The greatest NBA player of all-time is a debate that has raged on for decades. From conversations surrounding the likes of Bill Russell and Michael Jordan in the 20th century, to modern greats like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James since the turn of the millennium, the question has always divided opinion.
One man whose name often features in that argument, albeit perhaps not right at the very top, is Shaquille O'Neal. The Los Angeles Lakers legend was one of the most dominant players in NBA history, and even in spite of an era that favoured traditional centers, O'Neal looked unguardable, bullying Hall of Famers and rookies alike with sheer strength and post control.
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With his haul of four NBA titles, one MVP and 15 All-Star selections, and a career that spanned almost 20 years, O'Neal has seen a lot of the NBA greats up close and personal, often playing against them or even alongside him.
Now, O'Neal has weighed in on the greatest of all-time debate by naming the 10 best NBA players of all-time, and it's fair to say his choices may just raise some eyebrows.
10 Julius Erving
Having initially picked himself to go number ten in his rankings, O'Neal then reversed his decision and instead went with Julius Erving. A superstar before the NBA had filtered onto TV screens up and down the country, the 76ers icon captured the imagination of what it could be to be a legitimate basketball player. As athletic and explosive as they could come, Dr J's dunking skills was from the future, while he was as dominant in the ABA as he was in the NBA once they had merged.
9 Tim Duncan
One of the finest power forwards of all-time, Tim Duncan may not have been the loudest or most flamboyant of players, but he was certainly one of the most effective players the game has ever seen. Known as 'Mr Fundamental', Duncan worked out of the post better than anyone else, and was a formidable defender.
It spoke volumes of Duncan's greatness, that along with Gregg Popovich, he was a part of a San Antonio Spurs team that was great in three separate periods. One with David Robinson manning the center, then when Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili came along, and then when Kawhi Leonard looked set to take off. Duncan was at the heart of it all though.
8 Hakeem Olajuwon
While much of the NBA's great centers were all about backing people down in the post and then using their strength and athleticism to find their way to the basket, Hakeem Olajuwon was one-of-a-kind with his footwork and feel for the ball. Extremely nimble on his feet, Olajuwon's basketball IQ was off the charts, and he played a big role in sweeping O'Neal's Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals in 1995.
Usually a guy like that, on the first play of the game, I would try to commit an offensive foul. That was my thing, I take three steps to the middle and swing that elbow around. If your face there, you get hit. With him, I was real finesse, trying to be cute. But it also taught me a valuable lesson. I said to myself: if I ever make it back to the Finals again, I'm gonna throw a dominant performance so dominant it'll guarantee a win. I think that's why I got three Finals MVPs.
7 Larry Bird
Larry Legend's rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers and in particular, Magic Johnson, during the 1980s is as good as there has ever been in the NBA. The Boston Celtics and the Lakers were perennial rivals during that era, with both teams boasting multiple players who would go onto make the Hall of Fame.
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For the Celtics, it was Bird who was the main man, and he was crucial in getting the team over the line in fierce and competitive series out East, especially against the Detroit Pistons. Bird's three-point shooting, clutch skills and overall impact all make him one of the greats of the game.
6 Wilt Chamberlain
Still the only man to have breached the 100-point mark, Wilt Chamberlain was an unbelievable scorer and rebounder. The only player to average 30 points and 20 rebounds over a season - he did that seven times remarkably - Chamberlain was the league's leading rebounder for 11 of his 14 seasons.
While he may not have the same title resume as his rival and contemporary, Bill Russell, Chamberlain was similarly impactful on the court. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978, the center would win four MVP awards and led the NBA in scoring for seven consecutive seasons.
5 Bill Russell
The most successful player in NBA history, it's likely to say that no one will ever match the number of rings Bill Russell won while with the Boston Celtics. 11 championships came the way of the iconic center, while he was also a five-time NBA MVP and 12-time All-Star. Simply put, nobody really comes close to the titles and awards won by Russell.
A great rivalry with Wilt Chamberlain only added to the intrigue and the popularity of the NBA during the 1960s, and Russell would often get the better of his counterpart in the finals. Indeed, the Celtics would win eight successive titles from 1959 to 1966 - not surprisingly, that remains an NBA record.
4 Magic Johnson
Widely regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time, Magic Johnson's size and passing IQ made him the absolute stand-out during his era. Given that he was so versatile enough to play at the center in place of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the Los Angeles Lakers didn't even look out of place, it is a real testament to just how smart Johnson was.
The facilitator of the Showtime Lakers, Johnson's battles with the likes of Bird and the Detroit Pistons' Isiah Thomas, made for must-watch viewing for any NBA fan during that time period. While there have been several talented point guards since, none have ever come close to matching the sheer impact Johnson made.
3 LeBron James
There have not been many players to have come straight out of high school and make the kind of impact LeBron James did when he first entered the NBA. A true star of the game from the moment he set foot on the court, James set about proving all the hype and expectation around him was fully justified.
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Aged 40, James continues to be one of the best players in the world right now, and it is a testament to his professionalism, hard work and sheer talent that he still able to hang with players quite literally half his age. James has seen and done it all, and while Shaq putting him at number three on his greatest players of all-time list seems strange, it doesn't detract from what the King has achieved.
2 Kobe Bryant
Perhaps not surprisingly, O'Neal opted to go with Kobe Bryant as the second greatest player of all-time, ahead of LeBron James. The duo were of course teammates during the Lakers' dominant run at the start of the 2000s, and while their time may not have lasted longed, it certainly resulted in big success.
The Lakers would win three championships on the spin, and while O'Neal picked up Finals MVP in each of those series, Bryant carried his share of the load too. Bryant's longevity and work ethic is still talked about to this day, and having added a further two titles to his name later on his career without Shaq, it only cemented his legacy as a truly great player in his own right. He goes down as one of the best playoff players of all-time.
1 Michael Jordan
The consensus best player of all-time, Michael Jordan conquered all during his time in the NBA. A shooting guard who nobody has come close to matching to, even O'Neal himself admitted that Jordan had some kind of aura about him that made even him scared to face him.
He’s the only man that had me terrified on the court. Because I went from high school, admiring him, in college, admiring him, admiring him and then he’s right there in front you.
Jordan's impact on winning while with the Chicago Bulls was second-to-none, and his demanding nature meant that he lifted everyone around him to compete at the same level night-in and night-out. Multiple MVPs, multiple championships, and multiple All-Stars came Jordan's way, and as of right now, is still considered the number one basketball player in history. Including by Shaquille O'Neal.