There have been several attempts to explain Shaquille O’Neal as a player. Former NBA champion Channing Frye believes Shaq is a tree that moves like a cat. He said Shaq is a combination of Rudy Gobert and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Shaq was seven-foot-one and 300 pounds. His body helped him punish small defenders in the post. However, he moved well despite his size.
On “Road Trippin’ with RJ and Channing,” the hosts debated who was the most challenging center to guard. Frye first acknowledged Yao Ming before talking about how Shaq was a force.
“I caught ’05 Shaq, and when you look at video you’re like, ‘damn he’s so big.’ As a human being, he’s not supposed to move like that.
“I was playing in New York, we’re young,” he continued. “I know he probably went out that the night before, so, I’m like, I’m not gonna say s**t. I’ma just let this game go by. The third quarter comes, and he’s doing okay. They’re down six. He looks at me. He’s like, ‘Okay, good game little Frye. We gotta win this now,’ and basically f**ks me up for the whole quarter.
“There’s no fouling. Imagine trying to foul a tree moving like a cat and just dunk after hook shot after dunk. It’s just impossible to move a human that big, and he’s mean. That’s another problem.”
After Richard Jefferson talked about how Shaq does not get as many calls as he should, Frye continued:
“Imagine the size of Gobert with Giannis’ attitude.”
Detroit Pistons legend John Salley has previously expressed his amazement at how Shaq operates.
“Shaq was the most phenomenal specimen of a human being. He can swim. He look like an ogre but he can swim, and breakdance, and rhyme. There’s like a 5″6′ dude inside of his chest controlling everything. He like Kevin Hart is inside of Shaq. That’s what it is.”
Although he does not count as one of the most skilled players in the league, his ball-handling skills were impressive. Even though Frye did a decent job of painting a picture, some can argue that he did not do justice.
Shaquille O’Neal is arguably the most dominant player in NBA history
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The two-time scoring champ was a freak athlete despite his size. His work in the low-post was sublime, but he still had stellar court vision to make plays where necessary.
Teams suffered against Shaquille O’Neal because they could figure out a way to stop him. Double-teaming never worked. O’Neal bullied his way through most or dropped a dime for his teammate.
Shaq won four NBA championships. Three came during his time with the LA Lakers. He won the last ring partnered up with Dwyane Wade in Miami.
