After the San Antonio Spurs fell short against the New York Knicks in the recent 2026 NBA Finals, NBA big man legend Shaquille O’Neal urged Victor Wembanyama to work on his body this offseason.
As Wembanyama was heavily challenged by Knicks big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, a lack of physicality has been seen in the Spurs’ superstar, especially in the last minutes of the matchups.
O’Neal loved the big man matchup of Wembanyama and Towns after a couple of guard battles in the previous championships.
“I love [Wembanyama] and I love KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns], so for me this is really good,” O’Neal weighed in. “Two big men battling it out. Let the best big man win. Usually, in the Finals, it’s all about guards. But these Finals are about two big men, so I have an affinity, a love, for both of them. So whoever wins, I’m happy for them both,” O’Neal said.
However, the four-time champion explained what the French big man lacks to become a dominant big man regardless of the matchups.
“As good as he is, he’s going to need to get stronger. Because when you become a dominant big man, people are going to force, and a lot of times, he couldn’t handle it. So, I don’t know what he’s going to do this summer, but he definitely needs to get in that weight room and get stronger.”
O’Neal led his teams by his pure dominance and strength down the paint despite missing out on shooting range, while the 22-year-old Wembanyama has skills, range, and length.
In San Antonio’s championship run, the 7-foot-4 center averaged 23.8 points, 10.9 boards, and 3.5 blocks per game in the postseason.
