Shaquille O’Neal gave his list of the 10 greatest players in NBA history on his Netflix docuseries Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal. Every top 10 list tends to have some surprises, and O’Neal’s was no different, as LeBron James was third while Los Angeles Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was left out.
“No. 10, I have myself,” O’Neal said. “I will take myself off and put the great Julius Erving. No. 9, I have the great Tim Duncan. No. 8, I have Hakeem Olajuwon. No. 7, Larry Bird. No. 6, Wilt Chamberlain. No. 5, I will go with Bill Russell. No. 4, I’m going to go with Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson.
“No. 3, I’m going to go with the King, LeBron James,” O’Neal continued. “No. 2, I’m going with rest in peace, Kobe ‘Bean’ Bryant, and No. 1, the greatest player of all time is Michael Jordan.”
O’Neal initially had himself at 10th but then decided to give that spot to Julius Erving. The best years of Erving’s career came in the ABA, but he did win one NBA title and MVP. He would make the All-Star team in each of his 11 seasons in the NBA and made seven All-NBA teams as well.
O’Neal’s old rival, Tim Duncan, came in at ninth. Duncan won five titles, three Finals MVPs, and two MVPs in his 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs. He made 15 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 15 All-Defensive teams.
Another old rival of O’Neal’s, Hakeem Olajuwon, got the eighth spot. Olajuwon won two titles, two Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two DPOYs. He made 12 All-Star, 12 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams.
Boston Celtics icon Larry Bird got the seventh spot. Bird won three titles, two Finals MVPs, and three MVPs in his career. He made 12 All-Star, 10 All-NBA, and three All-Defensive teams.
Wilt Chamberlain just missed out on the top five, as he earned the sixth spot. Chamberlain won two titles, a Finals MVP, and four MVPs. He made 13 All-Star, 10 All-NBA, and three All-Defensive teams. Chamberlain is often referred to as the most dominant player in history, famously averaging 50.4 points per game in 1961-62.
The man primarily responsible for Chamberlain having just two titles is Bill Russell, who’s fifth on O’Neal’s list. Russell won 11 titles and five MVPs in his career with the Celtics. He made 12 All-Star and 11 All-NBA teams.
While Abdul-Jabbar didn’t make it in, his partner-in-crime, Magic Johnson, got in at fourth. Johnson won five titles, three Finals MVPs, and three MVPs with the Lakers. He made 12 All-Star and 10 All-NBA teams.
LeBron James then surprisingly came in at third. James has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, and four MVPs. James, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, has made 21 All-Star, 21 All-NBA, and six All-Defensive teams.
O’Neal gave his former Lakers teammate, Kobe Bryant, the nod over James for the second spot. Bryant won five titles, two Finals MVPs, and one MVP in his career. He made 18 All-Star, 15 All-NBA, and 12 All-Defensive teams.
Bryant’s idol, Michael Jordan, got the top spot and is the man O’Neal considers to be the GOAT. Jordan won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, and a DPOY in his storied career. He made 14 All-Star, 11 All-NBA, and nine All-Defensive teams.
O’Neal’s GOAT pick isn’t all too controversial, but the same cannot be said about the rest of his list. James is widely recognized as the second greatest of all time, with a growing number starting to believe he deserves the top spot. You can’t blame O’Neal too much, though, for being biased toward the man with whom he won three titles.
A bigger shock was Abdul-Jabbar, who won six titles, two Finals MVPs, and six MVPs, not even being in the top 10. It was also surprising that O’Neal left out Stephen Curry after demanding that fans put him in the GOAT conversation earlier this year.
