Could 7’4″ Andre the Giant beat prime Shaquille O’Neal one-on-one?

Shaquille O’Neal is called Superman for good reason.

The 7 ft tall big man wreaked havoc in NBA defenses with his incredible strength and nimbleness to go with it. Prime Shaq is considered to be someone that no scheme could answer as he devoured people in the paint.

Shaq broke into NBA stardom with the Orlando Magic. However, his peak arguably was during his time with the Lakers. The Shaq and Kobe Lakers dominated the league on the way to a three-peat; a feat that has not been repeated since.

Also read: 7-foot Shaquille O’Neal publicly shamed ‘idiot reporter’ for robbing him off 1st ever unanimous MVP

In basketball debates, there is often a question arises. Could anyone have guarded peak Shaquille O’Neal?

A few names that have come up in the discussion include Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson. However, evidence points at Shaq having owned them on multiple instances.

So, NBA Reddit took it to another level. The stakes were raised and the question was modified. Could anyone from history take Shaq in his prime?

Who did Redditors throw to the fore to face prime Shaq?

One name that came up was 7’4″ Andre the Giant. Andre was a French wrestler who measure in at 2.24m as a result of Gigantism. Conan Stevens, more famously known for his role as Clegane in Game of Thrones, also had his name thrown into the mix.

While both the above-mentioned seem like they could match up with Shaq size-wise, despite their wrestling backgrounds, it seems unlikely they were as nimble.

However, fans were also quick to point out how there was someone who gave Shaq problems. A certain player who was an all-star in all his seasons in the league. Yao Ming. The Houston Rockets center was a revelation during his time in the league.

Big Yao had Shaq’s number on many an occasion. Ming’s injury history held him back from asserting his dominance as much as he should have. Ming and Shaq had some epic matchups during the short overlap their peaks saw in the league.

So, Yao Ming or Andre the Giant, who’s your fighter?

Also read: “Shaquille O’Neal hates the troops”: NBA Twitter reminiscences The Diesel putting David Robinson aka The Admiral on a poster