Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t rate himself above these 10 NBA legends he considers the best of all time.
The NBA is the gold standard for global basketball. The best players from all around the world aspire to one day make it to the league.
But not everyone is able to achieve their dream. So it makes it even more special when a player can become established as one of the all-time greats.
Each person’s mileage on certain stars varies. But the greats are considered great for a reason. And with a nearly 80-year history, the NBA has a lot of incredible players to choose from.
One of them, no doubt, was Shaquille O’Neal. But the most dominant man in NBA history has at least 10 legends he puts ahead of himself.
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Shaquille O’Neal named his top 10 NBA players of all time in a social media post for Netflix. Initially, O’Neal included himself.
However, the big man opted for humility, removing himself from the number 10 spot. His final list was as follows, with Michael Jordan at the top and former teammate Kobe Bryant at number two.
- Michael Jordan
- Kobe Bryant
- LeBron James
- Magic Johnson
- Bill Russell
- Wilt Chamberlain
- Larry Bird
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Tim Duncan
- Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving
O’Neal’s list is pretty strong, although some would argue in favor of his inclusion. But there is no denying that the players he named have earned their spot in the all-time list.
Of course, some might argue the placement of each and every player, with the top three names in particular being used as fuel for the GOAT debate.
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While O’Neal chose to be humble and remove himself from the list, it’s really hard to argue against his inclusion among the 10 greatest players of all time.
Across a 19-year NBA career, O’Neal represented 7 teams, won 4 NBA championships, 3 Finals MVPs, a regular-season MVP, a Rookie of the Year award, 2 scoring titles, 15 All-Star selections, 14 All-NBA selections, and 3 All-Defensive selections.
Shaq’s career numbers read like a video game, as he put up 28,596 points, 13,099 rebounds, and 2,732 blocks. With his numbers and accolades, how can anyone deny his presence on the list?
More than his numbers and accolades, it was his play that made him a household name. An absolute locomotive on the court, there is a reason O’Neal is remembered as the most dominant player in NBA history.
To this day, players wonder who could guard Shaquille O’Neal across any era. If anything, this discourse only furthers his case as a top-10 player of all time.
