Over the decades, the NBA has witnessed a parade of elite centers—from Bill Russell to Hakeem to Duncan—but none crashed through defenses quite like Shaquille O’Neal. And while a few modern big men have tried to challenge his throne, none really shook Shaq. Not even Nikola Jokić. When Victor Wembanyama matched Shaq’s rare feat of posting at least 85 points, 35 rebounds, and 10 blocks in his first five NBA games—a milestone that Shaq hit in 1992—the Hall of Famer did not seem impressed and raised some serious questions on Victor’s talent.

“Victor Wembanyama is a great player. But I don’t really think you can be dominant when you shoot jumpers a lot. I think if he was an inside player at 7’5, the answer would be yes. But when you shoot jumpers you’re always going to go up & down,” Shaq said in September 2024. Now, six months later, the 4x NBA champ has just doubled down on his take.

Recently, when Big Shaq was asked on NBA on TNT how he would match up against a 2025 Jokic, his answer was not just confident—it was pure Shaq. “Slavian chicken, or wherever he’s from. Slovenian chicken. I’m getting 40, and they’re gonna have to double me,” he said. “I hit way more twos than he can hit threes. I’m gonna make his brothers fight me because the first play of the game – elbow… Serban barbeque chicken.”

Well, Jokic was not the only modern center caught in Shaq’s crosshairs. On The Big Podcast, the Hall of Famer was asked whether the rise of Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren could shift the DNA of the league. Without hesitation, Shaq clapped back: “No. And I hate putting myself forward in time, but I will make both them a–es quit.”

So, what’s the motivation behind wanting to push Wemby into early retirement? Simple. Shaq’s had enough of the three-ball revolution. “It’s making the game boring,” he’s said before. The dominance of outside shooting, to him, is ruining what the game used to be.

And when asked if he’d really make Wemby quit? Shaq didn’t blink: “Oh, yeah. I’m going to back his elbow right in his f—ing mouth. You know what he’s going to do all night? Shoot thef—ing three. And if you miss, I’m going to run right behind you and f—ing post, and you’re going to be screaming, you have three seconds to do it. I’m going to make him a–es quit.”

But Shaq and Wemby don’t end here.

Shaquille O’Neal downplayed Victor Wembanyama

A few weeks back on The Big Podcast, Shaquille O’Neal had some strong words for the Wembanyama hype train. While the NBA world continues to rave about the Spurs rookie’s defensive potential, Shaq didn’t hold back when the MVP talk came up. According to the Lakers legend, Wemby might be flashy, but he’s not quite earned the badge just yet.

“Ever since I lost two MVPs, I have no idea what the MVP criteria is,” he said. “I always thought it meant you’re the baddest mother—– in the league… Say, Wembanyama is the Defensive Player of the Year. Team’s 20 games under f—– .500. How are you the Defensive Player of the Year and your team’s not even f—– winning?”

Now, let’s look at the numbers. As Wemby is in his sophomore year, we will also look at Shaq’s first two seasons, which were monstrous. In Year 1, he dropped 23.4 points with nearly 14 rebounds and 3.5 blocks a game. In Year 2? Even better—29.3 PPG, 13.2 boards, and 2.9 blocks.

Meanwhile, Wemby has had a solid start of his own. His rookie year saw him put up 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks. This season, before injury cut it short, he was averaging 24.3 points and nearly 4 blocks per game in just over 33 minutes.

But here’s the real question—can Wemby ever be as dominant as Shaq? Or maybe even better? Drop your take.