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Lakers Legend Shaquille O’Neal Says He’d Make Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama Quit

Three-time L.A. champ Shaquille O'Neal has harsh words about superstar modern bigs Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.

Alex Kirschenbaum

Oct 30, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA: San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) works to steal the ball from Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) after he fell to the floor during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Oct 30, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA: San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) works to steal the ball from Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) after he fell to the floor during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar center Shaquille O'Neal was never one to lack for confidence, on or off the basketball court.

The 7-foot-1 big man, who won three titles during his eight seasons in Los Angeles, is pretty sure he could run roughshod against a pair of rising stars in the modern game, as he told former "The Daily Show" comedian Roy Wood Jr. during a fresh conversation on the former's "The Big Podcast."

"Do you think Chet [Holmgren] and Wemby [Victor Wembanyama] will slowly change the DNA of the league?" Wood asked. "Because you're going to have to get bigs to match them."

Holmgren and Wembanyama are both extremely modern centers. A pair of string beans with great length and athleticism, both young stars are capable of setting up an offense and nailing a three-pointer.

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Both, too, have had troubling health histories so far, an ominous sign when the Oklahoma City Thunder big man is just 22 and the San Antonio Spurs center is merely 21.

O'Neal bristled at the very question.

"No, and I hate putting myself forward in time," O'Neal claimed, despite mounting media evidence to the contrary, "but I will make both them motherf---ers quit."

Across his eight years in Los Angeles, the LSU product averaged 27.0 points on 57.5 percent shooting from the floor and 53.3 percent shooting from the foul line, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.5 blocks and 0.6 steals a night.

"Back his ass and elbow right into his motherf---ing mouth. You know what they're going to do all night? Shoot the motherf---ing three," O'Neal claimed. "And if you miss, I'm [going to] run right by you and f---ing post and you're going to be screaming in three seconds. I'll make those motherf---ers quit. To me, any guy that's 7-foot-4, 7-foot-5 that shoots jumpers, they don't want that funk."

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Wembanyama, who's officially listed at 7-foot-3 but is almost certainly taller, underwent a season-ending surgery to treat a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder last month.

In his 46 healthy games, the first-time All-Star averaged 24.3 points on .476/.352/.836 shooting splits, 11.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals a night. Wembanyama's 35.2 percent 3-point conversion rate arrives on a whopping 8.8 triple tries a night.

The 7-foot-1 Holmgren, who missed the entire 2022-23 season due to injury and has appeared in just 29 contests this season due mostly to a right iliac wing fracture in his hip, is averaging 14.9 points on .492/.370/737 shooting splits as his team's third option, along with 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.9 assists a night. The Gonzaga product's 37 percent 3-point rate arrives on 3.7 attempts from deep.

O'Neal, of course, played against a lot of interior-minded Hall of Famers during his 19 NBA seasons, including Spurs power forward/center Tim Duncan and his comrade David Robinson, New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing, Phoenix Suns/Houston Rockets power forward Charles Barkley, Utah Jazz power forward Karl Malone, and Sacramento Kings frontcourt stars Chris Webber and Vlade Divac. Kevin Garnett was his only superstar jump-shooting contemporary during O'Neal's athletic prime.

In the latter portion of his career, O'Neal did see some jump-shooting big men, highlighted by Toronto Raptors/Miami Heat power forward/center Chris Bosh.

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Alex Kirschenbaum
ALEX KIRSCHENBAUM

Basketball is Alex's favorite sport, he likes the way they dribble up and down the court.

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