Despite the rivalry between them, O'Neal recognized Yao's skills and legacy. Like Shaq, his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Robert Horry also acknowledged how special Yao was as a player.

Yao versus Shaq was always a box office hit Ming arrived in the NBA at a time when Shaq was the most dominant big man in the game. With his height, many were intrigued about Yao facing O'Neal.

“The Yao and me part is real, but I was the one who photoshopped Kevin,” O’Neal said in an interview with BeatBox. The picture that O’Neal is referring to made waves on the internet in 2015.