While many experts and former players have strong opinions on the GOAT debate, Shaquille O’Neal usually refrains from discussing the topic. He has expressed differing opinions on the matter in the past. On a few occasions, however, Shaq has accepted Michael Jordan as the NBA GOAT. In one of his recent Instagram stories, the Big Aristotle seemed to side with Jordan as the GOAT once again as he shared a video by SLAM proclaiming exactly that.
Advertisement
Shaq’s Instagram stories from today featured a clip of actor Omari Hardwick answering a few rapid-fire questions asked by a SLAM magazine host.
In the very first question, Hardwick was asked to name his pick for the greatest NBA player of all time. The 49-year-old didn’t waste a second before naming Michael Jordan. Shaq seemed very amused by the answer because he decided to share the video with his fans on social media.
Shaq solidifies Michael Jordan as the GOAT with his IG Story pic.twitter.com/RUbnYUlBcg
— What are NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) July 5, 2023
Apart from choosing MJ as the greatest NBA player of all time, Hardwick aka The Ghost also chose Scottie Pippen as the best defender, Cheryl Miller as the best WNBA player, Bill Russell’s Celtics as the best NBA team for winning 11 championship titles, John Wooden as the best coach of all time, and the Jordan 3s as the best sneakers of all time, among other things.
View this post on Instagram
While there is no doubt Shaq is arguably the greatest center the league has ever seen, there are many reasons why his name does not appear in the GOAT debate. In the 2022 Hall of Fame ceremony, Del Harris remarked that Shaq would have been in the same conversation if he had the seriousness and work ethic of Kobe Bryant.
However, Shaq has clarified many times that he is not interested in the title of the GOAT. He would rather have the title of the most dominant player of all time. And as far as the GOAT debate is concerned, Shaq is happy to keep the discussion open-ended.
The big man has never explicitly commented on his GOAT pick. However, he has made the case for MJ and Kobe Bryant in the past.
However, this does not mean that the Diesel disregards LeBron in this debate. Shaq once also declared that LeBron’s GOAT case cannot be discredited easily if he becomes the NBA’s All-Time Leading scorer, which LBJ did become later on.
