NBA analyst on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar being most disrespected all-time great in NBA history: “Oh man, the GOAT debate is Jordan & LeBron”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has often been left out of the GOAT debate, and a few people are not thrilled with that. Television personality Rick Kamla has stated that it is appalling to not have Abdul-Jabbar in the GOAT conversation.
For years, the debate has been between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Although other names have been mentioned on occasion, including Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant, they wouldn't stand a chance if it was a popularity contest.
The topic was brought up recently after Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green stated James was his all-time No. 1. Although he gave points to support his claim, many have disagreed.
On "SiriusXM NBA Radio," Kamla went on a rant about how Abdul-Jabbar is not included in the GOAT debate. He said he was fine with the all-time leading scorer being ranked third behind James and Jordan:
"Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to me, is the most disrespected all-time great. His name is left out of a lot, most, whatever you wanna say, conversations about all-time greats. When you're talking about all-time greats, the tippy-top of this league, Kareem should be one of the first three names that come out of your mouth. But that's not the case.
"People always start with Jordan or LeBron, LeBron and Jordan, Jordan and LeBron, LeBron and Jordan, and they leave out Kareem. ... Oh man the GOAT debate is Jordan and LeBron. No, it's not. The GOAT debate is Kareem, Jordan and LeBron. It's a three-guy race."
He added:
"The numbers and accomplishments make it pretty clear that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is at least in the top three all-time. You can debate, you can put him No. 3, top-three, I'm okay with that. To me, you can't put him in No. 4. ... This guy is a six-time champion and a six-time MVP. The only guy ever to do that."
@RickKamlaSports explains why his pick is a no-brainer.Who is the most disrespected all-time great in NBA History?
🏀 @RickKamlaSports explains why his pick is a no-brainer. https://t.co/fibCq0FC7e
The game has evolved over the years, but no one has been able to reach the height Abdul-Jabbar reached. For decades, his scoring title has remained in place. However, James has a decent chance of setting a new all-time scoring record before the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
You might also like: NBA News Roundup: Draymond Green picks LeBron James over Michael Jordan, Ja Morant fined for confronting official, and more
Shaquille O'Neal does not have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his top-two GOAT
Draymond Green rekindled the GOAT debate, but Shaquille O’Neal had something to say about it. In Shaq's book, Abdul-Jabbar would likely not make the top three.
On "The Big Podcast," he talked about how he respects Green's opinion, but he does not subscribe to it. The five-time NBA champion saying his guys are Julius Erving and Michael Jordan:
"I like Draymond, that’s his opinion. I like people when they have opinions in this world. You know, the problem we have is when some certain person has an opinion and you don’t like it.
“I’m not going to go off. That’s his opinion. My guy is Dr. J (Julius Erving) slash Mike. That’s my guy.”
Although he did not have Abdul-Jabbar in his GOAT debate, Shaq believes the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the top three centers in league history.