If Shaquille O’Neal had his own Hall of Fame, Stephen Curry would certainly occupy the top position. That’s how much the man is in awe of the Bay Area icon. He often humorously calls himself the ‘Black Steph Curry,’ dubbed him his ‘favorite player,’ and even said that he’s “never seen anything like Steph Curry.” But that wasn’t apparently always the case.

For one, any old-school player isn’t particularly pleased with how basketball has evolved. They aren’t too big on how the big man’s league has changed to a guard-dominant phase with three-point shooting becoming a necessary skill in every basketball player’s arsenal. While Shaq wasn’t too bitter about it, he wasn’t in Steph’s fan club initially.

“I used to hate on him early on in his career; that he ain’t gonna make that. But he kept proving me wrong. That’s why he’s my best player. I like being proven wrong,” O’Neal said during an appearance on the All Smokes Podcast in 2021. Well, he certainly isn’t a hater now.

However, Shaq’s son, Shareef O’Neal, had recognized Curry’s greatness before his Dad would accept it. “Dad, Stephen Curry isn’t just a great shooter. He’s redefined what it means to be a game-changer in basketball. He’s inspiring a whole new generation,” he had said once.

Although it took the Warriors superstar proving him wrong for the Lakers legend to accept him, Shaq certainly agrees with his son’s wisdom now.

Shaquille O’Neal: Stephen Curry has opened a world of possibilities for youth

We are all familiar with how a young Steph was overlooked and passed on in favor of prospects that fit the traditional NBA mold. The slim, short stature of Curry had practically all colleges and coaches give nothing more than a once-over. In fact, the one college he really wanted to play for because of his father’s storied career, Virginia Tech, offered him just a walk-on spot because of his 160-pound frame.

No doubt they are beating themselves about it considering a humble Davidson simply accepted the future Hall of Famer for who he is. And what had his mom said to coach McKillop then? “The last thing she said was “don’t worry coach, we’ll fatten him up for you”. The Coach turned around and looked at us and said – don’t worry about that, we’ll take him just as he is,” Curry recounted in his documentary, Stephen Curry: Underrated. 

While the 10x All-Star was lucky enough to have an incredible support system, the same cannot be said of many aspiring young hoopers now. And that’s why the ‘Big Diesel’ was in awe of the Stephen Curry effect. “Steph Curry is messing the game up. I’m on the internet now, see a bunch of little kids dribbling, shooting 100-footers to start the game. But he’s doing something for them, he’s giving them a chance … They’re doing stuff even I can’t do!”

It truly is something else to see just how vital Stephen Curry was in the evolution of basketball. Not just evolution, but a beacon of hope that not everyone has to be a David Robinson or Tim Duncan to have a successful NBA career.