As legendary former player Shaquille O'Neal has dropped the mic on a ton of topics, there's no denying that his opinion is valued among the basketball world. With O'Neal known for his opinions about the NBA, the analyst has been featured on another show to debate about the topics surrounding current NBA big men.
On the show “Unsportsmanship,” O'Neal would be asked about the return of the league archetype of the “big man,” which the former player embodies to a tee. However, O'Neal would push back on that notion, saying that the only two who fall under that category are Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic and San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama.
“Stop it, the big man is not back,” O'Neal said on Tuesday. “Because nobody posts up. Just because you're seven-foot and shooting jumpers, that does not make you a big man. [Nikola Jokic] is the only guy that I would consider a big man, and Wemby, that's two. But I remember when every team had a center, so now you just got a bunch of guys running in the same place, picking and popping.”
"The big man is not back… because nobody post up. Just because you're seven-foot and shooting jumpers that does not make you a big man. [Nikola Jokic] is the only guy that I would consider big man, and Wemby."
—Shaq
(via @UnSportsESPN)pic.twitter.com/mirpPrKSH3
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 18, 2026
Shaquille O'Neal on big men needing to ‘play the percentages'
O'Neal would talk more about the change in gameplan for many centers in the league, which is a focus on shooting mid-range or from the three-point line instead of backing down in the paint. He would be asked about whether a player like himself could lead a team to a title, with O'Neal responding that it doesn't have to be like him, and how “it's about playing the percentages.”
“It's about playing the percentages,” O'Neal continued on the show. “If I'm seven foot, 300 pounds, and I'm bigger and stronger than everybody, I want to take the high percentage shot. I want to use my prowess to get the, you know, the other team in a defensive situation…It's about just being smart. If I'm seven five, I'm not picking pop and shooting the jumper over guys six-one, six-two.”
It remains to be seen how big men evolve in the future of the NBA.
