Both Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the best centers in their respective eras. But how would the most dominant big man ever have matched up against the highest scorer of the NBA?
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Kareem Abdul Jabbar to some is the best center to ever play basketball. He is currently the highest in NBA’s all-time scoring list. He is a 6-times NBA champion, 2-times Finals MVP and 6-times season MVP.
Shaquille O’Neal on the other hand is considered to be the most dominant centre of all time, in terms of size and strength. He is a 4-times NBA champion, 3-times Finals MVP and 1-time season MVP.
Both Kareem and Shaq has very important contributions to the center position and the LA Lakers legacy. So it should not be an unfathomable thought that Shaq could block the most unguardable move of all time.
In one of the Open Court episodes, Shaq said, “You think I could have blocked the skyhook? I think I could have got him a couple of times”.
Was Shaquille O’Neal capable enough to block the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar skyhook?
Let’s get this first out of the way. Kareem’s skyhook has been blocked before, multiple times. But if a signature move is blocked only 3-4 times in 20 seasons of playing, that’s pretty much unstoppable. Did I mention that some of those blocks will be considered goaltending today?
What made Kareem’s skyhook unstoppable and inimitable is his size and his control. Kareem at 7’2”, released the ball straight arm, from overhead, at the peak of his jump. Technically, you need a very tall big man with a big wingspan and high vertical to even have a chance to block it.
That’s Wilt Chamberlain for you. But even he couldn’t do it more than a couple of times. Now Shaq is 7’1” and had an insane vertical reach of 12’5”(highest in the NBA at one time) in his prime. So technically, Shaq had the reach to block the shot. Shaq is also 8th in the all-time NBA blocks.
But could he time the block properly, consistently at that? We will never know. But Bad Boy Piston Isiah Thomas knows the answer for sure. He said, “Shaq, you know I love you. But he would be givin it to you”.
