“You can’t sit up here and say Tom Brady is a better athlete than Michael Jordan” - Shaquille O’Neal has no time for Brady-Jordan conversation
Shaquille O'Neal has seen his fair share of legendary athletes throughout his life, including Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. One of those legends – Brady – closed an epic career when he retired Tuesday at the age of 44 after 22 amazing seasons.
Jordan, the Chicago Bulls legend who retired in 2003, has long been considered one of the greatest to play basketball. Likewise, Brady is one of the best to ever play football. On "The Big Podcast with Shaq," O'Neal, an NBA legend, gave his opinion of Brady's ability:
"Tom Brady is the most perfect athlete I've ever watched."
O'Neal has an appreciation for the greats of professional sports, even those outside of the NBA. Known for his role as an analyst on TNT's "Inside the NBA," he's a popular sports personality who likes to stay close to what's going on in the world of professional sports.
While O'Neal praised Brady, he also said fans need to be careful when trying to compare the NFL great to the NBA legend:
"But you can't sit up here and say Tom Brady is a better athlete than Michael Jordan. Stop it with that. Cut it out."
Shaquille O'Neal warns fans when comparing legends such as Tom Brady and Michael Jordan
Although Shaquille O'Neal praised the illustrious career and ability Tom Brady had in the NFL, he debunked the idea that Brady should be mentioned in the same conversation as Michael Jordan.
O'Neal talked about how there's no need to compare Jordan and Brady as athletes. While Brady is one of the best players to ever play in the NFL, Jordan was one of the most remarkable athletes basketball has seen.
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O'Neal stressed to fans that it's "unfair" to compare legends from different sports. His intriguing point is that fans should simply embrace players for what they did in their venue instead of trying to compare two athletes that not only played different sports, but also had such different roles in their games.
Brady, an unheralded sixth-round draft pick, and Jordan, a No. 3 draft pick, are two of the greatest individuals to ever play the games they loved. The two combined to win 13 championships and eight regular-season MVPs, cementing themselves as two legends who will never be forgotten.