The 2023 NBA Draft garnered a lot of attention from NBA fans worldwide, thanks to the hype surrounding the #1 pick Victor Wembanyama. Widely touted as possibly the greatest Draft prospect ever, the hype centering Wembanyama reminded fans of the 2003 NBA Draft when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected high school sensation LeBron James as the number 1 pick. James is generally regarded as the greatest #1 pick in NBA history, with already a solo feature on the cover of Sports Illustrated before his NBA stint. However, Shaquille O’Neal shared a parody video recently, which showed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaq’s animated personas giving James a run for his money in barbershop talk on the best #1 pick ever.
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Shaquille O’Neal completely changed the direction of the Orlando Magic after being selected number 1 in the 1992 NBA Draft on a yearly salary of $3,000,000. He improved the brand new NBA franchise’s season record by 20 wins in his rookie year, bagging the 1993 Rookie of the Year award and an All-Star rep. Teaming up with the newly Drafted Penny Hardaway next season, Shaq took the Magic to their first playoffs appearance in franchise history in only his second season.
Shaquille O’Neal shares barbershop talk on best #1 pick ever, ft. LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Shaquille O’Neal shared a hilarious parody skit on his Instagram stories recently. The animated video showcased a heated barbershop debate on “the best number 1 pick ever” between LeBron James, Shaq and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James kickstarted the conversation, saying, “Everyone knows I’m the best number one pick ever!”
Shaq’s character interjected, saying, “Stop it, I’m the only number 1 pick to three-peat.” The Diesel’s response was followed by a brief statement by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, “Six Rings. Six MVPs. Case Closed.” Hard to argue with the logic there.
Meanwhile, the inclusion of Zion’s character added an extra layer of hilarity into the mix. The whole premise of the video provided the audience with hearty laughter, as the barbershop owner was seen painting LeBron’s hairline with a brush the entirety of the conversation. Soon Magic Johnson showed up and threatened to fight the shop-owner after he was told to leave. NBA fans were amused by concept of NBA GOATs arguing for their legacies in the barbershop despite none of them having any hair for the barber to work with.
Who’s the best #1 pick ever?
LeBron James undoubtedly takes the lead in this debate, with the absence of Michael Jordan in the conversation. James’ historic Championship win in 2016 after returning to his home team in Cleveland that had initially drafted him, is one of the most riveting stories in NBA history. However, it’s hard to argue with Kareem’s ‘six rings, six MVPs’ logic.
The former Milwaukee Bucks center also won the franchise that drafted him their first NBA title. On the other hand, Shaq was probably the most dominant #1 pick right from the jump. The 7’1 big man led the Orlando Magic to their first NBA Finals in 1995 in just his third year in the league, winning the scoring title and finishing second in MVP voting behind David Robinson. Even though Orlando ended up losing the series to the Houston Rockets, the franchise has only been able to make it to the Finals once after that.
The debate seems to have more material than what is apparent at first glance. However, there’s no denying that all the concerned teams made great decisions choosing these #1 picks, which changed the fortunes of their franchise forever.
