Lakers' 6-foot-5 player guarding Victor Wembanyama drove Shaquille O'Neal crazy
Shaquille O'Neal has been a vocal critic of the current state of the NBA and how the big men aren't fed like they were during his active days, calling out the league for becoming a 3-point driven competition that doesn't necessarily relies on dominant big men.
In a clip of his "The Big Podcast with Shaq," the four-time NBA champion discussed with comedian Godfrey and co-host Adam Lefkoe about the differences of the modern-day league to the ones fans had in the 1990s and 2000s.
O'Neal took issue with the teams trying to outscore opponents with 3-pointers instead of trying to look for a solution to stop every team's strength.
"I hate that we've lost chasing the mystery. What I mean by that, every morning we had a shoot around to try to solve how the f**k we going to stop [Patrick] Ewing? How are we gonna f***ing stop Kevin Garnett? How are we going to stop Michael Jordan and his fucking triangle? How are we going to stop Utah and a million f***ing pick and rolls?
Moreover, he recalled watching a Lakers-Spurs game and turning the TV off after seeing an odd switch on Victor Wembanyama.
"Now, f***ing switching. I saw Lakers were playing the Spurs and you had f***ing Austin Reaves on f***ing Wembanyama. I turned the TV off. How you switch a 5'11" guy on a 7'5" and expect him to be... I'm like, 'Come on, man' and turned the s**t off," O'Neal said.
That matchup was extra favorable for the Spurs young star, but given the way the game is played nowadays, those types of matches are common in the league. The game has evolved and it's unclear if we'll ever see the type of game Shaquille O'Neal misses.
Shaquille O'Neal once said he averaged 60 points in today's NBA
This isn't the first time Shaquille O'Neal has criticized the current state of the NBA. He's made it clear in the past that if he was playing, there would be no competition. A clip shared in March, 2024, shows O'Neal confidently saying he would average 60 points per game.
"Oh, if I was playing, I'd average 60 in this league today. Easily. These little cupcakes. I'd average 60. Trust me. And they would have to pay me 300 million a year tax-free."
Outside of perhaps Giannis Antetokounmpo, there are no players who can compare to Shaquille O'Neal nowadays.