"I think the greatest player is Michael Jordan" - Shaquille O'Neal reveals his greatest player ever, believes LeBron James acing the scoring record is unique achievement but not enough to be the greatest ever
Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all-time. With LeBron James set to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, some believe that it will elevate him past Jordan. However, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal disagrees with that notion.
Shaquille O’Neal explains why LeBron James won’t be the GOAT even if he passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: lakersdaily.com/shaquille-onea…
During a recent appearance on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, Shaquille O'Neal listed Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all-time. He said:
"I think the greatest player 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, Michael Jordan, Magic, and those guys."
O'Neal added:
"Jordan was the greatest, in my opinion. If he likes LeBron, that's his opinion. People look at stats, his stats are definitely going to be up there. To pass up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I can truthfully say, I'm jealous of that feat because I wanted to pass up Wilt.
"I was like 1500 points behind Wilt Chamberlain. I wanted to pass up Wilt Chamberlain because then I was going to arrogantly say, 'I am the most dominant big man ever and I don't want to hear anybody else's name'."
O'Neal would admit that Jordan is the only person that has ever had him terrified on the court. His take on the greatest of all-time shows why these conversations are subjective. Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Julius Erving were amongst the biggest stars in the NBA in O'Neal's youth, so it is no surprise that those are the players he idolized.
Watch Shaquille O'Neal's comments on the greatest of all-time below (starting at the 26:54 mark):
Revisiting legendary battles between Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal
The most famous meetings between Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal took place in the postseason. Jordan famously retired from the NBA following his first three-peat, only to return near the end of the 1994-1995 season.
Jordan did not have his legs underneath him, however, as his Chicago Bulls ran into O'Neal and the Orlando Magic in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
While he still dominated from an individual standpoint, the Bulls ultimately lost the series in six games. The Magic advanced to the NBA Finals before losing. The following year, Jordan and the Bulls sought revenge as the two teams faced off once again, this time in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The series was not close, as the Bulls pulled off a sweep before ultimately winning their fourth of six titles. O'Neal moved to the LA Lakers following the series.
From an individual standpoint, the most memorable meeting between the two occurred in 1993. Jordan scored 64 points, while O'Neal finished with 29 points and 24 rebounds.
Revisit some of the most memorable moments between Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal below:
On This Date: In 1993, Michael Jordan and Shaq gave us an all-timer 🍿 https://t.co/4Umcoyx7nG
Michael Jordan and Shaq had some great duels 🔥 https://t.co/wRX0xcEmIg