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“I know it ain’t me”: Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal asks Instagram to choose between Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the GOAT center

Amulya Shekhar
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"I know it ain't me": Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal asks Instagram to choose between Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the GOAT center

Shaquille O’Neal engaged in another favorite internet pastime of his last night, asking the internet to pick the GOAT center.

The 3-time Finals MVP has recently been feuding with Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert. Going on the All Things Covered podcast, Shaq talked the big man down. He joked that kids should take the inspiration from the Frenchman that ‘if you average 11 points, you get $200 million’.

Many think of O’Neal as a bitter old guy who can’t give props to current centers. They’re not without their reasons. For as big a name Shaquille O’Neal might be in telecasting, the big guy can’t refrain from taking cheap shots at them.

Also Read: “Rudy Gobert is Baguette Biyombo”: Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal continues taking shots at Jazz star despite his call for a truce

Gobert refused to engage with Shaq, saying he doesn’t want to think about negativity. He’s got good reason to take the high road. Dwight Howard gets a lot of praise for handling Shaq maturely. So do Al Horford and JaVale McGee.

Shaquille O’Neal asks the Internet who the GOAT center is

If there’s one area where Shaq is not a sore old man, it’s when he’s giving props to the greats. The Lakers legend never fails to give props to the OGs, recognizing their contribution in changing and growing the game.

He’s talked about how his dad made him pore over extensive tape of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He always places them ahead of himself in the GOAT discussion.

Also Read: “Be warned LeBron James, I’ll shoot you”: Lakers star receives graphic death threat on Instagram from handle named ‘Witness Kevin Durant’

Obviously, given the backdrop of his digs at Rudy Gobert, he got several answers naming the French 2-time Defensive Player of the Year. There were also other kinds of questions posed at Shaq, calling him fake humble. Of course, Shaq has also never shied away from self-promotion.

Few ardent fans will forget his ‘Rings, Erneh!’ argument which he constantly brought up to undermine Chuck. ‘Google Me’ is yet another moment in the same mould. He also calls himself by the corny nickname ‘Most Dominant Ever’ or MDE.

About the author

Amulya Shekhar

Amulya Shekhar

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Amulya Shekhar is a sports junkie who thrives on the thrills and frills of live sports action across basketball, football (the American variant works too), parkour, adventure sports. He believes sports connect us to our best selves, and he hopes to help people experience sports more holistically.

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