Earlier this week, the Defector staff was discussing Joel Embiid. His 33-point performance in Game 5 of the series against the Boston Celtics—part of a 113-97 road win for the Philadelphia 76ers—was impressive, even stirring. Not just because it came against the rival Celtics, but because the former MVP is no longer the same player. He lacks the athleticism he once had: no more jumping, no more running.
This got me thinking about Shaquille O’Neal’s dominance. Embiid is currently 31 years old. In his NBA career, including both regular season and playoffs, he has played 551 games—but he carries the wear and tear of a much older player. He has missed significant time in most seasons since 2022–23, and in more seasons than not, he has missed 30 or more games. O’Neal, who was taller and heavier than Embiid, played a more physical style in a tougher era. He also played over three times as much college basketball as Embiid and famously neglected offseason conditioning. Yet, he reached his 551st NBA game in the middle of his age-27 season. That year, he won the MVP award, played 79 regular-season games (plus 23 playoff games en route to his first championship and Finals MVP), and averaged 40 minutes per game.
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