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Shaq says Anthony Edwards one of few who could play in his era of NBA

Shaquille O'Neal has always been a bit biased towards his era of basketball.

Will Ragatz

Feb 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts after scoring a basket during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
Feb 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts after scoring a basket during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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Asked which players in the modern game could've played in his era of the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal went right to Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.

"I think about that all the time," O'Neal said on his show The Big Podcast. "Ant Edwards, big and strong. LeBron, of course — well he did play in our era. KD also played in our era. That's about it."

That's high praise for Edwards from O'Neal, who has always been rather biased towards his era of basketball. Ant's strength and explosive dunking ability would help him in the 90s and 2000s, but it's an interesting choice given that he leads the NBA in three-point makes this season. That's not very old-school of him!

It's also just a silly take from O'Neal, one of the all-time greats in the sport. You know who would've dominated in Shaq's era? Giannis Antetokounmpo. And Nikola Jokic. And Steph Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic — the list goes on and on. There's never been more talent in the NBA than there is right now. The nostalgia over that era's "physicality and defense" hides the reality that players weren't nearly as efficient or versatile on offense. With all due respect to Shaq, I don't think there's a single modern-era All-Star who wouldn't have also been productive 20 or 30 years earlier.

Edwards and the Wolves play the Thunder on Sunday night (8:30 p.m. CT, ESPN).

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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