Shaquille O’Neal wishes he could play against ‘buttercups’ in today’s NBA: ‘It’ll be a slaughterhouse’

By Jason Simpson
Updated: August 9, 2022

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

It’s no secret that the NBA has changed a lot over the years, and for that reason, it’s always tough to speculate about how a given player would have performed in a different era.

However, when it comes to Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal, he has no doubts about how he’d perform in the current era of the NBA. The Hall of Famer believes he’d dominate the players currently in the league.

“I wish I was playing with these buttercups right now,” O’Neal said. “I wish I was. I promise you I wish I was playing. It’ll be a slaughterhouse out there.”

O’Neal, of course, made a name for himself with his dominant physicality in the NBA. His style of play worked to perfection for him, as he racked up a plethora of honors and achievements during his career.

The former No. 1 overall pick from the 1992 NBA Draft finished his playing days with 15 All-Star selections, four NBA titles, three NBA Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles and one league MVP award. He posted career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

The league has definitely changed since O’Neal retired, with outside shooting becoming more important than ever. Nevertheless, he probably would have still succeeded in the league’s current era.

His comments about being able to dominate today’s NBA “buttercups” may cause somewhat of a stir, as some current players may take exception to that.

Lakers fans were able to enjoy O’Neal’s dominance for a good chunk of his career, and he made a massive impact on the organization during his time with L.A. He helped the Lakers win three NBA titles.