Shaquille O’Neal knows all about generating buzz before you’ve ever played in the NBA.
The 7ft1 giant was the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, joining the Orlando Magic and making an instant impact after generating a huge amount of buzz in his college career. Now, more than two decades on, there’s another imposing prospect over 7ft expected to be picked first in the NBA Draft after the emergence of French prospect Victor Wembanyama.
The 7ft3 star, still only 18, caught the eye with a highlight reel display for his French top flight team, Metropolitans 92, in two exhibition matches against US opposition in the form of NBA G League Ignite. His performances saw him branded an “alien” by LeBron James and have seen him labelled one of the best draft prospects of all-time.
His performances also left O’Neal impressed - but he has urged the teenager to focus on becoming “the first Victor” rather than attempting to become “the future Shaq” as he hailed his potential to become the best in the world.
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“I just saw him play the other day, very impressive player,” O’Neal said of Wembanyama whilst in Abu Dhabi for the pre-season games between the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.
“7ft, shoots a jumper, can dominate inside. He’ll probably be the first pick, he’s probably the best player coming out of France.
“He’s not the future Shaq but he can definitely be the first Victor,” he said. “He’s a great player and he should want to make a name for himself, he should not want to be like anyone else.
“They’re probably going to compare him to Kevin Durant and other guys, but definitely the best player to come out of France and if I was him I’d want to be able to say ‘I’m the best player in the world’.
“For the first time ever, France could say they have the best player in the world. For a long time it’s been the Americans dominating, but if I was him I’d be aiming to be the best player in the world.”
O’Neal’s son, Shareef, was in action against Wembanyama in Las Vegas as the Frenchman dominated with 37 points, scoring seven three-pointers and adding five blocks defensively. His size, speed and athleticism has got everyone talking - including LA Lakers superstar James, who was asked his thoughts on ‘Wemby’ last week.
James said: "What do I think of him? I feel like I think the same as everybody else think, there's been a thing of labelling certain players as a 'unicorn'. I feel like he's more like an alien.
"No-one has ever seen anyone as tall and fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor. His ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot step-back jumpers out the post, step-back three's, catch and shoot three's, block shots…
"He is for sure a generational talent, and hopefully he continues to stays healthy - that is the most important thing. He's a big time player."
