The center position has been redefined in today’s National Basketball Association.
We grew up on skyhook shots, guys posting up on the block, guys bulling their way in the paint for dunks, and players establishing dominance with their backs to the basket. Nowadays, big men are more skilled.
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They pass more, shoot more three-point shots, and run the floor like guards. Marquee names such as Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Victor Wembanyama, and Chet Holmgren among others have changed what it means to be a center.
Shaquille O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion, was the most dominant big man to play the game. He imposed his will on defenders, making smaller guys quit with his size. The former No. 1 overall pick of the 1992 NBA Draft is one of the most decorative players of all time. O’Neal likes the evolution of the game, but he remains having a heart for big men dominating the paint like big men. On his platform, The Big Podcast, “The Diesel” candidly explained how he would handle Wemby and Holmgren.
Shaq on Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren:
“I will make both them motherf******s quit.” ???? pic.twitter.com/1eTbm76YRW
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) April 6, 2025
“I would make both of them motherf*****s quit,” O’Neal said.
He then proceeded with how he would handle the 7’4″ Wembanyama.
“I would back his a** up and elbow right in his motherf*****g mouth,” he said.
“You know what he’s going to do all night? Shoot those motherf*****g threes. And if you miss, Imma run right by you and f*****g post and you are going to be screaming in three seconds. Imma make the motherf****r quit. To me, any guy that is 7’4″ or 7’5″ that is shooting that many jumpers it is because they don’t want that funk. If I am 7’4,” I am trying to make everything easy.”
O’Neal he would make all the centers in today’s game quit and ‘they know it.’
He is a man of opinions, but it would be interesting if a one-on-one between O’Neal, Wemby, and Holmgren could happen.
Stephen M. Smith is a writer for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him him X via @CoachingMSmith.
