Shaquille O’Neal was a one-of-a-kind force of nature on the basketball court during his playing days. While no center has been able to replicate the Hall of Famer’s seismic impact, O’Neal seems to agree, with Paul George, that reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid is the closest version of him in today’s game. Interestingly, eight months back, Shaq also criticized the Cameroonian athlete for his lack of plays on the paint.
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However, when George posted the similarities between the two, O’Neal seemed to agree with him,
“He’s our generation and version of Shaq… You put a big on him, he’s gonna go around him. You put a small on him, he’s gonna punish him. He plays the big spot how a big is supposed to play.”
George is spot on. Like O’Neal, Embiid has the physical tools to dominate a smaller defender and has the agility and skillset to whiz past a defender of his size and stature. The three-time Finals MVP was a physical behemoth but was fleet-footed in the paint, making him almost impossible to guard one-on-one.
Embiid’s shooting prowess is far superior to Shaq’s, but the Los Angeles Lakers icon was significantly better in the low post. The duo is similar in many ways but also have unique characteristics that make them stand out. However, Shaq has criticized Embiid as well, on certain occasions.
Shaquille O’Neal’s criticism works on Joel Embiid
In the 2023 off-season, Shaquille O’Neal criticized Joel Embiid for not using his size to his advantage in the low post. In an appearance on ‘The Rich Eisen Show’, he said,
“[Joel Embiid] is 6’11”. He’s not posting up. He’s shooting jumpers and you’ve the nerve to say me and James [Harden] are going to do it ourselves. Yeah? Get your big ass down in the paint. If you get your big ass down in the paint, you can do it yourself. But that’s not how people play anymore.”
Embiid paid attention to O’Neal’s criticism. The 76ers superstar is now attempting a career-high 18.5 shots from inside the arc. He’s attempted only 3.2 three-pointers per game, the joint-third lowest mark of his career. The results are also evident. Embiid is averaging a career-high 34.6 points per game, drawing fouls easily and attempting a career-high 11.6 free throws per game.
Having seen Embiid win the NBA MVP award and average massive numbers, O’Neal handed out another challenge to the 76ers superstar. Drawing from his own experience, he said on the Big Podcast with Shaq,
“I’m going to give it to him like Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] gave it to me and he should take it as disrespectfully because that’s what I did. I was averaging big numbers with LA but we kept getting swept. They asked Kareem, ‘What do you think about Shaq?’ And he said, ‘Well, he hasn’t won any championships yet?'”
O’Neal went on to win four NBA titles, leading the Lakers to a three-peat, and won the Finals MVP award thrice. Now, fans would be hoping for Embiid to emulate Shaq in these achievements as well.
The NBA on TNT analyst’s attempt at irking the reigning MVP has already worked once. 76ers fans will hope it works for a second time and their superstar center leads them to an NBA title.
