Earlier in November, Shaquille O’Neal made a comment that got his co-analyst at TNT, Charles Barkley, to react heatedly. Saying there’s one other player who can handle a ball as well as Victor Wembanyama, he declared, “His name is Bol Bol.” To be fair, everyone had an eye-popping reaction similar to Chuck. But has Shaq been proven right or is he eating his words?

O’Neal shows his support for Wemby very subtly. He’s allowed to support Bol Bol to whatever degree too. So far, though, he doesn’t have enough to back his claims.

Shaq hyped Bol Bol

At the start of the regular season, O’Neal threw the Victor Wembanyama hype into disarray. He tried to elevate an underrated player in Bol Bol to the same hype. O’Neal would consistently double down on his points. He reiterated that Wembanyama is much more consistent than Bol Bol. He’d once again share a highlight on Instagram, comparing both. O’Neal’s not saying one is better, he’s saying Bol Bol is just as good as Wemby. The problem, though, is there’s not enough to go on.

A month since his comment, the Phoenix Suns enjoyed a seven-game winning streak leading up to the In-Season tournament knockouts. They’re heading to the quarterfinal with the Los Angeles Lakers as their opponents. Bol Bol’s contribution to that build-up was limited when the weight has fallen on the Durant-Booker-Beal superteam. He’s barely made the rotation since signing with the Suns.

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While this is Wemby’s first NBA season, Bol Bol has been in the league since 2019. Yet his stat sheet is scarce. In the 2022-23 season with Orlando Magic, his MPG was 21.5. That has dropped to only 2.3 in the 2023-24 season. At this point, he’s less than a modest reserve player.

Big Diesel is very protective of the ‘Big Man Alliance’. He’s already counting the French sensation among his club. He wasn’t the only one. Even Tim Hardaway thought Bol was as talented as Wemby.

Shaquille O’Neal’s Bol Bol dilemma

A lot of expectations were riding on Manute Bol’s son. Even before Wemby, Bol Bol was under the shadow of a 7’7″ father’s legacy. Before he could find a way out of his father’s shadow, Wemby had surpassed him in all the stats. His MPG in the 2023-24 regular season is 30.0, while he is averaging 19.3 points per game. Bol Bol’s PPG this season is 0.7 and only 6.2 over his career.

O’Neal buried the lead with his comments. When Phoenix signed Bol Bol in July, Gilbert Arenas predicted this talented player was holding back. “Unstoppable talent, but he ain’t using it.” 

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Hence, fans can’t decide if Bol Bol isn’t doing enough to warrant Frank Vogel’s confidence or if he’s fated to remain in the shadow of Wemby, Book, KD, and his father. Until he actually clocks time on the court, Shaq’s not riding the Bol Bol hype train through this season.