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NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal admitted that he wished he played in today’s league because of the rules that cater to the offensive players over the defense.
O’Neal said in the latest episode of “The Big Podcast with Shaq” released on Sunday that he would dominate the NBA if he was still roaming around the paint right now.
He was asked whether the rules changing or developing were hurting the game.
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From left to right, Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant, Lindsay Hunter and Shaquille O’Neal hold championship trophies after winning Game 4 of the NBA Finals at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey on June 12, 2002.
(Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)
“I think it’s hurting the game. It’s an old saying, if it’s not broken don’t fix it. I think a lot of times these rules change because people are complaining,” the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar said.
“It’s a lot of guys being mentioned now and only a few you can pick from this dimension and bring them in. LeBron, Steph guys like that, but I’m mentioned with the old aliens. So like people always, you hating, you hating. It’s not that I’m hating, I wish I was playing with these butter cups right now, I wish I was. I promise you I wish I was playing. Ah, it’ll be a slaughterhouse up there.”
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Laker center Shaquille O’Neal sits next to “X-Files” star David Duchovny after being taken out of the game in the 4th quarter of the 1st round NBA Playoff game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on April 22, 2001.
(Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY-USA TODAY NETWORK)
O’Neal would likely still have an incredible presence down in the paint. He managed to throw players like Chris Dudley and Todd MacCulloch down low while also having the benefit of being teammates with players who could stretch the floor like Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.
In today’s game, however, the 7-footers and other tall and bigger athletes have the ability to not only take players on the dribble drive into the paint but also shoot the three-pointer. Karl-Anthony Towns, Zion Williamson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are just some of the players who could burn defenses from the perimeter and in the paint.
Nikola Jokic, #15 of the Denver Nuggets, dribbles the ball in the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 30, 2022 in Indianapolis.
(Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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Who would win a defensive battle between O’Neal and a player like Antetokounmpo? In the words of Kanye West, “I guess we’ll never know.”