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“If Shaq Had Curry Range Is He The GOAT?”: Shaquille O’Neal Poses A Question To NBA Fans About His Own Legacy

Advait Jajodia
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"If Shaq Had Curry Range Is He The GOAT?": Shaquille O'Neal Poses A Question To NBA Fans About His Own Legacy

Shaquille O’Neal often shares some hypothetical situations on his social media accounts. A majority of the time, Shaq has posted imaginary matchups between different lineups, asking his followers to pick one. However, O’Neal has a slightly different question for his followers this time that involves the hypothetical of him having the range of Stephen Curry.

Shaquille O’Neal recently came across @nba_talkig’s reel on Instagram. In the post, the user asked if the Big Aristotle would be the GOAT had he been equipped with Stephen Curry’s long-distance shooting. Apparently finding the thought amusing, the Los Angeles Lakers legend reshared the post to his Instagram Story.

Apart from sharing it with the 34.3 million users that follow him, the TNT analyst also gave his opinions, answering the hypothetical question. By replying “f**k yes” in the comments section, Shaq clearly believes he could very well dethrone Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the GOAT with Steph’s otherworldly shooting ability.

O’Neal isn’t inaccurate at all. He is already regarded as the most dominant player of all time, being a threat in the paint. Adding Steph’s range to his arsenal, the four-time NBA champion would’ve been significantly more lethal. A player with O’Neal’s skills and Steph’s shooting would indeed, likely go down as the greatest basketball player of all time.

Shaquille O’Neal is a huge Stephen Curry fan

Credits: USA TODAY SPORTS

Shaquille O’Neal is known for his humility, but he doesn’t shy away from reminding people about the illustrious career that he’s had. Often flexing his four championships, O’Neal is clearly quite proud of his distinguished career. However, he kept all his pride aside when ranking Stephen Curry above himself.

Steph has captivated millions of fans over the past decade. Today, Shaq is merely one of many basketball enthusiasts to be left in awe of the Golden State Warriors guard’s brilliance. Apart from often stating that Curry was his favorite player, the Los Angeles Lakers legend also ranked the shifty guard over himself when making a case for Steph’s inclusion in the GOAT list.

“He’s been consistently the best shooter (for his) whole career. I’m wondering is it time to start putting him as the best player of all time. Yes (I put him over me.) I played 20 years. Watched 20 years before that. I’ve never seen a guy like that. And he’s doing it consistently. And he has championships,” Shaq said on Inside the NBA.

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Apart from speaking about Curry’s greatness from time to time, O’Neal has also tried emulating the former. Calling himself the “Black Stephen Curry”, Shaq clearly gushes over the way the Baby-Faced Assassin plays.

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It is extremely difficult to compare and rank Curry and O’Neal on the same list. Both players have been the best at their respective positions and have won the highest honor possible multiple times. However, with Curry very much active in today’s league, there could be a possibility that he will conclude his career with a better-looking resume than Shaquille O’Neal’s.

Post Edited By:Tonoy Sengupta

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

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Advait Jajodia, a seasoned NBA journalist, has had a passion for the game for over a decade. His journey from admiring Kobe Bryant's precision to being in awe of Stephen Curry's long-range mastery instilled a profound understanding of basketball. With a background as a two-time National-level player, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 21-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 3,350+ articles.

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