One of the most trending names of the still-young 2023-24 season has been that of Victor Wembanyama. Only five games into his first NBA regular season, he’s making and breaking records. It’s prompted comparisons from several analysts. One sports media veteran even compared him to Big Diesel and it has led to certain legends about O’Neal resurfacing. Shaq dunking on a shark is only one part of the lore. The thing though, Shaquille O’Neal is a reluctant passenger on the Wemby hype train.

Wembanyama reached a level set by Shaq over three decades ago recently. So that’s pouring out the comparisons. But how much can a first-season Wemby compare to a 19-season titan like Shaquille O’Neal?

Victor Wembanyama hit the Shaquille O’Neal benchmark

Sportscaster Rachel Nichols is keeping a close eye on Victor Wembanyama. During an appearance on Undisputed, she made a bold remark. “We’ve been sitting here for what, a decade, debating MJ versus LeBron. The ceiling of Victor Wembanyama is that he could render that completely mute,” she said.

Shaquille O’Neal would reshare a clip of Nichols’ comment on his Instagram Stories seemingly endorsing that comment. Interestingly, she also set Wemby’s ceiling higher than Shaq’s. “You’ve got names like David Robinson and his first five games. Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James. Victor Wembanyama’s ceiling, I’m not predicting he’s gonna definitely get there, but his ceiling is higher than every single one of those three gentlemen,” Nichols said.

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Wemby was fresh off a new record when Shaq reposted this. He not only led the San Antonio Spurs to three wins, but he also recorded 100 points and 10 blocks in his first five NBA games. The latter feat has not been accomplished by any NBA pro since 1992 when a certain Orlando Magic rookie set the record.

Fast forward to 2023, the original record-setter is comparing Wemby to Bol Bol. O’Neal has not been over-enthusiastic about the purported new face of the NBA. But he has a history of triggering younger players to prove his critiques wrong. So he might be showing his support for Wemby in subtle ways.

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However, Nichols’ comparisons to Shaq and LeBron James have fans rubbing their imaginary beards. Is the Big Aristotle exceedable?

Tales from the Shaq-lore

Nichols’ comments and Wemby matching O’Neal’s records sparked an uptick in a certain Shaq legend. It has to do with that epic image of Shaq pulling a poster dunk in the middle of an ocean with a great white shark behind him. It’s obviously an edit but there are so many over-the-top Shaq anecdotes that fans wouldn’t be surprised if he had a close encounter with a shark.

One monstrous one-handed dunk that could rival it was in the 2008 playoff games against the Trailblazers. Kelvin Cato was no shark, but he got slammed hard. This edit was the rage on social media in 2012 after Shaq retired the previous year and fans were still in denial.

During his career, he’d have the most unapologetic moments, like bantering with media or breaking the backboard. His feats and his size would even leave a soccer star shocked courtside.

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Before that, he was getting noticed as soon as he was in the NBA. Like Wemby, Shaq was the first overall draft pick in ’92. He would be the first rookie to be named Player of the Week in his first week in the NBA. In his rookie season, he averaged 23.4 points. We’re still holding our breath on Wemby’s debut season stats.

Shaq did more for Orlando than anyone anticipated. The team that won only 21 games in the previous year was at a .500 record in 1992. With Penny Hardaway’s support, he’d take the team to the 1995 Finals. If Wemby takes the Spurs to a championship, maybe a conversation can be started.

Big Diesel had a big ceiling

Wemby is the odds-on favorite for Rookie of the Year, a title Shaq won in 1993. For all intents and purposes, anyone can see why. But that’s still farther down the line. He may have matched O’Neal in one record already, but there’s a lot more on Shaq’s resume to aim for.

He still has to showcase some All-Star stats. He’s likely to make an All-Star appearance without a pause. How it goes remains to be seen. O’Neal was the first rookie along with Larry Johnson to be an All-Star starter since Michael Jordan in 1985.

What’s more to come for Wemby? In 1996, the NBA named its 50 Greatest Players in history. Kobe Bryant was drafted that year and was far from that list. A four-year veteran, pre-championship, 24-year-old Shaquille O’Neal was the youngest pro on that list. He’d also make the NBA 75 list with Bryant.

Now already including the 19-year-old rookie with half a dozen games in a list like that is premature. One thing is certain, Shaq wouldn’t feel slighted to share an honor with him.