Shaquille O’Neal felt less like a basketball player and more like a force of nature when he first entered the league. At his peak, the Diesel was probably the most dominant athlete who ever lived.
Shaquille O’Neal felt less like a basketball player and more like a force of nature when he first entered the league. At his peak, the Diesel was probably the most dominant athlete who ever lived. He racked up an MVP, four championships, three straight Finals MVPs, 15 All-Star nods, and multiple scoring titles like it was just part of the job.
What made Shaq special wasn’t just the numbers. It was the fear factor he brought every night. You could play perfect defense and still end up on a poster or shoved under the rim. He turned dunking into a statement and made the paint his personal territory for over a decade. By bullying his way to the Hall of Fame, he forever changed the game for big men. But not the way you would think.
O’Neal was a recent guest on the expediTIously program, where he weighed in on the current state of the NBA. And surprise, surprise, the President of the Big Men Coalition had some unkind things to say about today’s bigs. The now 53-year-old icon recalled how vicious it used to be in the paint, and now that part of the game has evaporated.
“I think it’s soft. When I was growing up I saw big dogs in the paint throwing elbows, when I started doing that, everybody was scared of me and started fading out,” claimed the Diesel. He then called out KG and Duncan as guys who started shifting the role of the traditional big.
“The Garnets, the Tim Duncan’s. You see these big guys now, they’re picking and popping shooting 3s. When I had to guard them, they would step out, so as a kid you’re watching guys 6’10 shoot jumpers, that’s what you practice.”
He has a point, but honestly, what were those guys supposed to do? Shaq was built like a tank with an incredible vertical leap and arms like bulldozers. If the concept of the game is to put the rock in the hole, why shouldn’t guys like Kevin Garnettor Tim Duncan transition to a jumper? Duncan specifically captured 5 rings, so you can’t it wasn’t successful.
Regardless, Shaq is taking full credit for the evolution of the big. But he’s also judgmental because the paydays are way higher these days.
“The game is softer. Big guys are soft and guys don’t take it seriously. Listen, I’m professionally jealous of some of these bums making money. I am a hater. You’re making all this money but not protecting this thing of ours. Making all this money and not giving people a good show, at some point this thing of ours will end.”
Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle. The league didn’t get softer, it shifted course. A lot of that evolution started because Shaq was so dominant that teams had to find new ways to compete. Bigs shooting and handling the ball isn’t ruining basketball, it’s basketball adapting. Ironically, even if Shaq doesn’t love it, today’s style still reflects the problems he forced the league to solve.
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Category: General Sports
