Los Angeles Lakers icon Shaquille O’Neal was considered one of, if not essentially the most feared big men within the NBA during his day. He was a really imposing figure and there’s no denying that Shaq struck fear within the hearts of his oppenents night in and night out.
In his mind, Shaq firmly believes that he could be much more dominant in today’s NBA. The Hall of Fame big man seems to imagine within the notion that the sport has gone “soft” over the past decade or so, and he wasn’t shy about making his feelings known.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Big Podcast With Shaq, the Lakers legend expressed how he would destroy his opponents if he were still playing today (h/t Jason Simpson of Lakers Each day):
“I wish I used to be twiddling with these buttercups straight away,” O’Neal said. “I wish I used to be. I promise you I wish I used to be playing. It’ll be a slaughterhouse on the market.”
Shaq obviously didn’t name any names, but it surely is evident that he thinks these “buttercups” would stand no probability against him in any respect.
In case you saw how dominant Shaq was during his heyday then you recognize that he’s not lying here. The league was way more physical during his time, they usually still struggled to carry him down each time he took the court. You’ll be able to only imagine how an undersized center would fare against him in today’s game. As he said, it’s not hard to think that it will be a “slaughterhouse.”
