Shaquille O’Neal brought something unique to the NBA, which fans hadn’t seen since Wilt Chamberlain was active. The former No. 1 overall pick was expected to do big things in the association, and he exceeded expectations. Shaq went on to become the most dominant player of all time, demolishing the competition during his best years in the league.
He won three straight NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, earning Finals MVP honors in each series while winning a regular-season MVP in the process. There was no doubt that O’Neal was something special, and he proved that night in and night out.
However, many people believe he would have been a lot better (just imagine that) if he had a different mindset. One of his former head coaches believes that O’Neal could have been the greatest player of all time if he had a better work ethic.
Del Harris Explains How Great Shaquille O’Neal Would’ve Been If He Had Kobe Bryant’s Mentality
Former NBA head coach and Hall of Famer Del Harris recently spoke at the 2022 ceremony’s press conference, speaking of how basketball can bring people together and other stuff. But, one of the things he said that made more noise involved two of his former players: Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Harris claimed that if the Big Diesel had Kobe’s mindset, he would have been the greatest player of all time.
Hall of Famer Del Harris said if Shaq had Kobe's seriousness, he could have been the best player ever. #Lakers.
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) September 9, 2022
Harris isn’t the only one who thinks that way. Kobe himself claimed that Shaq could have been so much more than he was if he had Bryant’s work ethic.
“He’d be the greatest of all time. He’d be the first to tell you that. This guy was a force like I had never seen. It was crazy. Guy that size, generally guys that size are a little timid. They don’t wanna be tall, they don’t wanna be big. He did not care. He was mean, he was nasty, he was competitive, he was vindictive. I wish he was in the gym, I would have had f***ing 12 rings.”
O’Neal was a force of nature, he was somebody who constantly humiliated rivals at the paint. If he had worked harder and stayed in better shape during his career, it would have been hard to not mention him as the GOAT. He’s indeed the most dominant player ever alongside Wilt Chamberlain, but he could have become a lot more if he made better decisions.
