‘Furious’ Shaquille O’Neal Rips Apart ‘Top-10’ NBA Players List in Front of His 46,700,000 Followers Due to Kobe Bryant and His Position: “Hell to the Naww”

Satagni Sikder | 05/06/2023
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Shaquille O’Neal has declared on numerous occasions that he is not interested in competing in the GOAT debate. Instead, he wants his legacy to have a completely separate category of its own, that of ‘the most dominant player of all time’. After absolutely terrorizing the NBA for over a decade, the 7’1 giant has an almost undisputed claim to the category. However, the Big Diesel recently got pretty upset at a ‘Top 10′ NBA Players’ list after seeing the positioning of Kobe Bryant and himself on it.

Shaq has a pretty active presence on social media. He regularly interacts with his 15.9 million Twitter followers and 30.8 million Instagram followers to discuss hot takes on the basketball world among other things, posting multiple times a day. He recently posted the aforementioned ‘Top 10′ NBA Greats’ list to tear down its ranking hierarchy in front of his 46,700,000 followers.

Shaquille O’Neal is furious with this Top 10 NBA Players list

Selecting the ten greatest players from the NBA’s opulent history is no easy task. Besides, the qualifiers used to rank the players often vary from person to person. Therefore, it’s not surprising at all that such a subjective endeavor might offend some people, especially if they have their own biases. That’s exactly what happened with Shaq and this ‘Top 10’ list.

In the list posted by Shaq on his Instagram, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar occupy the top three spots, followed by Bill Russell and Magic Johnson. However, that’s not what offended the four-time NBA champion. Shaq captioned the picture, “Y’all agree with this? I DON’T.. KOBE #9 and me #10??? Hell to the nawwww.” The list placed Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, and Tim Duncan above Shaq and Kobe in the rankings.

While all of these All-Time Greats have near-perfect resumes, it is uncertain whether Shaq is upset with the positioning of certain players before Kobe and himself. However, he may be upset with the end result as well, without having an issue with the placement of any specific legend.

It seems like the positioning of Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain before Shaq and Kobe can be debatable. Bird won three NBA championships and Wilt Chamberlain won two. Even though the two legends made their mark on the court against two of the greatest dynasties of all-time, the Showtime Lakers for Bird and the Bill Russell-led Celtics for Wilt, both Shaq(4) and Kobe(5) have more rings than them. Besides the Lakers duo were the only ones on the list to three-peat after Jordan’s Bulls did it twice in the 90s.

NBA fans chime in on the contentious list

NBA fans had a lot to say after Shaq posted the list on his social media. Most of them disagreed with the ranking and suggested their own changes. Some even came up with their own lists. Here are some of the reactions.

https://twitter.com/JABridgeforth/status/1665461354440847365?s=20

Some fans agreed with Shaq’s sentiment.

What do you think of the list? Would make any changes to the current order? Let us know in the comments.

 

 

 

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
Kobe Bryant Magic Johnson Michael Jordan NBA Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

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Satagni Sikder

Satagni Sikder, the Lead NBA Editor at The SportsRush, has written over 600 articles on basketball for different websites. His pieces have struck a chord not just with the readers but the stars as well. Shaquille O’Neal, no less, had shared one of his articles on Instagram. A Mavericks fan, Satagni’s love for the Dallas side began when Dirk Nowitzki led them to the title in 2011. Luka Doncic’s entry into the league and his insane game-ending buzzer-beater against the Clippers in the Orlando bubble ensured he is hitched for life. Satagni, who holds a Master's degree in English, writes analytical pieces, breaking down contracts, trade rumors, and player endorsement deals. In 2022, he extensively covered WNBA star Brittney Griner's exile in a Russian penal colony. One of the first to cover Shaq's Big Chicken restaurant chain, his article is cited in its Wikipedia page. In his free time, he watches political documentaries and debates.

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