Jefferson: O Neal was unmatched back then and he and Curry were both players who changed the league structure.

Today's basketball commentator Richard Jefferson talked about the power of O'Neal in early 2000 in a podcast.

"O'Neal is so strong that it has changed the way many teams are built. In order to deal with his power, the team has to prepare two or three players who are specifically used to defend him, because every time he deals with him, he will lose fouls. Sometimes even when he makes a layup, you just touch his wrist and the referee will blow the whistle. In addition, he also changed the game equipment because the basket rack was fucked many times, and the power he showed was unprecedented. I think he changed the pattern of the league. Brother, you really can't fight O'Neal head-on. Many people say that Curry changed the league, yes, O'Neal also changed the pattern of the league back then, and no one could defend him at that time." Jefferson said.

It is worth mentioning that in the 2002 Finals, the Lakers played against the Nets. O'Neal had a match with Jefferson in the rookie season. In that series, O'Neal averaged 36.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.3 caps per game, and 17 free throws per game, 11.3 & hits. In the end, the Lakers swept their opponents 4-0 and easily won the championship.