When discussing gigantic big men who possessed extraordinary basketball skills and agility, fans and analysts are sure to mention Shaquille O'Neal and today's consensus best player, Nikola Jokic. After all, Diesel's sheer dominance during his playing days is well-documented. He was a 7'1" Mack truck who was disguised as a basketball player, capable of overpowering any defender and scoring at will.
Jokic, meanwhile, is woven from a different kind of cloth. At 6'11" and built like a lumberjack, he is often praised for his crafty scoring skills and precise playmaking abilities rather than his brute strength. With such distinct styles, it's intriguing not to imagine what would happen if these two giants were to face each other on the court.
Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, though, declared he's picking the Diesel in a hypothetical showdown of two of the greatest big men of all time.
Reggie personally experienced Shaq's dominance
Miller, one of the greatest long-range shooters of all time, made it clear that he was taking O'Neal's side in this mythical clash, mainly because he knows what it was like to be on the floor with the former LSU star. In fact, had it not been for Shaq, whom the Indiana Pacers couldn't stop in the 2000 NBA Finals, Reggie may have retired with a championship ring.
"I would love to see it, but I'm still going with the big fella. Look, Shaq denied me on a lot of occasions," Miller recalled.
While his heart is telling him to go with Shaq, Reggie's mind knows that the things the Joker is doing in today's NBA are unprecedented. As it stands, he believes that Jokic is already one of the top-five centers of all time — high praise considering the number of legendary big men that have played in the league.
"I never got a chance to play against the Joker, but this boy is bad. I think he's already one of the top four or five centers, in my opinion," Miller surmised. "Kareem, Shaq, you could throw Wilt in there, Moses Malone… Joker's in that conversation, no question."
Shaq would have trouble with Nikola
Miller, though, asserted that O'Neal would have difficulty containing Jokic, especially with the latter's ball-handling skills. Additionally, he revealed that the 2000 MVP once told him he had trouble covering Pacers center Rik Smits, who was a 7'4" big man, who did a lot of damage from midrange.
"Here's my argument why I love the Joker: every time I see big fella Shaq, he always says Rick Smit gave him fits. So if Rik Smits — at 7'4" — gave him fits, then what would Joker do?" Miller speculated. "If he's telling me, 'Oh my god, Rick Smits, I just had no answer for him,' and Rick was unbelievable — don't get me wrong, love me some Rick — but what would Joker do to him then if that was the case?"
In terms of NBA titles, Jokic has a long way to go to catch up with O'Neal, who finished his career with four. However, it appears that's the only thing that's keeping the Serbian sensation from surpassing Shaq in the rankings. With how easy he's making triple-doubles look, Jokic has undoubtedly set the bar high for big men in the league.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 14, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.