Candace Parker raised some eyebrows with her all-time NBA starting five, which included Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Garnett. Shaquille O’Neal was a notable exclusion and that fact was brought up when the two were on Inside the NBA on Tuesday.
“This was on a whim,” Parker said when the graphic came up. “… Listen, he called someone else the GOAT, so we got beef.”
O’Neal hilariously put a piece of paper on the side of his face after that so Parker couldn’t see him. He then stated Garnett isn’t even a center.
“He doesn’t have to be a center,” Parker replied. “… We’re playing positionless basketball.”
Her colleague Jamal Crawford then asked who on that team could guard O’Neal. Parker stated they would be running and that the game wouldn’t slow down, but that didn’t sit too well with the big man
“Oh, so Shaq can’t run,” O’Neal asked.
“I didn’t say Shaq couldn’t run,” Parker replied. “Orlando Shaq.”
O’Neal then hilariously started acting as if he was reduced to tears because Parker had left him off. Her explanation behind choosing Garnett was that positionless basketball is played in the WNBA, and that is how she chose her team here. They will get out and run, and Parker felt Garnett was a better pick for their style of play.
I suppose that does make sense if she insists on playing that way, but if you just compare the careers, it is a no-contest. Garnett is undoubtedly an all-time great, who is generally regarded as a top 25 player of all time. He won an NBA championship and DPOY in 2008, to go with MVP in 2004. His resume is incredible, but it pales in comparison to O’Neal’s.
Shaq won four titles, three Finals MVPs, and was the MVP in 2000. As I said, there is little doubt about who is the greater player, but Parker went with the better fit.
Parker also seemed a little bit upset over O’Neal proclaiming someone else to be the GOAT in women’s basketball. While I don’t think the big man has hailed anyone as the WNBA GOAT recently, he did crown Caitlin Clark as the best female collegiate player ever.
“I’m gonna go on the record and say she’s the best female collegiate player ever.”
"I'm gonna go on the record and say she's the best female collegiate player ever." 🔥
Shaq has high praise for Caitlin Clark after breaking the NCAAW all-time scoring record pic.twitter.com/2r2Zrq93n7
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 16, 2024
Parker is one of the greatest female collegiate players ever, having won back-to-back national championships in 2007 and 2008 while representing the University of Tennessee. With Clark having failed to win an NCAA title, she might think of herself as the greater collegiate player.
Shaquille O’Neal’s All-Time Starting Five
O’Neal had shared his own all-time starting five last year. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he revealed it would be Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and himself.
I would say that’s a pretty great starting five. All five men are regarded among the greatest of the greats in NBA history. Bryant, Jordan, and James were picked by both Parker and O’Neal, which speaks to just how incredible their careers were and continue to be, in the case of LeBron.
O’Neal also named his second team during that interview, which had Curry, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, and Isiah Thomas. He said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had to be there as well, but didn’t mention who would go out.
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