Epic battle inside the paint! How would Shaquille O'Neal defend Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama? The Big Diesel himself breaks down the tactics.

On December 14th Beijing time, former NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal was questioned on a podcast about how he would defend Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama. If O'Neal competed in the modern NBA, what approach would he take against these top-tier interior players?

Regarding the strategy to guard Jokic, O'Neal said, “Whenever he shoots a three-pointer, I rush past his defense straight to the paint to attack aggressively, forcing him and his teammates to just complain to the refs about my three-second violation.”

“I’ve never been great at defending pick-and-rolls, so he definitely exploits those to score easily. When Jamal Murray drives after a pick-and-roll, I have to help, then they pass back to Jokic, who can shoot at will.”

“The question is whether he chooses to guard me one-on-one or sends Aaron Gordon to double-team me. But every time he shoots a three, I hope he misses. As soon as he releases the shot, I break free and push the fast break. My tactic is simple: win the jump ball, then try to get him into foul trouble early with two quick fouls. But honestly, I’m not great at defending pick-and-rolls, so he’ll definitely score easily and shoot however he wants. On the flip side, can he stop me on defense?”

When asked about defending Wembanyama, O'Neal said, “I’d stick him tightly under the basket and dunk right in front of him. His hook shot reminds me of Kareem’s skyhook, but all those fancy footwork moves near the rim don’t work on me. I have to dunk right in his face to dominate him mentally. He’s much lighter than me, so I can secure position, raise my elbow, spin, throw him off balance, and finish with a powerful dunk.”

“But on defense, I probably can’t stop him, since defense has never been my strong suit. I don’t understand why people expect me to lock others down — that’s not my game. But no one can stop me either. When I faced top centers back in the day, the key was controlling the game’s pace. I remember getting into foul trouble early against David Robinson and Patrick Ewing. So I’d try to get these guys into foul trouble quickly, which makes for an exciting matchup no doubt.”

If they played in the same era, Shaq versus Jokic and Wembanyama — who do you think would have the upper hand? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.