On Friday night, legendary NBA big man Shaquille O’Neal was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame, further cementing his legacy as one of the most dominant forces the game as ever seen.
During his time in the league, the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic legend dominated players in ways no one had ever seen before. He was a physical specimen that the basketball world marvelled at as he forced his way to four NBA championships and fifteen All Star appearances.
In a recent interview with The Vertical’s Shams Charania, O’Neal answered many interesting questions regarding his highly successful career. One of Shaq’s statements in particular has sparked an interesting conversation.
The role of the traditional, bruising center is seldom seen in the modern game as the sport continues to develop. Unlike when O'Neal entered the league, you can now find multiple diverse big men who choose to step out to the three point line regularly and frequently guard smaller opponents.
O’Neal feels that one of the main reasons there are now less traditional centers is that his physical presence in the paint forces teams to adapt.
“There won’t be another one like me, and like Yao, ever again. We feel the dearth of the real center. I believe the way that I dominated, I made guys not want to come inside and feel the pain. That’s why you have a lot of guys stepping out and shooting jumpers now. We’re all products of our environment, so when I was coming up, I saw big men playing in the middle. The kids saw me playing and realized that they couldn’t endure the pain and nor did they want to take the pain. So they started shooting jumpers – a la Dirk Nowitzki.”
While it could be the case that the influx of shooting big men may be due to the increasing international influence on the game, it is unequivocal that O’Neal’s dominant style of play made a mark on the direction of the league.
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