Shaquille O’Neal often receives criticism for his blunt challenges to modern NBA big men. However, his words aren’t from a place of jealousy or envy but to motivate the player to become the best version of himself. Moreover, his reasoning is to help stars of the present avoid the mistakes he made in his career. The Hall-of-Famer highlighted the detrimental impact not being considered in the GOAT conversation has had on him.
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Many consider O’Neal the most dominant figure in the history of basketball. There wasn’t a single player who could stop him. Teams had to have at least three big men on their roster. Shaq’s brute force resulted in opposing big men getting into foul trouble on a nightly basis. However, his dominance didn’t last long enough to cement him within the group competing for the title as the greatest ever. Shaq vocalized his emotions on ‘The Big Podcast’. He said,
“You know what eats me? Not having five [championships], not having six [championships]. Not being in the conversation for the greatest of all time. Yeah, you’re the most dominant big man but when they talk about the greatest of all time you’re not even mentioned. That sh*t eats me alive.”
Even 13 years after his NBA career, Shaq still carries these emotions. However, he views the feelings as a source of motivation and education for the elite big men of today’s NBA. O’Neal brought up the topic of conversation following his comments toward Sixers star Joel Embiid.
Following Embiid’s season debut against the Knicks, O’Neal didn’t mince his words surrounding the MVP big man. “Joel Embiid will never win a championship until he gets his mind and his attitude right,” Shaq said.
"Joel Embiid will never win a championship until he gets his mind and his attitude right" 👀
Shaq gives his take on Embiid's first half performance and his future 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/GQJHHVPrfK
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 13, 2024
Shaq clarified the intent with his comments during his podcast episode. He went on to say, “Imagine him going through his whole career and not having a chance to be a champion. That’s going to eat him up.” Embiid has yet to reach a Conference Finals in his career and the start of the Sixers’ season suggests this won’t be the year he snaps that streak.
Philadelphia is 2-11 on the year and tied with the Washington Wizards for the worst record in the NBA. They’ve dealt with injuries, yet their current fortunes are inexcusable for a team with championship aspirations.
In three games this season, Embiid is averaging 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 turnovers per game on 32.4% shooting from the field. Throughout his career, the Sixers have needed him to be on the court to be a plus team, but it’s been the opposite this season. Embiid currently holds a net rating of -13.5.
Shaq is aware of what’s at stake for the Sixers big man if he doesn’t make the necessary changes now. Philadelphia has put together a team of excellent players around Embiid. The success of this core may very well indicate the future of the star’s career going forward.
