Shaquille O’Neal Calls NBA Stars “Soft” For Skipping the Dunk Contest
Shaquille O'Neal aims to put the art of dunking in spotlight.
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Shaquille O'Neal (Image credits - Bleacher Report)
Shaquille O’Neal is one of, if not the most dominant, players the NBA has ever seen. Drafted by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA draft, O’Neal was an unstoppable force from his rookie season.
Despite being 7’1″ and weighing over 300 lbs, O’Neal was gifted with explosive athleticism. He used to dominate big men in the paint and was well known for catching lobs and dunking by overwhelming his opponents through force.
O’Neal played 19 seasons in the NBA. However, for all his dominance and strength, he never took part in the dunk contest in his career. One of the main reasons is that he did not have the acrobatics and creative flair needed in a dunk contest, as he was more of an in-game dunker.
The Diesel has been critical of the lack of star power in dunk contests in recent years. The 2026 NBA Slam Dunk Contest featured four participants – Keshad Johnson, Jaxson Hayes, Carter Bryant and Jase Richardson. Johnson won the contest but there was a lot of criticism surrounding it due to the lack of stars.
The four-time champion had a direct explanation as to why he thinks NBA stars aren’t in the dunk contest.
What’s the word… soft? You can tell them I said it. They’re soft, and they’re scared.
Shaquille O’Neal on The Atlantic
Shaq on NBA stars skipping the Dunk Contest:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 22, 2026
“What’s the word… soft? You can tell them I said it. They’re soft, and they’re scared.”
(via @mr_jasonjones, h/t @TheNBABase) pic.twitter.com/2YQmoE5MC8
O’Neal has been critical of the younger generation of players and often labels them as “soft” for various reasons. Today’s players prefer to skip the contest because they want to rest their bodies and avoid injuries.
The likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have taken part and won the contest in the past. However, LeBron James is one of the biggest names to never take part in the event in his career. He says he sees himself more as an in-game dunker.
Since James has declined to take part in the contest despite being offered $1 million in the past, several critics have pointed the finger at him for the lack of star power in recent years. So O’Neal took his passion for the art form off the court and launched DUNKMAN, a professional global dunking league.
Shaquille O’Neal is the founder and Commissioner of DUNKMAN
Over the last few years, the hype surrounding the dunk contest has declined rapidly. The three-point contest has taken over and grabbed the headlines in the last decade. Hence, Shaquille O’Neal founded the DUNKMAN in partnership with TNT Sports. He serves as the Commissioner as well, and the prize money for the competition is $500,000.
O’Neal wanted to start something for professional dunkers and believes that they are now better than the professional athletes at it.
The best dunkers were always professional athletes. Now you’ve got these kids that are way better dunkers than our professional athletes. So, I wanted to bring it together and treat them like professionals.
Shaquille O’Neal on The Atlantic
Mac McClung, who has won the dunk contest three times, is taking part in the DUNKMAN league. He is the number one seed in the Finals. The contest aims to gather the best dunkers as an offseason alternative to the NBA.
Vince Carter believes DUNKMAN has expanded people’s thinking about dunking possibilities
Vince Carter is part of the commentary team for the DUNKMAN league. The eight-time All-Star is viewed by many as the greatest dunker of all time. He won the NBA dunk contest in 2000 and blew away the fans with his athleticism and acrobatics. His 2000 performance is still talked about today.
The Hall of Famer shared his thoughts on Dunkman and believes it has “expanded people’s thinking” about dunking possibilities.
You go out there and do the things that you do, and people have appreciation.
Vince Carter on The Atlantic
Carter revealed that he has not paid attention to the Slam Dunk contest after winning it in 2000. The last contest that impressed everyone was when Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine went at it in 2016. Since then, all contests have been a disappointment.
The DUNKMAN league brings 24 dunkers from around the world to compete for the $500,000 cash prize. It is just a matter of time before it takes over the NBA dunk contest as the premier dunking competition.
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Rishan Rai
(1042 Articles Published)