SUMMARY
- Shaq claims that the rules of the modern NBA would help him find success.
- O'Neal thinks that he could intimidate current day players due to their unwillingness to take contact.
Shaquille O’Neal recently explained why he would still find an incredible amount of success in the modern NBA. As most fans will know, Shaq is a former NBA star and widely considered by many as the most dominant and unstoppable force that the game of basketball has ever seen.
Although it has been more than a decade since O’Neal stepped on the court, he continues to make his presence felt in the basketball community through several mediums such as podcasts. During an episode of one such podcast alongside UFC star Kamaru Usman, Shaq broke down his reasoning for claiming that he would be able to dominate the NBA in present times.
Shaquille O’Neal claims that the new rules would favor him more in the modern NBA
Due to the change in era and style of play, it is quite difficult to compare players like Shaq to modern-day stars. After all, fouls are given a lot more frequently and flopping has turned into a trend. While one may assume that these factors would work against Shaquille O’Neal, the 4x NBA champion claimed the opposite held more truth.
“Nah it’s softer which would benefit me…How would I foul out? everybody’s shooting jumpers. Yeah but remember I was the first big dude to take it and bring it off the glass. All that stuff Giannis and all…That was me. So I actually wouldn’t get doubled that much. I’d get it boom and do the same thing they doing…”
Fans would struggle to disagree with Shaq’s thoughts on his potential success in today’s league. After all, he would refrain from fouling the opposition on jump shots. Moreover, his dominance in the paint would be heightened by the fact that other stars do not wish to do the same. Nonetheless, one should wonder if there is any current NBA player with a chance of stopping Shaq.
Is there any current-day NBA star who could stop a prime Shaq?
It would be next to impossible for any NBA star to stop a prime Shaq. However, some may be able to slow him down or contain his scoring and dominance to an extent. The best defenders in the NBA today are stars such as Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo, Victory Wembanyama, and Anthony Davis. While they may possess the strength or wingspan required to bother Shaq, none of them would be successful in completely stopping him.