- 1,277
- 86
- 48
NBA great Shaquille OāNeal explained why would have no problem dominating in the modern-day era of shooting big men without trying to become one himself.
āI would never shoot a three,ā Shaq explained in an interview with COSMOTE TV. āAll these big guys that are shootingā¦ they wouldnāt even be in the game. Because they would have to wrestle me, they get two quick fouls. They would never shoot. And Iām gonna just get it and make easy baskets.ā
Shaq was never one for 3-pointers indeed and didnāt really need them to absolutely have his way on the floor anyway. Throughout his NBA career of 19 years and 1,423 he took just 22 attempts from beyond the arc and made one of them during the first quarter of a game between his Orlando Magic against the Milwaukee Bucks in 1996.
The irony is that he took that shot just because he had the ball in his hands in the final second of the period.
Speaking of the Bucks, Giannis also talked about Giannis Antetokounmpo and whether the Milwaukee superstar would have the same impact back in his era.
āHeād have some impact,ā Shaq said. āItās different. It depends on the team you play for. Back on our time, they didnāt like us seven footers to take the ball and bringing it up court. So they probably wouldāve put him at the post. He wouldāve been fine because heās lean, heās strong, he can run fast. When I played with guys like that, I said, āIf the ball goes up and you donāt get the rebound just run. Because one of us has to get the rebound, right? So if he played with me, Iād tell him that if heās not close to get the rebound then run and Iām looking for him first because he can catch it and dribbleā¦
āTo answer your question, yes he couldāve made it.ā
Shaq was also asked what makes separates Giannis from other stars in the league. āHe plays hard all the time and he plays right right way,ā OāNeal said. āWhen youāre a fan, you got to respect that the most. He doesnāt take days off. Heās not an arrogant player. He gets fouled, he doesnāt complain, he just works on the next play. You got to respect that. ā
āI would never shoot a three,ā Shaq explained in an interview with COSMOTE TV. āAll these big guys that are shootingā¦ they wouldnāt even be in the game. Because they would have to wrestle me, they get two quick fouls. They would never shoot. And Iām gonna just get it and make easy baskets.ā
Shaq was never one for 3-pointers indeed and didnāt really need them to absolutely have his way on the floor anyway. Throughout his NBA career of 19 years and 1,423 he took just 22 attempts from beyond the arc and made one of them during the first quarter of a game between his Orlando Magic against the Milwaukee Bucks in 1996.
The irony is that he took that shot just because he had the ball in his hands in the final second of the period.
Speaking of the Bucks, Giannis also talked about Giannis Antetokounmpo and whether the Milwaukee superstar would have the same impact back in his era.
āHeād have some impact,ā Shaq said. āItās different. It depends on the team you play for. Back on our time, they didnāt like us seven footers to take the ball and bringing it up court. So they probably wouldāve put him at the post. He wouldāve been fine because heās lean, heās strong, he can run fast. When I played with guys like that, I said, āIf the ball goes up and you donāt get the rebound just run. Because one of us has to get the rebound, right? So if he played with me, Iād tell him that if heās not close to get the rebound then run and Iām looking for him first because he can catch it and dribbleā¦
āTo answer your question, yes he couldāve made it.ā
Shaq was also asked what makes separates Giannis from other stars in the league. āHe plays hard all the time and he plays right right way,ā OāNeal said. āWhen youāre a fan, you got to respect that the most. He doesnāt take days off. Heās not an arrogant player. He gets fouled, he doesnāt complain, he just works on the next play. You got to respect that. ā