The 7x Pro Bowler and 2017 Super Bowl champ Jason Kelce appeared on ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq’ and showered a ton of praise on Shaquille O’Neal. Upon hearing his statement, Shaq pretended to cry in awe after getting his flowers from one of the most dominant players himself. During the podcast, Shaq’s co-host Adam Lafokoe asked the prolific NFL athlete what he “remembers from Shaq’s career”.
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“I[Kelce] remember the most dominating big man[Shaquille O’Neal] I have ever seen play the game,” declared Jason Kelce
As Kelce uttered those words, the camera panned to O’Neal. He made a fake crying gesture, implying that he was touched by the praise. The light mood and the candid nature of the conversation got to the big fella which made the situation hilarious.
Kelce pointed out that he remembers the Big Aristotle’s career in two parts. The one with the Lakers and the other with the Magic. During his journey with the Magic, for Kelce, Shaq displayed terrific athleticism. While in the second half of his career with the Lakers, Heat, and the others, his physically dominant play awed Kelce.
These comments must have not surprised the Lakers legend who also considers himself the most dominant NBA big man ever. In November, during an interview with Relevo’s Guillermo Garcia, Shaq proclaimed, “I am the most dominant player to ever step on a basketball court. I haven’t seen anyone yet who I thought could stop me.” These claims by the 3x NBA Finals MVP aren’t far-fetched. Several testimonies from past and present players back these claims.
The dominance of Shaquille O’Neal has been highly pronounced
As a 300+ pounds and 7’1” Center, Shaquille O’Neal’s quick feet and remarkable speed around the rim overwhelmed his defenders. He was a tremendous playoff player and helped the Lakers win three titles. He also aided the Heat to their maiden ring. During his Finals MVP years, Shaq put up a range of 33-38 points, 12-17 rebounds, and 2.7-3.4 blocks per game on around 60% FG.
In 2023, when Richard Jefferson went to JJ Redick’s Old Man and The Three Pod, Redick pointed out his finals stats and asked the former Nets forward about the dominance of Shaq. Jefferson expressed that to compete against Shaq, teams had to “construct their rosters’’ based on a singular athlete.
Despite putting “big bodies” around O’Neal, Jefferson admitted that there was “no guarding him”. He also alluded to the big man’s strength and how he could break his wrists if someone got in his way. “There’s no player in the recent history that has that type of strength and power. He changed the fu**ing equipment, backboards were getting broken!” highlighted RJ.
These comments are in line with various statements that back the big fella as the most dominant NBA player ever. It wasn’t just bullish power but baby hooks and great control in the post that made O’Neal impossible to cover. Overall, his skillset was meant to dominate the league in a way never seen before.
