Shaquille O’Neal Shares NBA Legends’ Take On Stephen Curry And The Modern NBA

Shaquille O’Neal was a dominant force in his era, a behemoth in the paint. His size, strength, and agility made him virtually unstoppable close to the basket. In today’s NBA, big men like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Karl-Anthony Towns, rely mainly on shooting threes. Shaq’s dominance in the paint set him apart from the modern big man.

Big Diesel has often voiced his desire for more physicality in today’s NBA, longing for the days when players could be more aggressive and physical. He recently expressed the same on his Instagram story. However, thanks to Stephen Curry and coaches like Mike D’Antoni, analytics came to the forefront, leading to a more technical and strategic approach to the game.

Shaquille O’Neal expresses his unhappiness with the modern big man and takes on Stephen Curry via Instagram

Stephen Curry revolutionized the game of basketball with his killer three-point shot. It even changed the way teams and coaches looked at the NBA, with more and more teams focusing on analytics and three points. Much to the lament of several NBA legends.

In fact, Shaquille O’Neal has been a huge critic of the modern game, especially the new role of the big man. A breed that once focused on scoring in the paint has now started chucking up threes. And, Shaq is not the only one annoyed by this.

The Big Aristotle recently expressed his unhappiness by sharing a clip from Gilbert Arenas’ podcast Gil’s Arena. In the clip, Agent Zero can be seen discussing the role Curry and analytics have played in changing today’s game. Specifically, with regard to big men. It is here that Kenyon Martin chipped in, throwing some shade at Joel Embiid while stating that the NBA has forgotten about the classic big man.

“When you’re looking at talent, you exclude certain kinds of players now. You can’t tell me there’s not another 7’2,” 270-pound kid that’s dominant. And you’re overlooking him because ‘Oh! He can’t shoot threes!’ Everybody is thinking, ‘Well I can go get me another Steph!’ No, you can’t, everybody’s different. Let’s play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. Somebody said Joel Embiid might as well be 6’5.” You’re 6’11”, 270 pounds, and you catch the ball at the free-throw line consistently. If you don’t get your a** in the paint!!!”

 

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A post shared by Gil’s Arena (@gilsarena0)

Shaq shares Gil and KMart’s discussion on the modern NBA pic.twitter.com/b3z5B9tVLs

— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) June 4, 2023

KMart’s take certainly raises a lot of questions. Should the modern-day big man revert back to the good old days of dominance like that of Shaq or David Robinson? Or is skill more important than dominance? Unfortunately, deliberation is all one can do at this point.

Joel Embiid once boldly claimed he wants to be the best player ever and not the next Shaq or Hakeem

Joel Embiid has made it clear that he isn’t trying to emulate the styles of legendary big men like Shaq or Hakeem. Instead, his aspiration is to be recognized as the best player overall, transcending position. He aims to leave a lasting impact that extends beyond the boundaries of traditional big-man dominance.

pic.twitter.com/T8te1WS2MO

— Amulya Shekhar (@tweet_amulya) March 28, 2023

He certainly has a lofty goal, but it will take a fair amount of hard work to reach it. And, given how important championships are to that concoction, the title of the best might be a long way away.