The San Antonio Spurs caught a massive break. Winning the 2023 NBA Draft lottery put them in a prime position to get Victor Wembanyama, arguably the greatest NBA prospect of all time.
Scouts and executives have been keeping tabs on Wembanyama for years now, and he’s got the potential to become one of the best players in the history of this game.
However, as impressive as he is, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t think he would be able to play back in the day, stating that opposing big men would dominate him.
Shaq Says Victor Wembanyama Wouldn’t Be Able To Play In His Era
“I think people better watch out, but if this was our era, bang him, he’d be chicken noodle soup, which I kind of like,” the legendary big man said on The Rich Eisen Show.
He’s Not Sold On Wembanyama
Notably, this isn’t the first time that Shaq has shown his concerns about the lanky Frenchman. Just a couple of weeks ago, he questioned him for not having post-moves and being rather skinny.
“I’m a bit skeptical because of the good and bad thing about highlights,” Shaq said. “When you put your highlights on, you always show the good parts. I want to see this kid play a full game. He’s not very big — he’s tall, but he’s building up a lot of muscles, not that strong. He can shoot, he can dribble, he can do all that.”
“But I’m only seeing highlights of him dunk the ball and shoot jumpers. I haven’t really seen a lot of post moves,” continued Shaq. “We haven’t seen a lot of that stuff. So again, now you could be a star in France. When you come over here, you definitely got to start all over. A lot of guys have a lot of hype and came over here, some played out, and some didn’t. So I’m going to be more on the skeptical side like Charles.”
The concerns are more than valid and fair. However, Shaq has not exactly been known for embracing the modern-day big man, so one should take his comments with a grain of salt.
Wembanyama is a generational talent who may or may not pan out the way people expect him to end up. And he does need to bulk up to withstand the physical burden of the league. But judging by the tape, there’s absolutely no reason not to be sold on him.