Los Angeles Lakers icon Shaquille O’Neal was one of, if not the most feared big men in the NBA during his day. He was a very imposing figure and there’s no denying that Shaq struck fear in the hearts of his opponents night in and night out.
In his mind, Shaq firmly believes that he would be even more dominant in today’s NBA. The Hall of Fame big man seems to believe in the notion that the game has gone “soft” over the past decade or so, and he wasn’t shy about making his feelings known.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Big Podcast With Shaqthe Lakers legend expressed how he would destroy his opponents if he were still playing today (h/t Jason Simpson of Lakers Daily):
“I wish I was playing with these buttercups right now,” O’Neal said. “I wish I was. I promise you I wish I was playing. It’ll be a slaughterhouse out there.”
Shaq obviously did not name any names, but it is clear that he thinks these “buttercups” would stand no chance against him at all.
If you saw how dominant Shaq was during his heyday then you know that he’s not lying here. The league was much more physical during his time, and they still struggled to hold him down every time he took the court. You can only imagine how an undersized center would fare against him in today’s game. As he said, it’s not hard to think that it would be a “slaughterhouse.”
