If you’ve ever played basketball or soccer you’ve probably experienced an ache or discomfort in your neck. It’s a common complaint among athletes, and the cause is usually a minor strain in the muscles or tendons associated with the neck. While it’s not enough to keep a player out of the game, it can lead to long-term problems like chronic poor posture and neck pain. For basketball and soccer players, long-term neck pain is a leading cause of injury.
Well, it didn’t. For months I was unable to lift my chin higher than the middle of my chest, and when I finally had to lift something, my neck, it nearly snapped. “Maybe I should see a chiropractor,” I thought after the lifting session. “Nah, I’m fine,” I thought again, “I’ll just rest it some more.” Sometimes in the metaphorical fitness world, we do things and take things for granted, without considering the impact on our bodies. So it was that I was lifting a box of iron, and my neck was sore for 6 weeks.
Before the start of the 2017-2018 MLB season, I had a very minor but irritating problem that I wanted to talk about before it got worse. I’d gone to bed one night and woke up with a sore neck. I figured it was from sleeping on a really bad mattress, so I spent the next couple of months sleeping on a new mattress, and then another couple of months sleeping on a new mattress. I bought a new mattress for a few nights, but after a while, I got sick of spending money on new mattresses. It was a pretty minor problem, but it was still annoying.
Shaquille O’Neal had no trouble tossing his big frame around and terrorizing opponents under the basket during his tenure on the court. He did, however, employ his bulk and strength for a different reason on at least one occasion: provoking a fight with a colleague.
During a practice with the Orlando Magic, O’Neal got into an altercation with veteran guard Scott Skiles. While things got hot at the end — Shaq put the smaller man in a headlock, igniting a brawl — there were no long-term resentments. Since their brawl, the two former teammates have only talked favorably of each other.
In 1994, Shaquille O’Neal and Scott Skiles had a brawl at an Orlando Magic practice.
When you think about Shaquille O’Neal, you usually envision him in the Los Angeles Lakers’ famous gold and purple. However, the big man began his professional career with the Orlando Magic, where he earned a reputation for himself.
Shaq wasn’t afraid to take on any challenge, even though he was still a young man at the time. While this aided him on the court, it also caused a snafu during a team session.
Scott Skiles, a veteran on that Magic squad, told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune in 2004 that Shaq got into a brawl with one of his teammates. “And I was fed up with everyone dividing them. ‘Why don’t you guys simply fight instead of [faking it]?’ I remarked as I walked over. Then he threw a punch at me. There were a lot of punches thrown. It quickly escalated into a full-fledged team brawl. When I charged [O’Neal], he had me in a headlock and had me by the neck. My neck hurt for about six weeks. I’m not sure I’d take that road again.”
Larry Krystkowiak, who gave his side of the tale in a 2007 ESPN piece, was the teammate Shaq was first battling. During a tense scrimmage, the big man acknowledged that he and O’Neal were slamming bodies, and Skiles advised them to get down to business and fight. When they did, the guard realized he might have put his colleagues in a pickle and attempted to help.
“So Shaq and I charged at one other and fired a couple of haymakers,” Krystkowiak said, “and Skiles ended up wrapped around his shoulders, holding on for dear life, and Shaq was like a crazy bull trying to shake him off.”
After the encounter, Shaquille O’Neal and Scott Skiles had no bad feelings.
On the Orlando Magic, Shaquille O’Neal (L) and Scott Skiles (R) were teammates. | Matt A. Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images and Allsport’s Mike Cooper
Given the social dynamics of an NBA locker room, where no one wants to embarrass themselves in front of their colleagues, it’s unsurprising that Skiles and O’Neal didn’t get along after their incident. While there was considerable bad blood between the two guys at the time, they have since spoken well of each other.
O’Neal remarked in a 2015 Orlando Sentinel report that he has always admired the player’s fire and even named him the best point guard he has ever played with.
“I knew he wouldn’t back down – that’s one of the things I’ve always admired about Scott Skiles. “I used to love playing with him,” O’Neal said. “I’ve played with a lot of great point guards, but he has to be the best because the ball was there when I first came in and put my palm up wherever on the court.”
From his perspective, Skiles claims that Shaq made his life on the floor easier.
In the aforementioned Chicago Tribune report, Skiles stated, “I love Shaq.” “Shaq is one of my favorite teammates of all time. It became a lot easier for me to play Magic when he arrived. We could chuck it inside instead of running 50 pick-and-rolls on a 25-win team, and I could go to the weak side and spot up and score a shot.”
Shaq and Scott Skiles weren’t the only teammates that came out of a fight with a positive outlook.
In isolation, the Skiles-O’Neal brawl would appear to be a strange one-off occurrence. On the practice court, how often could a big man genuinely wrestle with his guard? We do know that at least one similar event occurred in Seattle, believe it or not.
Gary Payton was charged with handling “everything” for Xavier McDaniel during his rookie season with the SuperSonics. However, one day during practice, the guard had had enough and told the X-Man that he was no longer accepting instructions. Needless to say, the veteran was not pleased.
In The Players’ Tribune, Payton stated, “This is what Xav did.” “In the middle of practice, he grabbed me by the neck. And put me in one of those sleepers, right in the middle of it all, with everyone looking. He let me go just as I was about to leave. ‘If I have to beat your ass every time, you’ll listen to me,’ he said.
Payton, like Skiles and Shaq, had no malice against McDaniel. The incident served as a “wake up call” for The Glove, who claimed that his career would not have been the same if he hadn’t been surrounded by veterans who watched out for him.
Putting a coworker in a headlock or sleeper hold is a surefire method to get oneself into trouble. In the NBA, though, innovative peer mediation tactics have a little more flexibility.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Basketball Career Was Forever Changed When His Father Slapped Him for Imitating Magic Johnson
The New York Rangers finished the 2012-13 NHL Season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, but there was a grain of salt in their success. New York was so good on offense that their defense was extremely vulnerable. Although their power play was a top-10 unit in the NHL, it was their penalty kill that really cost them. They finished the regular season ranked 26th in the league in this category.. Read more about stabbing pain in front of neck and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can neck pain last for weeks?
In some cases, yes. Neck pain can last for weeks in some cases.
When should you get neck pain checked out?
Neck pain is a symptom of many different conditions, so its hard to say when you should get checked out. If your neck pain is persistent and severe, or if it gets worse over time, then you should make an appointment with your doctor.
How long can neck muscles be sore?
Neck muscles can be sore for a few days, but it is possible to have neck pain for weeks.
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