"I used to be so tired I couldn't breathe… I was struggling."
– relives battling the altitude in Denver. 😂
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT)
Colorado’s altitude has long been notorious for claiming visiting athletes as its victims. The touted thin air would tire them out through the course of a game. One former basketball player admitted that he would find ways to avoid battling the mile-high atmosphere.
During the Nuggets-Spurs game on TNT on Tuesday, Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal said he used to get in foul trouble on purpose in Denver to avoid having to fight through the city’s thin air.
“I used to foul shave in Denver,” O’Neal said during the broadcast.
Fellow analyst Chris Webber asked: “In the first quarter only? Or the whole game, Shaq?”
“The whole game,” O’Neal said. “Because I used to be so tired I couldn’t breathe. Here are three quick fouls. (Former Lakers head coach) Phil’s (Jackson) like, ‘I know what you’re doing.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m foul shaving. I’m not putting up with all this.'”
A glance at Shaq’s stats in Denver versus his career numbers shows that there was a dip in his production when he played in the Mile High City. In 19 games on the road against the Nuggets, he averaged fewer minutes, rebounds and points, while committing more fouls:
Career numbers
| Min | Reb | Blk | Pts | Fouls | |
| at Denver | 33.1 | 10.4 | 1.4 | 20.2 | 3.8 |
| Road | 35.0 | 10.5 | 2.1 | 23.2 | 3.6 |
| Career | 34.7 | 11.2 | 2.3 | 24.6 | 3.6 |
| Source: basketball-reference.com | |||||
When O’Neal was playing for the Lakers, the numbers were similar:
With L.A.
| Min | Reb | Blk | Pts | Fouls | |
| at Denver | 36.7 | 9.6 | 1.7 | 24.6 | 3.4 |
| Road | 38.2 | 11.3 | 2.3 | 26.8 | 3.4 |
| Lakers career | 37.6 | 11.8 | 2.5 | 27.0 | 3.2 |
| Source: basketball-reference.com | |||||
O’Neal’s teams had a record of 9-10 in Denver, but the Lakers did go 7-3 in that span. But that extra rest may have paid off in the long run — O’Neal helped his teams rack up four NBA titles (three with the Lakers, one with the Heat).
