Shaquille O’Neal never bites his tongue, and his latest fiery comments on The Big Podcast with Shaq prove that the Diesel still sees himself as the most dominant force to ever grace a basketball court. This time, his target wasn’t current stars like Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo—it was the future of the NBA: Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.
“I hate putting myself forward in time, but I will make both of them f***ing quit. Oh, yeah. I’m going to back his a** elbow right in his f***ing mouth. You know what he’s going to do all night? Shoot them motherf***ing three.”
“I’m gonna run right behind you and f***ing post and you’re gonna be screaming, you got three seconds to go, I’m gonna make them f***ing quit.”
In classic Shaq fashion, the Hall of Famer made his point loud, raw, and unmistakably clear: in his era, physicality reigned supreme—and in his view, Wembanyama and Holmgren wouldn’t stand a chance.
There’s no doubt Shaq would be a nightmare matchup for the ultra-slim 7-footers like Wemby and Holmgren. At his peak, O’Neal was a 7’1″, 325-pound wrecking ball who shattered backboards and defensive schemes with equal ease. His combination of size, strength, and footwork made him an unstoppable force inside.
Neither Wembanyama nor Holmgren, both of whom still hover around the 210-230 pound range, could realistically bang in the post with prime Shaq without being thrown off balance or into foul trouble.
That said, this isn’t the 2001 NBA. In today’s game, post dominance is no longer the be-all, end-all. Modern offenses would counter Shaq’s brute force by pulling him away from the rim, spreading the floor, and attacking him in the pick-and-roll—a play type that the league has essentially weaponized against traditional centers.
If Wembanyama or Holmgren didn’t want to get bullied in the post, they’d simply drag Shaq out to the perimeter, switch him onto guards, and test his foot speed over and over again.
Shaq might score 35 points and grab 15 rebounds, but on the other end, Wembanyama could hit four threes, block three shots, and force Shaq into rotations he wasn’t used to making in the early 2000s.
In this era, possessions are quicker, the pace is faster, and even the centers have to cover ground in transition and guard in space. That’s where the conversation becomes interesting—not in whether Shaq would dominate inside (he absolutely would), but whether his defensive limitations would be exposed against mobile bigs and five-out spacing.
Still, Shaq’s bravado is rooted in truth. No center in NBA history imposed fear like he did. Wembanyama and Holmgren may be unicorns, but they haven’t faced anyone like the Diesel. The debate is another installment in the age-old “eras” clash—can modern finesse outmaneuver brute force?
One thing’s for sure: if Shaq, Wemby, and Chet ever did share the floor, the result would be must-watch basketball.
