Shareef O’Neal is the son of NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal but his father isn’t who he considers to be the greatest ever. ESPN recently asked Shareef to name his GOAT and he revealed it’s LeBron James.
While Michael Jordan is still widely regarded as the GOAT, it’s hardly a surprise that a 24-year-old like Shareef considers James to be the best. When Kansas City Chiefs players were asked for their GOAT pick, James got more votes than Jordan and Kobe Bryant combined.
Like Shareef, many of those players have seen James dominate in the NBA for basically their entire lives. They never saw Jordan in action at his peak, so don’t hold him in the same regard as those who came before them.
To be fair to Shareef and those Chiefs players, James isn’t a bad pick for that crown either, having won four titles, four Finals MVPs, four MVPs, a scoring title, and an assists title in his career so far. The 39-year-old is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer as well and has set statistical records that are unlikely to ever be matched.
James still has gas left in the tank too, as he is averaging 23.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2024-25. He won’t be playing for many more years, but could potentially add more accolades to that resume before he walks away from the game.
I don’t think James will end up matching Jordan when it comes to championships, though. The Chicago Bulls icon won six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, a DPOY, and 10 scoring titles in his storied career.
As for James’ title prospects, his Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to an impressive 9-4 start this season but I don’t view them as a serious contender. The only way I’d change my mind is if they manage to make a significant move and it’s unclear if they’ll go that route, as the front office is keeping an eye on the future.
Who Is Shaquille O’Neal’s GOAT?
While James is Shareef’s GOAT, his father doesn’t share that opinion. In an interview with Sport Bild in September, Shaquille O’Neal picked Jordan as his GOAT.
“When I was a child, Drs. J (Julius Erving) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the measure of all things,” said O’Neal. “When I was in college, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the best. When I came to the NBA, Michael Jordan dominated. After that came Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. But for me, the greatest of all time is Michael Jordan.”
O’Neal also left LeBron off his personal best starting five of all time. He went with Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Julius Erving, Karl Malone, and himself. Shaq going with Jordan as the GOAT was understandable but leaving James off the team was quite a surprise.
I think James and Jordan are two men who should be on everyone’s team. I certainly would put him over Karl Malone, but O’Neal is, of course, entitled to his opinion, just like his sons. Shareef isn’t actually the only one among them to have that opinion on this topic, as Myles O’Neal told Shaq that LeBron is his GOAT.
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