Shaquille O’Neal became one of the most important ‘Big Men’ in NBA history. From his rookie season with the Orlando Magic, he positioned himself as one of the top players, even achieving a seventh-place finish in the MVP rankings. Since his retirement, he has been vocal in his critiques of several aspects of the modern NBA era. Recently, he shared his view on what he considers the best era in the league’s history.
“Our era. 80s was tougher and more physical, but our era was the best basketball. I argue with [Charles Barkley] and them all the time. They be tryna pit these teams together as rivalries. We had a real rivalry. Our rivalry was so bad, his boys tried to jump me,” Shaq O’Neal said, via Straight Game Podcast.
Shaquille O’Neal’s controversial view underscores a truth: his era boasted fiercer rivalries and greater physicality. This challenging landscape perfectly suited his game, cementing him as one of the most dominant forces in basketball on both ends of the court. During this time, he also competed alongside some of the sport’s all-time greats, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Karl Malone.
Although the NBA legend considers this generation of the league less competitive, Shaq still believes there are players who could have stood out in his era. He mentioned Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James on ‘The Big Podcast’ in February 2025. While the last both stars did share a few years with him, they were unable to compete during his peak performance, which spanned the 1990s to 2002.
Furthermore, Shaquille O’Neal is confident that he would still be dominant if he played in today’s era. On The Pivot Podcast, he remarked, “Somebody asked me the other day what would I average, I would average 50. The reason why I would average 50 is because I wouldn’t do what everybody else is doing… I know for a fact I’ll make 15 twos before you make 10 threes,” he said, via The Pivot Podcast.
Shaquille O’Neal’s relentless critiques have sparked discontent among several NBA players. One of the most outspoken critics is Victor Wembanyama, who did not hesitate to challenge the legendary big man with his own perspective. LeBron James has also addressed the critical views from former players. He contends that today’s game prioritizes basketball IQ over mere physical prowess, adding layers of complexity to the sport.