"Can’t say Tom Brady is a better athlete than Michael Jordan" - Shaquille O'Neal weighs in on the GOAT debate
When the debate of who is the greatest of all time (GOAT) comes up, the first name that normally comes to mind is Tom Brady. The legendary quarterback has now officially retired from the NFL.
Brady is what many would consider to be the greatest athlete of any sport ever, due to his excellence and longevity. The seven Super Bowl rings he gathered over nearly two decades of playing time is something no other athlete in the history of the NFL has done.
However, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal says not so fast, saying that Tom Brady is not the GOAT, as one man stands above him: Michael Jordan.
On the latest episode of his podcast show "The Big Podcast" called "The Big DM", host Shaquille O'Neal revealed that he thinks it's unfair to keep mismatching sports, saying that one cannot simply just assert that "Tom Brady is a better athlete than Michael Jordan."
“I hate when these non-sports people try to say who’s the greatest athlete… They say he’s better than Michael Jordan, or you know, he’s better than Usain Bolt. I think it’s unfair to keep mismatching sports... You can’t sit up here and say Tom Brady is a better athlete than Michael Jordan. Stop it with that. Cut it out.”
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Jordan won 6 NBA titles while he was with the Chicago Bulls and is still considered by many to be the greatest NBA star of all time too. Jordan won the second of his two three-peats after leaving to go play baseball for a year, pointing to his athletic prowess. When he did return he dominated the league as if he never left.
But Jordan and Brady are not the only ones considered the GOAT in their respective sports.
Tom Brady and Michael Jordan have some company
How can you talk about one of the greatest athletes of all time and not mention Tiger Woods?
Woods has 15 majors under his belt and numerous other golf titles to go along with that. In his prime,he was the most dominant golfer of this generation. If it wasn't for injuries and personal problems, one imagines that Woods would be head and shoulders ahead in terms of Majors' wins.
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How about Serena Williams? Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles in her career, the second most won by any woman in the sport, second only to Margaret Court, who has 24. Williams has been a dominant force in tennis. There is a strong argument to be made that she might be the greatest athlete of all time.
Her most impressive Grand Slam title and athletic feat had to be when she won the Australian Open in 2017 while pregnant. She'd later give birth to her daughter that same year.
Like Woods, injuries and age have caught up to Williams but she has not opted to sport as of yet.
Whether it's Tom Brady, Michael Jordan or any of the other aforementioned athletes, you could put forward any of them as being the GOAT, and there would be very little wrong with your take.