Shaquille O’Neal has never been one to shy away from bold statements, and his latest one has NBA fans buzzing. When asked at a recent event how many championships he could have won alongside Allen Iverson, the four-time champion didn’t hesitate.
“Four. I could have had four with him. I could have had four with T-Mac.”
The comment quickly went viral, especially as fans continue to debate how dominant Shaq’s peak could have been with other superstar guards beside him.
It’s not the first time the Diesel has entertained this kind of hypothetical, but his conviction this time was unmistakable; he truly believes that pairing with Iverson or Tracy McGrady could have produced the same success he had with Kobe Bryant during the early 2000s Lakers dynasty.
O’Neal’s reasoning is simple: both Iverson and McGrady were elite scorers who could take pressure off him offensively while still allowing him to dominate inside. During his prime, Shaq was nearly unstoppable in the paint, the kind of generational big man who warped defenses and created space for perimeter stars.
With someone like Iverson, one of the quickest guards to ever play the game, or McGrady, a 6’8” scoring machine with smooth handles and elite shot creation, the combination could have been lethal.
As for Tracy McGrady, the admiration runs deep. Shaq has long said that T-Mac was one of the most gifted players he ever faced. At his peak with the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets, McGrady was a walking bucket: a two-time scoring champion with the ability to torch defenses from anywhere on the floor.
McGrady himself recently sparked headlines by saying that if he had replaced Kobe Bryant on the early 2000s Lakers, he too would have won championships with Shaq. That comment caused waves online, but Shaq’s new admission seems to agree with him.
While the hypotheticals will forever remain just that, there’s no denying that Shaq with either Iverson or McGrady would’ve been one of the most unstoppable duos in NBA history. Both guards had the killer instinct and offensive firepower to complement Shaq’s dominance, and in an era where defense and physicality still ruled, that combination might have been unfair.
Shaq’s chemistry with Kobe wasn’t always smooth, but the results were undeniable: three straight championships from 2000 to 2002. Whether A.I. or T-Mac could have matched that is impossible to say, but with Shaq’s dominance in the paint and their ability to score from anywhere, it’s hard to argue against the possibility.
