"The Big Man Is Not Back": Shaquille O'Neal Slams The Current State Of The Center Position

Among the many titles that Shaquille O’Neal has garnered in his career, he takes special pride in this distinction: “President of the Big Man Alliance.” As one of the most dominant centers in NBA history, Shaq has certainly earned the right to speak up on the state of this basketball position whenever he pleases.

Appearing on ESPN’s “UnSportsmanLike” radio, the Los Angeles Lakers legend heard co-host Evan Cohen saying that “the big man is back” in today’s NBA. Uncle Shaq had to jump in right away to issue a correction.

“The big man is not back. Stop it,” O’Neal said in his classic deep voice. “Nobody posts up. Just because you stand seven feet and you shoot jumpers, that does not make you a big man.”

O’Neal, who won three NBA titles with the Lakers and another one with the Miami Heat, pointed out how today’s centers are not maximizing their physical gifts. “If I’m seven feet and 300 pounds, and I’m bigger and stronger than everybody, I wanna take the high-percentage shot,” Shaq argued. “I wanna use my prowess to get the other team to defensive situations, so my team can get to the penalty easily.”

Back in the 2000s, O’Neal practiced exactly what he was preaching here: punishing defenders in the paint and forcing them to choose between giving up easy shots or committing fouls that pile up in a hurry. Indeed, O’Neal was one of the last great bigs who flourished in the traditional, inside-out system on offense that had been around for decades.

As the Big Diesel entered the twilight of his career, centers moved further and further away from the shaded lane, becoming “stretch fives” that helped spread the floor with their outside shooting. As O’Neal looks around the league nowadays, he can only name two centers that keep the old ways alive.

“Joker is the only guy I would consider a big man,” Shaq said. Then, realizing that he’d forgotten a certain name, he quickly added, “And Wemby.”

Funnily enough, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama are not averse to stepping outside and putting up threes. Despite Shaq’s lamentations for the center position, both Jokic and Wembanyama are frontrunners to win MVP this season. The big man may not be back according to the research and analysis of Dr. O’Neal, but extremely skilled giants are definitely alive and kicking today.