Home
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal never holds back—and his latest unfiltered rant on The Big Podcast with Shaq proves that he still sees himself as basketball’s ultimate force. This time, the Diesel wasn’t taking aim at today’s MVPs like Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Instead, he went after the league’s brightest young prospects: Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.
Shaq’s Message: Total Domination
The Hall of Famer, known for his bruising style and larger-than-life personality, didn't mince words when imagining himself going up against the new generation.
"I hate putting myself forward in time, but I will make both of them fing quit. Oh, yeah. I'm going to back his a elbow right in his fing mouth. You know what he's going to do all night? Shoot them motherfing three."
And he didn’t stop there.
"I'm gonna run right behind you and fing post and you're gonna be screaming, you got three seconds to go, I'm gonna make them fing quit."
O’Neal’s comments were as aggressive as his style of play once was. He emphasized that in his era—when brute force ruled the paint—players like Wembanyama and Holmgren simply wouldn’t have survived the punishment.
Old-School Power vs. Modern Skill
It is almost impossible to argue with Shaq when you look at the statistics. The prime 7-foot-1, 325-pound center was a multi-purpose wrecking ball in full swing hurling backboards, bulldozing defenders, and craved for the sport's most dominant careers ever.
Unlike the styles of Wembanyama and Holmgren, the both are very well tall, skinny with a weight of almost 210–230 pounds more mobility, finesse and shot-blocking than power. Such similarities, however, make them fit in perfectly for modern NBA but raise questions about how sturdy they would prove against Shaq's potency.
Would They Survive in Shaq's Era?
According to Shaq, they wouldn't. And he has a case—guarding him in the post can easily result in early foul trouble or total defensive failure.
This particular time, though, is not 2001 anymore.
Today's NBA offenses are constructed to stretch the floor, accelerate the game, and nullify overpowering post players. If Wembanyama or Holmgren wanted to avoid bullying underneath, they could draw Shaq out to the perimeter while forcing switches and exploiting his lateral movement.
It may well be that Shaq scores 35 points and grabs 15 rebounds but on the other end, Wemby could splash multiple threes and block a few shots while forcing Shaq into strange territory-like defending pick-and-rolls or chasing shooters in transition.
This is the Era Debate: Power vs. Pace
Modern-day basketball passes faster, focuses on the perimeter more, and requires agility in defense for all five players, yes, even the big men. Shaq would definitely still be thriving in the paint. However, his defense would become a liability against modern five-out lineups and floor-spacing bigs like Wemby and Holmgren.
The conversation is not really about whether or not Shaq would dominate on the offensive end (he would), but rather whether his game would be able to translate as effectively on defense into a high-paced, space-oriented league as we will see in 2025.
Respect Where It Is Paid
Still, O'Neal's confidence springs from a place of truth. No center ever instilled fear in that way. Wembanyama and Holmgren can be called basketball unicorns, but they have never confronted a Diesel speeding through the lane.
In the end, this is just the kind of debate that classic "What if?" eras match up over. Can finesse and range outwit brute strength and intimidation? That's a question only a purely theoretical matchup-or a video game simulation-can try to answer.
ADVERTISEMENT
