Mike D’Antoni credits a surprising source for today’s three-point heavy NBA: Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal.
In a recent interview, the former head coach explained that his offensive philosophy was heavily influenced by the need to find an edge against the dominant big man during O’Neal’s prime with the Lakers.
“You can’t out-Shaq Shaq,” D’Antoni said, via WBUR. “You can’t just trot somebody out there and think you’re gonna get the best of Shaq.”
To counter that, D’Antoni developed an up-tempo style centered on speed, spacing, and perimeter shooting, laying the foundation for the modern three-point era.
“[Shaq] is actually the cause of the three-point shot,” he said.
While his offensive principles were rooted in European basketball, D’Antoni noted that facing O’Neal forced his teams to abandon traditional interior play and rely more heavily on outside shooting.
“It started earlier in my career… I thought in Europe when I was coaching in Europe, that’s the best way to play and was working,” he said. “Obviously then you come to the NBA, you have better players to do what I always thought that needed to be done.”
He stated that the strategy gave his teams a better chance to win by pulling big defenders away from the rim and exploiting slower rotations.
D’Antoni dismissed the notion that offense has overtaken defense in today’s game, emphasizing that all great teams still rely on strong defensive execution.
“No, never takes priority over defense,” he said. “Defense, every coach knows you have to have a good defense to win.”
However, he acknowledged that offensive schemes have evolved to attack defenders like Rudy Gobert or Brook Lopez who tend to protect the paint rather than contest outside shots.
“A lot of teams, like we played the Milwaukee Bucks and they had a center that hung around the rim. Or Rudy Gobert, who likes to stay back,” D’Antoni said. “So you’re not, your offense is going to be designed to take a lot of 3s because they’ve clogged up the middle.”
He explained that driving to the rim is still the first option, but when that’s taken away, teams adapt.
“They won’t let you get to the rim, which is always the first priority of any good offense, is to make layups,” he added. “So you have to change up your philosophy or your point of attack.”
The result has been a dramatic increase in three-point volume across the league, with teams now averaging over 37 attempts per game compared to just a few per contest when the line was introduced in 1979.
D’Antoni argued this shift has enhanced the sport, citing Stephen Curry as an example of a player who revolutionized the game with long-range shooting.
“It makes it exciting,” he said. “Stephen Curry… becomes a 3-point shot, that would be a crime not to have him in the league.”
He said the unpredictability of the modern NBA, where no lead is safe and dynasties are harder to build, has made the game more dynamic.
“There’s no repeat champions in the last five or ten years because it opens the game up and gives everybody a chance to be that dominant team,” D’Antoni said.
