Just last season, Victor Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game while dominating the league with 3.6 blocks per game. The accolades followed—NBA Rookie of the Year, All-Defensive First Team honors—you name it. Yet, Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t sold. The 4-time NBA champ left Wembanyama outside his top 30 active players list, after downplaying his rookie season hype. But looks like he holds Wemby to mark a standard for young talent as he let the thought slip during a heated rant at the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight.

During recent The Big Podcast with Shaq, Boxing Icon Evander Holyfield joined Shaquille O’Neal and eventually, they delved into the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson Fight. And long-time Tyson fan Shaq admitted he “felt like [he] got robbed.” And he is not talking about gambling. He said Mike Tyson shared small training clips and everyone got their hopes high, but in the end, he is about to enter his 60s.

“It’s just that great, great people like us. We are remembered for what we do, for what we did. Excuse me, right? So the fact that Mike was putting out the 15-second clips, it made us go, ooh. But I love Mike, but he’s 58,” Shaq said.

Mike Tyson had released a few training videos ahead of his fight with Paul. He was seen breaking a sweat and just confident enough to take on the Youtuber-turned-boxer. “Unconquerable,” one of them was captioned as he trained and narrated the recipe for being so. But those did not seem to sit right with the NBA icon. He could not ignore that Tyson was 58 and a 15-second clip could not showcase his potential.

Making his case, Shaq named-dropped Wemby as someone he could look like had he (Shaq) dropped only the best moments from his practice sessions at his age (52).

“Like, I could put out a 10-second Instagram clip and cut it, and I could make myself look like Victor Wembanyama. I could shoot 100 threes, [and] miss 99, but the one I make, that’s the one I’m going to post. I could do this ‘I could do dunk.’ But it doesn’t mean I can get out there with the young boys.”

Well, Tyson couldn’t match the 27-year-old as all three judges scored the fight for Paul. So Shaq’s disappointment with the 58-year-old isn’t all without substance, more so, considering he was confident that Tyson was going to win ahead of the match. He even admitted that he was betting “one million pennies.” However, in stark contrast, the more Wemby does is less for the Big man, failing to be easily swayed.

Why Shaq thinks Wemby isn’t dominant?

It’s no secret that Shaquille O’Neal has a tough-love approach for the younger generation, especially with big men. Over the years, Shaq has been vocal about his expectations, often calling out centers and power forwards who, in his eyes, don’t measure up. Rudy Gobert was a frequent target after signing a massive $205 million extension. Now, Victor Wembanyama seems to be next in line for his tough critique.

“Victor Wembanyama at 31,” Shaq said recently, ranking the young star lower than most expected. But it wasn’t all shade. Shaq explained, “Same thing my father told me, ‘You’re good, but you’re not good enough.’” As per Shaq, his critique is meant to fuel Wemby’s fire this season. “I hope this upsets him. As the reigning Lord Supreme of the Big Man Alliance, I hope all the big men who feel I slighted them, I hope this upsets you. Do something about it!” Shaq said.

Over the summer, the San Antonio Spurs added veteran point guard Chris Paul to their roster to support Wemby’s growth and lead the team toward a playoff push. Shaq acknowledged this as a step in the right direction but maintained that Wembanyama hasn’t reached a truly dominant level yet.

Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show in September, Shaq gave Wemby some props for winning Rookie of the Year and making waves in the league. However, he noted one sticking point: Wemby’s reliance on jumpers. So we know Shaq thinks well of the 2024 ROTY, just secretly rooting for him to be the best.