Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama are two of the top young big men in the NBA today, and their modernized skill sets have them thriving in today’s game.
They can stretch the floor from behind the 3-point arc on offense and are highly mobile for their statures.
Wembanyana and Holmgren represent the cream of the crop in terms of young talent in the NBA, yet former Los Angeles Lakers big man Shaquille O’Neal thinks he would have made them quit if he were playing in the league right now.
Shaq on Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren:
“I will make both them motherf******s quit.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/1eTbm76YRW
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) April 6, 2025
“No, and I hate putting myself forward in time, but I will make both them motherf—— quit,” O’Neal said on whether Holmgren and Wembanyama will change the DNA of the NBA. “Oh, yeah. I’ma back his a– and elbow right into his motherf—— mouth. You know what he gonna do all night? Shoot the motherf—— 3. And if you miss, I’ma run right by you and f—— post, and you’re gonna be screaming, ‘Three seconds.’ I’ll make the motherf—– quit.”
While O’Neal may be being hyperbolic with his claim that he would make Wembanyama and Holmgren quit, it’s fair to assume that even defensive players of their caliber would have a hard time keeping O’Neal in check when he was at his peak.
It’s worth noting that Wembanyama and Holmgren are two of the league’s premier defenders at the center spot. The Spurs star averaged an unbelievable 3.8 blocks per game this season and was a real contender to win the Defensive Player of the Year award before his campaign was cut short due to an injury. Holmgren also has a real knack for defending the rim.
But at the same time, O’Neal was maybe the most dominant player that the NBA has ever seen during his stint with the Lakers in the early 2000s. His combination of size, strength and mobility made him a scoring machine with Los Angeles, as he led the league in field-goal percentage numerous times as a Laker and captured one scoring title with the storied franchise.
He was also a linchpin behind one of the more dominant eras from any team in modern NBA history. O’Neal took home three Finals MVP awards over the course of Los Angeles’ three-peat in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
Ultimately, though, the debate regarding how O’Neal would fare facing off against Wembanyama or Holmgren is moot in the sense that folks will never see O’Neal share a court with either of those two players.
The four-time NBA champion is long retired from the league, as he last played in the NBA with the Boston Celtics in the 2010-11 season.
