Copyright yardbarker
Al Harrington tried to draw a charge against O’Neal During his playing career, O’Neal was a terrifying player to go up against. His sheer strength could overpower his opponents and send them to the floor. This is especially true for players who drew a charging foul from him. Since he is such a strong player, the impact of drawing a charge was a feeling that stuck with players. In the modern NBA, people can say this about a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is as powerful as O’Neal was back in the day. One of the players who drew a charge against O’Neal was Al Harrington. As a player who got to play against O’Neal multiple times throughout his 16-year career, Harrington knew what it was like going up against a physical beast. During O’Neal’s stint in Phoenix, when he was a bit slower, Harrington drew a charging foul against O’Neal. Thankfully for Harrington, who played for the Golden State Warriors, he was spared from a full-power and full-speed O’Neal for one reason. “When he was in Phoenix, he was rolling down the lane. I rotated over to take a charge. I just closed my eyes and I said, ‘God, please.’ “He hit me and fell on top of me. It just didn’t hurt, I was like surprised,” Harrington said about drawing a charge against O’Neal on the Bootleg Kev podcast. “I opened my eyes, and he’s looking right at me. He was like, ‘You’re lucky you’re from Jersey. Other than that, I would have killed you.’ I was like Thank you, big fella.”
