“I’m going to be more on the skeptical side” – Shaquille O’Neal is dubious about Victor Wembanayama’s future in NBA
Shaquille O'Neal wants to slow down the Victor Wembanyama hype train. For what feels like an eternity now, NBA fans have been anxiously awaiting the French teenager's arrival. According to Giannis Antetokounmpo, when he arrives on the scene, he will take the NBA, and anyone who isn't prepared, by storm.
The hype surrounding Wembanyama feels reminiscent of when Larry Bird famously warned the world about a dominant big man out of LSU, Shaquille O'Neal. On "The Reggie Miller Show," Bird proclaimed O'Neal the best player in the world two years before he was drafted No. 1 in 1992.
When it comes to a generational talent like Wembanyama, who combines a unique blend of athleticism and finesse at 7-foot-2, the situation feels similar. Players, analysts and fans have all been chomping at the bit to find out who will get the No. 1 draft pick in the NBA lottery on May 16, knowing Wembanyama will go first.
During a recent interview with Sportscasting, however, Shaquille O'Neal expressed some concerns about Wembanyama, citing his lack of size. The way he sees things, when it comes to matching up against players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, Wembanyama will be overpowered.
"I’m a bit skeptical because the good and bad thing about highlights," O'Neal said. "When you put your highlights on, you always show the good parts. I want to see this kid play a full game. He’s not very big — he’s tall, but he’s building up a lot of muscles, not that strong. He can shoot, he can dribble, he can do all that.
“But I’m only seeing highlights of him dunk the ball and shoot jumpers. I haven’t really seen a lot of post moves. We haven’t seen a lot of that stuff. So, again, now you could be a star in France. When you come over here, you definitely got to start all over."
Shaquille O'Neal, Victor Wembanyama, and the struggles of players over 7-0
In addition to the questions raised by Shaquille O'Neal, the elephant in the room regarding Wembanyama is the history of injuries sustained by big men. Traditionally, players over seven feet tall have dealt with lower-body injuries that wind up derailing their careers.
As he recalled on "From Shaquille to Shaq," Shaquille O'Neal himself was even forced to undergo surgery in 2002 after dealing with pain in his big toe that held him back.
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“My toe is messing up. I always had bad toes anyway. I’m like, but this—I can’t bend it. And I go to the doctor and he said, ‘You need surgery.’ So I call the Lakers and said, 'Hey, ya, I need surgery.'”
Similarly, the one and only Yao Ming dealt with a long list of lower-body injuries that hindered him throughout his career. While Wembanyama certainly has the skills to dominate the NBA for years to come, and he could very well put on size in the years to come, questions remain.
With the draft lottery coming up, only time will tell how things play out.
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