The most enduring athletes in Minnesota history are well-known. Names like Puckett, Killebrew and Tarkenton bring about images of long-term success. But what about those with local ties who only had a chance meeting with the big time? Here we remember their one victory, their one appearance -- their one moment. Today: Trevor Winter's NBA experience.For a man who loves to hear himself talk, Shaquille O'Neal didn't say much to Trevor Winter during their brief encounter.
"People hear I played in the NBA, and I always get asked who I played against," Winter said. "My answer is always Shaq, because that's pretty much it."
The next question, inevitably, is what kind of guy the 15-time NBA All-Star was.
"Truthfully," Winter said, "you don't get to know a lot about a person in five minutes."
This is not a facetious statement by Winter, who these days is among the world's only 7-foot-tall medical salesmen. On March 16, 1999, the Slayton, Minn., native and former Gopher was activated by the Timberwolves for one reason: Hack Shaq.
During the team's pregame meeting, Winter was told tongue-in-cheek he would be fined a set amount of money for every foul he didn't make on O'Neal.
"They needed my fouls," Winter said. "And I thought what the heck. I was excited to get out there."
Winter checked in midway through the game at Target Center, played 5 minutes and picked up five fouls against the Lakers big man.
