Shaquille O’Neal considers Kareem Adbul-Jabbar to be a greater Los Angeles Lakers legend than he is because he considers the 77-year-old a better center than he was, despite previously calling himself the most dominant ever.
The 52-year-old also praised Wilt Chamberlain as a better player than himself too, seeming to step firmly out of the greatest of all-time debate, although it’s pretty much a two-horse race between LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
O’Neal is a four-time NBA champion who was voted three-time Finals MVP and scored 28,596 points in his career as well as 13,099 rebounds, eventually having his jersey number 34 retired by the Lakers, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.
But despite the accolades, Shaq took his name out of contention after being called the greatest ever center in the NBA by Smoothvega, saying, “Thanks my gee but Kareem is the man then Wilt then me.”
Chamberlain played in the NBA from 1958-1973 and won two championships but was a four-time MVP with the Harlem Globetrotters, Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers and Lakers. He scored 31,419 points and an incredible 23,924 rebounds in his career.
Whilst Abdul-Jabbar recorded 38,387 points and 17,440 rebounds between 1969-1989 for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Lakers, becoming a six-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP and six-time league MVP. He had his jersey number 33 retired by both sides, and won two more titles as a coach.
Why does O’Neal rank himself third?
Dominating the basketball scene with his physically imposing frame, O’Neal has a good claim to consider himself the best ever center and the right kind of confident personality to make that claim.
Yet he does not. So why does he rank Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain above him? Look to his old interview with Adam Lefkoe for the answer.
“However, Kareem, yes,” Shaq told Lefkoe of why he ranks himself third. “Wilt, only because he has more points than me.
“That’s the only thing that upsets me about my career because he has more points. I’ll let that slide.”
