In a memorable exchange on The Big Podcast with Shaq, two of the NBA’s most outspoken champions, Shaquille O’Neal and Draymond Green, squared off in a heated debate over a question fans have long argued: Who wins in a best-of-seven: Shaq’s Lakers or Draymond’s Warriors?
It didn’t take long for things to escalate.
Shaq posed the challenge directly: “Pick any of my championship teams, any of your championship teams. Who wins? And bonus question: Who’s guarding me?”
Draymond’s Defensive Blueprint
Green didn’t hesitate. “I don’t think any one player could guard you,” he admitted. But he claimed the Warriors’ system would’ve found a way. “We’d deny you the ball. A guy in front, a guy behind. You’re not getting it.”
Shaq wasn’t buying it.
“They tried that,” he snapped. “Portland. Sacramento. Didn’t work. You just gonna throw the ball over your head.” “Bogut’s behind you. I’m in front,” Draymond insisted.
Shaq Fires Back
“Stop it. Stop it,” Shaq replied, visibly amused. “Bogut gonna be in foul trouble real quick. And who’s your backup center?”.
“You’re not going to touch the ball. I’d be in front of you. I have a 7’2″ wingspan,” added Green. However, Shaq highlighted his physical advantage. “Half a foot taller and me. And I’ll get everyone else in foul trouble. I’ll tell Derek Fisher to come after you,” said the Lakers legend. They even agree that their intensity could lead to a fight between them.
Green smiled. “Me.”
Shaq shook his head. “Draymond, stop.”
Offense vs. Defense, Twos vs. Threes
The clash wasn’t just about post play. Green argued that the Warriors’ offensive firepower, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, floor spacing, would eventually overwhelm the Lakers’ size.
“We’re trading threes for twos,” Green said. “You’re gonna get your dunks, but we’re gonna hit enough threes to win.”
Shaq wasn’t convinced. “Y’all ain’t hitting threes all the time. And who’s guarding Kobe?”
“Klay,” Draymond offered.
Shaq smiled. “Nobody’s guarding Kobe.”
A Debate That Spanned Eras
The two even debated which era’s rules would apply. Draymond admitted the outcome would depend on that. “If it’s old-school rules, y’all probably win,” he said. “But in the new era, spacing, pace, freedom of movement, we win. Probably in five or six.”
Shaq wasn’t having it. “Sacramento said that. Portland said that. And they lost.”
Draymond had a final jab: “Y’all lost to the Pistons in 2004… They scored 70 points a game. We would’ve mopped them.”
Shaq’s response? “I didn’t get the ball like I was supposed to.”
A Year Later, the Debate Still Stirs the Pot
Even though the exchange is now over a year old, fans continue to clip, share, and argue about it. With no definitive answer, the dream matchup between 2000s Lakers and mid-2010s Warriors remains one of the most tantalizing what ifs in NBA history.
And in typical Shaq fashion, he closed the segment with a laugh: “I was Skinny Shaq. Then Medium Shaq. Then Fat Shaq. And then Fat Albert Shaq. And all of ’em were a problem.”
