Shaquille O'Neal shares video of John Salley picking him as best player of 2000s over LeBron James & other NBA legends
Shaquille O'Neal likes to stroke his ego whenever he gets the nod in any basketball conversation on the internet. In a recent post on Instagram, John Salley was asked by Shannon Sharpe about the best player in the 2000s, and Salley named O'Neal. The four-time NBA champion didn't hesitate to repost this for his followers to see.
Among the names that Sharpe included in the list for Salley to choose from aside from O'Neal were Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tim Duncan.
"Shaq is the most dominant player I've ever seen. But you have got Dirk Nowitzki in there. But Imma go with Shaq," said Salley.
Salley has played in the NBA since 1986. The six-foot-eleven center saw the league transition from Magic Johson and Larry Bird to Michael Jordan.
He eventually had his last season in the league in 1999-2000 with the Los Angeles Lakers after not playing since the 1995-96 season.
Salley had four championship rings — two with the Detroit Pistons from 1989 to 1990, one with the Chicago Bulls alongside Michael Jordan in 1996, and the last with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2000.
Having won a championship in three different decades, Salley has the right and is entitled to have good knowledge on choosing the best player for each decade.
Shaquille O'Neal and his case to be the best player in the 2000s
The prime of Shaquille O'Neal is said to have started in the early 2000s and carried on to the mid-2000s. By that time, the seven-foot-one center was able to garner four NBA championships — three with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Miami Heat.
Shaq also won individual awards like the 2000 NBA MVP, 2000-2002 NBA Finals MVP, NBA All-Star in 2000-2007 and 2009, All NBA-First Team from 2000-2006, and scoring champion in 2000.
Among his contemporaries, if you stream it down to championships, Tim Duncan had three and Kobe Bryant had four. Most Laker fans would agree that Shaq was the best player in their three-peat in the 2000s alongside Bryant.
Shaquille O'Neal retired in 2011, playing only 37 games with the Boston Celtics. In the 2000s, he played for four different teams. Among those not mentioned above were the Phoenix Suns with Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire, and the Cleveland Cavaliers alongside LeBron James.