There are very few people, if any, who are more qualified to speak on big men in the NBA than Shaquille O’Neal. Throughout his 19-year career, O’Neal averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Alongside Kobe Bryant on the Lakers, the two formed one of the league’s greatest dynasties winning three consecutive championships. O’Neal knows what it takes to be a ‘true big man’, but predicted that prototype of a player becoming obsolete.
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In 2011, O’Neal released an autobiography titled ‘Shaq Uncut: My Story’. He discussed in his novel, his thoughts on the landscape of the NBA at the time. In terms of dominant big men, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan were still at the peak of their powers. Other top players at the position were Dwight Howard, Amar’e Stoudemire, and LaMarcus Aldridge. Shaq saw the direction the league was heading in and made a prediction that would turn out to be true. He wrote,
“One thing I’ll tell you about the NBA: you are witnessing the death of the true big man. The game has changed. I can remember watching games when guys used to get down there and fight for position. Big men using their bodies, pounding each other. No more. Even power forwards are dead. There won’t be another Charles Oakley or Charles Barkley. Being a power forward now is all about stepping out, shooting jumpers, picking and popping. There’s no banging in there.”
Shaq has always taken pride in representing the values of the big men who came before him. O’Neal carried the legacy of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and many more with pride. However, he noticed that the roles in the NBA were changing.
The power forward position used to consist of enforcers. Shaq used Charles Barkley and Charles Oakley as examples. Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley got his hands dirty when needed. On the other hand, Oakley instilled fear in his opponents.
At the dawn of the 2010s, the game had begun to change. Teams were prioritizing spacing and the ability to shoot became a necessity at the forward positions. Power forwards were deemed liabilities if they couldn’t convert a 15-foot face-up jump shot.
Fast forward to 2024 and teams are playing complete five-out offenses. The Celtics won the 2024 NBA championship by having capable three-point shooting at each position. They’ve elevated the meta of which is required to succeed in the NBA.
Shaq’s prediction turned out to be correct but must’ve exceeded his expectations. In the 2010-11 season, the Magic were viewed as revolutionary for their high volume of 25.6 three-pointers a game. The lowest-ranked team in the 2024-25 season is the Raptors at 31 three-pointers per game. The game has evolved drastically in line with Shaq’s forecast.
Shaq’s thoughts on big men in the 2024-25 season
Shaq is very vocal in his thoughts of big men in the modern NBA. He gives praise and criticism when deemed fit. However, there are only three big men who are on the legend’s radar currently in the league.
One of the key criteria for Shaq is for a big man who plays like a big man. This means a player who uses their body to impose their will in the paint and utilize their advantages. Shaq highlighted Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic as the two players that do this.
“Embiid is a mixture of me in the post and Hakeem Olajuwon outside. And Joker, man, I was trying to figure who he reminded me of. I was thinking a little Brad Daugherty, a little Sabonis in ’84. Like, his game is just nice,” Shaq said on the ‘Draymond Green Show’.
However, O’Neal understands that the definition of a big man is changing in the current NBA. His admiration for Embiid and Jokic for representing the roots of the position doesn’t blind his appreciation for the talent of Victor Wembanyama.
Despite playing along the perimeter, Wemby’s skill set stills garners admiration from the Lakers legend. Additionally, he referred to the Spurs star as “different”.
The league is in a different space but there are a few big men that are carrying the legacy players such as Shaq left as big men in the NBA.
