In the space of a few months, Stephen Curry and Shaquille O’Neal had the opportunity to cross paths on the floors before the pivot retired. But this was before the legendary bonus of the Chef… If the two were to confront each other under these conditions, what would happen? The Hall of Famer answered this question a few years ago.

Drafted in 7th position by the Warriors in 2009, Stephen Curry was still at that time only a young talent with a child’s face, perhaps a little too frail to constitute a great threat for his opponents. Almost 15 years later, the Californian leader has become one of the greatest offensive dangers this league has ever known. So much so that the three-point shot is now more democratized than ever.

His shots from the parking lot have seduced many and the Chef’s popularity is almost unrivaled today. Among his biggest fans is Shaquille O’Neal . A few years earlier, the Lakers legend also terrorized his rivals. Obviously, the danger with the pivot existed especially near the basket. We are therefore talking about two dominant superstars with radically different respective playing styles.

Shaq vs Steph Curry, who wins in this duel?

Since he retired in 2011, Shaq never got the opportunity to face Steph Curry in his prime. So let’s imagine a world where the two would find themselves adversaries on the field, each being at the peak of their career. How could this duel have happened? Big Aristotle raised this subject with Conan O’Brien in 2020 and then delivered an answer that was as honest as it was surprising:

Conan O’Brien : You once said that when you were playing, there were certain players that you let score against you because you really respected their game. Is that true?

Shaquille O’Neal : It is. Not because I respected their game, but because I loved their game. If I played against Steph Curry, I would let him score all the time. I love his game. He’s my favorite player.

 

In his 19-year career, the Hall of Famer has never won a Defender of the Year award. At 2m16 tall and 150 kilos in shape, Shaq nevertheless represented a fairly insurmountable obstacle under the basket and knew how to put his all into it but unfortunately, he often faltered due to a lack of desire in this sector. Besides that, he also happened to be sanctioned too often by the referees.

The 2000 MVP is also the reason why zone defense was authorized in the NBA. A few other players before him have initiated rule changes like this. But in a one-on-one situation, he had already admitted that facing certain basketball players such as Tracy McGrady or Allen Iverson, he could let them score out of simple admiration. A huge honor, obviously also reserved for Steph Curry.

Failing to further compliment the big men of this generation, Shaquille O’Neal has always shown great respect for the game of Stephen Curry. Even to the point that he admitted that he would let the playmaker take his shots in peace, for the sole purpose of contemplating his talent.