Hall of Fame center and ESPN analyst Shaquille O’Neal hit San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama with a harsh truth after his Game 5 series-clinching loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. Despite watching his season end in a 4-1 loss to the Knicks, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson commended Wembanyama’s growth in 2025-27, following the Defensive Player of the Year’s first Finals appearance in his first postseason.
However, O’Neal believes Wembanyama will have to gain more strength and improvement if he wants to eventually win a championship, he said, per ESPN’s Inside The NBA.
“As good as he is, he’s going to need to get stronger. Because when you become a dominant big man, people are going to force, and a lot of times he couldn’t handle it,” O’Neal said. “So, I don’t know what he’s going to do this summer, but he definitely needs to get in that weight room and get stronger.”
Shaq says Wemby needs to hit the weight room this summer after losing to the Knicks:
“As good as he is, he’s going to need to get stronger. Because when you become a dominant big man, people are going to force…. So, I don’t know what he’s going to do this summer, but he… pic.twitter.com/JOQyUVk4Za
— NBA Base (@TheNBABase) June 14, 2026
Shaquille O’Neal alluded to a couple of plays where Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama was pushed around in Game 5 and at various points throughout the Finals’ best-of-7 series against the Knicks. For O’Neal, summer weight training will help push Wembanyama in the right direction.
Mitch Johnson reacts to Victor Wembanyama after Spurs’ Game 5 loss
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson reacted to Victor Wembanyama’s performance after Game 5’s heartbreaking loss that ended their season in a 94-90 loss to the Knicks. After the Spurs coughed up a historic 29-point lead in Game 4, they surrendered a 16-point lead in Game 5’s series-clinching loss to the Knicks.
After the game, Johnson addressed Wembanyama’s 2025-26 campaign and praised the role he took on as the Spurs’ leader, which led them to the NBA Finals.
“I think it’s grown tremendously,” Johnson said. “I think he’s stepped into every moment with the appropriate amount of fearlessness and also respect for the moment and being exactly who he is. And he’s bringing his teammates and everybody else along with him. It’s been pretty fun to observe and be a part of.”
Johnson hopes to build on Wembanyama’s breakout season, including his first Defensive Player of the Year award and the Spurs’ winning the Western Conference.
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