When the name Shaquille O’Neal gets mentioned, most NBA fans instantly picture the 7’1″, 325-pound behemoth singlehandedly bullying entire lineups on his way to the basket. After all, that was exactly what O’Neal built the majority of his legendary career on while taking home four championships and three Finals MVPs along the way.
Considered by many to be the most physically dominant player to ever step foot on an NBA hardwood, Shaq built his offensive game almost exclusively around the painted area and close to the basket. And considering the size of his trophy cabinet, one could say it worked out pretty well for him.
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However, years after retirement, Shaq was presented with a hypothetical question about which player he would switch bodies with if he had the chance. And he did not hesitate for a second. Not surprisingly, it was somebody with a completely different skillset from the “Big Diesel” himself: Stephen Curry.
“It would have to be Steph Curry cuz I’ve always wished I could stroke it like that… And you know sometimes this guy just puts it up, and he’s like no way that shot’s going in,” O’Neal admitted in one of his interviews on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“I’m actually quite jealous of his jump shot,” the Hall of Famer added.
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Shooting was Shaq’s Achilles heel
It is clear that the biggest flaw in O’Neal’s game was always his shooting touch, or rather, the lack of it. During his 19-year career, Shaq shot just 52.7 percent from the free throw line, to the point where teams often preferred sending him to the charity stripe instead of allowing him to impose his will inside the paint.
Interestingly enough, it actually makes sense when you realize that O’Neal had a higher field goal percentage, 58.2 percent, than his free throw percentage. Even crazier, Shaq still sits among the five worst free-throw shooters in NBA history percentage-wise, leaving behind an absurd 5,317 points at the line throughout his career.
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But more than that, considering how much the league transformed into a three-point shooting festival over the years, it honestly is not surprising that the “Big Diesel” picked the one thing he never even remotely possessed. Being jealous of the greatest shooter of all time is not exactly all that ridiculous to say. And truthfully, it would be fascinating to imagine how Shaq would look in a role where he could pull up from 35 feet with zero hesitation, just like one of his favorite players, “Chef Curry.”
Only one three-pointer for Shaq
As said before, O’Neal’s resume is arguably top 10 all-time, even without a Curry-like shooting touch. And O’Neal himself once admitted that maybe there was a reason why he never developed that part of his game.
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According to Shaq, it was almost like the man above had to humble him somehow and keep things balanced. Because if a player who was physically dominant suddenly became an elite shooter too, things could have gotten downright ridiculous.
The “Big Diesel” made only one three-pointer during his entire NBA career, going 1-for-22 from beyond the arc. But truthfully, basketball was simply different back then, and O’Neal never really needed that weapon in his arsenal to dominate.
Still, it says a lot that a man who terrorized the league for nearly two decades just wants to let it fly from beyond the arc.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.