shaq.” “I practiced with Bam [Adebayo]. But the difference in height is significant. That’s why I was so anxious to see Shaq there. I’ve had a lot of encounters with him. But I was undoubtedly uneasy when he was standing there.
