Shaq goes after Joel Embiid for not playing back-to-backs: ‘This era’s not physical’

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Hall of Famer and former Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal isn’t a fan of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid not playing back-to-backs.

“I disapprove,” O’Neal said of Embiid not playing back-to-backs while asking Alonzo Mourning about his thoughts on Embiid.

Embiid has dealt with a bunch of injuries in his NBA career, and he’s currently dealing with a knee issue that has plagued him since last season.

In the 2023-24 season, Embiid played in just 39 games, missing a large chunk of the season with a knee problem. He then returned and played in the playoffs for Philadelphia, but the Sixers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Knicks.

O’Neal explained further why he thinks that Embiid – a former league MVP – should be able to play back-to-backs.

“This era’s not physical,” O’Neal said. “So I don’t know why you’re not playing back-to-backs.”

The Laker legend continued.

“That’s the only problem I have with it,” O’Neal said. “You shoot a heavy amount of jumpers. You don’t really get banged up a lot in the post. Why are you not playing back-to-backs?”

This season, Embiid has only appeared in four games for Philadelphia, and the Sixers are off to a slow start as a result. They are currently the No. 14 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 3-12 record, and they are 0-4 in the games that Embiid has appeared in.

The seven-time All-Star is averaging just 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from 3.

There’s no doubt that the NBA was different when O’Neal and Mourning were in their primes, as teams didn’t shoot as many 3-point shots, and there were a lot of dominant big men in the game.

Despite that, there is still a physical toll for players when playing two days in a row. Clearly, the Sixers and Embiid believe that the best way to keep him healthy for the long term is to limit him playing in back-to-backs.

For a Sixers team that has title aspirations, it needs Embiid to be able to go in the playoffs at his full capacity.

Embiid had arguably his best game of the 2024-25 season against the Memphis Grizzlies on No. 22, scoring 35 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a six-point loss. However, he then missed the team’s win over Brooklyn on Nov. 22.

It’ll be interesting to see how many games Embiid plays in during the regular season as Philly tries to manage his injury.