Like everything in life, the NBA is cyclical and after a run of success with small ball teams, the league's big men have found their way back to the top of the mountain. The last four MVP awards were taken home by big men, with last year's race coming down to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.
Embiid became the first center to lead the league in scoring since Shaquille O'Neal back in 1999-00, starting to dominate in a way that could be comparable to one of the most unstoppable bigs in NBA history. O'Neal has had his fair share of constructive criticism for Embiid, imploring the 76ers center to play with a more physically imposing presence in the same way that a young Shaq did in his prime.
Now 28, Embiid is the same age as Shaq was while he was busy winning the second of three straight championships with the Lakers.
While O'Neal's physical dominance is unmatched in NBA history, Embiid's level of skill and finesse, paired with his 7-foot, 280-pound frame, creates his own dominance as one of the toughest big men to guard in today's game.
"I think Shaq would have fits trying to guard him," analyst Jay Williams said last season.
"Shaq wouldn’t be able to guard him. I would put him on the perimeter all day long. ... He was an athlete but still, I know scouting reports back when he was a young Shaq when they would just string him out on the perimeter because he still had a hard time guarding pick-and-rolls. Joel Embiid don’t guard pick-and-rolls either. I’m saying I would put Joel Embiid in that situation."
O'Neal's trophy cabinet makes the argument between these two players a little tricky, but how do the two star big men match up?
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Joel Embiid: Regular season stats
Statistically, Embiid's numbers have O'Neal covered. However, the four-time champion spent 17 seasons in the league, while Embiid is very much still in his prime, approaching his sixth season at age 28.
As it stands, Embiid's scoring, rebounding and playmaking exceed O'Neal's career numbers, while O'Neal's defense and field goal percentage are well clear.
| O'Neal | Per Game | Embiid |
| 23.7 | Points | 26.0 |
| 10.9 | Rebounds | 11.4 |
| 2.5 | Assists | 3.3 |
| 0.6 | Steals | 0.9 |
| 2.3 | Blocks | 1.7 |
| 2.7 | Turnovers | 3.4 |
| 34.7 | Minutes | 31.2 |
| 58.2 | Field goal % | 49.0 |
| 0.00 | 3-point % | 33.8 |
| 52.7 | Free throw % | 81.0 |
| O'Neal | Totals | Embiid |
| 1,207 | Games | 328 |
| 28,596 | Points | 8,535 |
| 13,099 | Rebounds | 3,732 |
| 3,026 | Assists | 1,080 |
| 739 | Steals | 285 |
| 2,732 | Blocks | 542 |
| 3,310 | Turnovers | 1109 |
| 41,918 | Minutes | 10,240 |
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Joel Embiid: Regular season advanced stats
The advanced statistics don't tell the whole story, but VORP and Win Shares favor O'Neal. However, PER and Box Plus/Minus go to Embiid.
| O'Neal | Advanced | Embiid |
| 26.4 | Player Efficiency Rating | 27.1 |
| 75.5 | Value Over Replacement | 20.4 |
| 5.1 | Box Plus/Minus | 5.9 |
| 181.7 | Win Shares | 43.7 |
| 58.6 | True Shooting % | 60.1 |
| 29.5 | Usage % | 34.6 |
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Joel Embiid: Playoff stats
In the playoffs, O'Neal's numbers closely reflect his regular season output, while Embiid's scoring production takes a fall along with his usage rate.
The glaring gap is in O'Neal's peak during the three-peat with the Lakers, where the big man stuffed the stat sheet on his way to three rings and three Finals MVPs.
| Year | PTS | REB | AST | BLK |
| 1999-00 | 30.7 | 15.4 | 3.1 | 2.4 |
| 2000-01 | 30.4 | 15.4 | 3.2 | 2.4 |
| 2001-02 | 28.5 | 12.6 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
| O'Neal | Playoffs Per Game | Embiid |
| 24.3 | Points | 24.0 |
| 11.6 | Rebounds | 11.1 |
| 2.7 | Assists | 2.8 |
| 0.5 | Steals | 0.8 |
| 2.1 | Blocks | 1.5 |
| 3.0 | Turnovers | 3.6 |
| 37.5 | Minutes | 34.1 |
| 56.3 | Field goal % | 46.8 |
| 0.00 | 3-point % | 29.7 |
| 50.4 | Free throw % | 80.6 |
| O'Neal | Playoff Totals | Embiid |
| 216 | Games | 44 |
| 5,250 | Points | 1,058 |
| 2,508 | Rebounds | 488 |
| 582 | Assists | 124 |
| 117 | Steals | 36 |
| 459 | Blocks | 68 |
| 649 | Turnovers | 158 |
| 8,098 | Minutes | 1,499 |
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Joel Embiid: Playoff advanced stats
When it comes to the postseason, O'Neal's advanced numbers are eye-popping.
O'Neal's "value over replacement player" ranks seventh in NBA history, trailing only Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
| O'Neal | Advanced | Embiid |
| 26.1 | Player Efficiency Rating | 21.9 |
| 15.3 | Value Over Replacement | 2.2 |
| 5.5 | Box Plus/Minus | 3.9 |
| 31.1 | Win Shares | 4.5 |
| 56.5 | True Shooting % | 58.2 |
| 30.2 | Usage % | 31.0 |
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Joel Embiid: Accolades and awards
This is where it counts.
O'Neal's resume is on another level with four championships, three Finals MVPs and 14 All-NBA selections, while Embiid has yet to reach the Conference Finals with the 76ers.
| O'Neal | Accolades | Embiid |
| 4 | Championships | 0 |
| 1 | MVPs | 0 |
| 3 | Finals MVPs | 0 |
| 14 | All-NBA | 4 |
| 3 | All-Defense | 3 |
| 15 | All-Star | 5 |
| 2 | Scoring titles | 1 |