Shaquille O’Neal is a pretty confident guy — and he should be. The dude was as dominant as anyone who has ever played the game. In 20 seasons, he made 15 All-Star teams, 14 All-NBA teams, and won three NBA Championships. He averaged 23 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.
His status as an NBA great is not questionable, but his rank among the other greats certainly is. Where do you place him on your All-Time centers list? Top five? Top three?
Whatever the case, O’Neal clearly has an idea as to where he belongs, and it’s certainly not as low as eight.
Back in 2015, as an April Fools Day prank, the TNT crew told the big man that he was ranked ninth on Bleacher Report’s center list — and his reaction was priceless.
In 2015, the @NBAonTNT crew told Shaq that B/R ranked him as the ninth-best center ever.
Diesel was ready to tear up the set 🤣 #AprilFoolsDayhttps://t.co/spQ1x6gayx
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 1, 2020
They had Shaq behind Kareem, Russell, Wilt, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning, Jack Sikma, and Dwight Howard. He should’ve known it was a joke after Hakeem and, especially, after Dwight. Neither can really match up to O’Neal’s career.
All-in-all, the Diesel’s greatest strength was his size. He was a big who used size and brute force to bully his opponents at the rim. He couldn’t be stopped.
And while his place on the All-Time list may vary depending on who you ask, it’s almost unanimous that the guy is in the top-five. With a history and track record like his, there no way he can’t be.
