NBA: 3 “War On The Floor” games we’d love to see

The concept of a one-on-one basketball game isn’t new, but given how close it came to happening in 1995, perhaps now’s the time to make it happen in the NBA.

The idea of basketball players going against each other in a one-on-one scenario is hardly something new, and in fact, plenty of people have called for the introduction of this during All-Star Weekend to bring something new to the mid-season exhibition. What is less known, however, until very recently, is how close that idea actually came to happening back in 1995.

Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon were slated to go against each other in a one-on-one game titled “War On The Floor”, mere months after the two had played each other in the NBA Finals. The Houston Rockets and Olajuwon swept O’Neal and the Orlando Magic on that occasion, but a $1 million purse and redemption for O’Neal were enough to get both parties interested.

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Glossing over the fact that Donald Trump was involved in the promotion of the event, it seemed like the kind of perfect summertime filler for basketball fans to get excited about. That it was on pay-per-view only added to the speculation that if this worked, the NBA had a whole new way to make money once the season was over.

The idea never made it all the way to the court. We know this of course because an idea this unique would have spawned a thousand more like it. So while the calls for two players going against each other aren’t new, realizing how close this was to actually happening before is exciting to think about is exciting because of the current stoppage to actual games.

There would be plenty to figure out, like where to host any potential game and what it would be like without fans, but there’s no question that getting two guys into a gym to compete is a lot easier than trying to get two teams in to play one another. So let’s take a look at three games that, if “War On The Floor” was ever realized, would be amazing to see.