Shaquille O’Neal often refers to himself as the quote, “most dominant big man ever” and it’s hard to debate his stance. However, a meme stating that Joel Embiid would give The Big Aristotle the business on defense has Shaquille O’Neal himself egging on the contest of elite NBA centers.
O’Neal, 51, reshared a meme that’s been floating around posing a scenario that the Philadelphia 76ers superstar would lock Shaq up on defense. Like O’Neal, Embiid, 29, is swift on his feet despite his massive frame and even takes up ball-handling duties in certain play schemes. O’Neal was a bulldozer on the court in his prime, commanding automatic double-teams and even getting triple-teamed.
The NBA game of today is now a game of speed, and finesse, with elite shooting and passing taking over from the slow grind of pick and roll and other fundamental staples. Shaq, one of the most knowledgeable analysts in the game, wrote in the caption of the tweet, “i like these conversations. give me your thoughts. you already know mine. #barbecuechickenalert.”
In so many words, Shaq believes Embiid would have a hard time with him. There are also clips floating around with O’Neal dunking powerfully on the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and others.
With a career average of 23.7 points per game along with 10 boards, O’Neal’s numbers were exceptional for his era. Embiid, who is averaging 27 and 11, might have better numbers but still has a long way to go in matching Shaq’s laundry list of achievements, including being a four-time NBA champion and three-time NBA Finals MVP.
On Twitter, the debate is going strong. Check out the reactions below.
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Photo: Getty
