"I hope this upsets him" - Shaquille O'Neal sends Victor Wembanyama blunt message after snubbing him from his top 30 players

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has a different method of encouraging younger players. As he finalized his list of the top 50 players in the league, he surprised everyone when he placed San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama at No. 31, despite his impressive rookie year.

O'Neal has never been easy with the younger generation, especially the big men. Often, he'd criticize the centers and power forwards if he was not satisfied with their performance.

Take, for example, Rudy Gobert. The former LA Lakers star has frequently chastised Gobert, particularly after he agreed to a five-year, $205 million deal extension.

"I'll go Victor Wembanyama at 31," Shaq said. "Same thing my father told me, 'You're good, but you're not good enough.'

"So he was really good. But when your team doesn't make the playoffs, when you're that guy, and all the pressure's on you, [it] don't matter who you got with you, you have to win. With the addition of CP3 and they made some a couple more moves, they definitely should be pretty good. But right now, he's at 30.

Shaq wants Wemby to use his criticism as motivation this season and potentially lead the Spurs back to the postseason.

"I hope this upsets him. As the reigning Lord Supreme of the Big Man Alliance, I hope all the big men who feel I slighted them, I hope this upsets you. Aren't you tired of the guards getting all the credit, big men? Well, do something about it."

Over the summer, the Spurs added veteran point guard Chris Paul to the roster to help Wemby and the team's goal of reaching the playoffs.

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Shaquille O'Neal believes in Wemby but is convinced he isn't dominant

In September, the four-time champion appeared as a guest on "The Pat McAfee Show," where he spoke highly of Wemby. He applauded the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year for what he's done in the league. However, he doesn't think that the Spurs center is a dominant player because of the amount of 3-pointers he attempts.

Shaq talked about Wemby at the 7:55 mark.

A lot has changed since Shaquille O'Neal retired in 2011. Big men are now reliable outside shooters and can stay beyond the 3-point line. Like any modern big man, Wemby has developed a dependable outside stroke.