“He will move his name up there, but for me it’s... Michael Jordan”- Shaquille O'Neal believes LeBron James will have GOAT status after breaking Kareem’s record, but still considers Michael Jordan the greatest
Shaquille O'Neal believes LeBron James will have GOAT status once he breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record. However, Shaq still considers Michael Jordan and Julius Erving to be the greatest players ever.
James could potentially break Abdul-Jabbar's record this season. Not every fan or former player believes that James is at par with a player like Jordan in the GOAT conversation. However, breaking the all-time scoring record could change that narrative.
O'Neal was a guest on the recent episode of Logan Paul's "Impaulsive" podcast, where he said:
"I wouldn't rate myself as the best ever, but I have a question. When LeBron passes up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar points, and he will this year, will that make him the greatest player ever? Ok, an interesting question.
"I think the greatest player of all time is Michael Jordan. LeBron's about to do something that hasn't been done in a long time. And I think he will move his name up there. But for me, it's always Dr. J and Michael Jordan, Magic and those guys."
(From 26:35 to 27:12)
Shaquille O'Neal and several former players grew up idolizing Michael Jordan. Most of these stars shared the court with James as a teammate or opponent when he was far from achieving GOAT status. Most players who believe Jordan to be the greatest joined the league around the same time as James.
These factors have come into play whenever Jordan has gotten picked as the GOAT over James. Each side has had a strong opinion, leading to a never-ending debate about who's the better player.
Shaquille O'Neal admits he was terrified of Michael Jordan
Shaquille O'Neal was one of the bravest and most dominant players to play in the NBA. He played with and against some of the game's greatest during his career. Several opponents were terrified of playing against O'Neal.
The 7-foot, 300+ pound center used his size and strength to his advantage like no other player. One could wonder if there was any opponent he feared, and the majority would guess there was none. However, Shaquille O'Neal said on the podcast that he used to be afraid of Michael Jordan:
"He's the only man that had me terrified on the court. 'Cause I admired him from high school, admired him from college. ... And he's right there in front of you. All the s**t that you see on your posters. ... He's doing that in real life."
Michael Jordan with the SPECTACULAR reverse layup against Shaquille O'Neal during game 3 of the 1995 East Semifinals. https://t.co/w8z157a7ZQ
Several players who played against the Chicago Bulls legend have openly admitted they feared going up against the six-time champion. It doesn't come as a surprise that O'Neal believes Jordan is the greatest player of all time.