“No one is beating this lineup”: Shaquille O’Neal has Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in his Unbeatable 5 lineup

Samir Mehdi | 25/12/2020
Shaquille O'Neal voices his opinion on the Bron vs Michael Jordan debate

Shaq takes to Instagram to list out his all time starting 5 and includes himself, along with LeBron, Kobe, Jordan, and Allen Iverson.

With nearly 70 years having gone by since the inception of the NBA, it is only natural that a debate ensues centered around the greatest players to ever hit the NBA hardwood. Everything from who the GOAT is to who the greatest team ever assembled is.

These questions can never truly be answered as it almost always compares players/teams that played in completely separate eras. For example, comparing the ‘96 Bulls to the ’16 Warriors wouldn’t yield any conclusive answers as they played 20 years apart from one another.

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There’s never an obvious answer to these debates. But it is still entertaining to dabble in hypotheticals. This is exactly what Shaquille O’Neal did on Instagram in November.

Shaq takes his picks for the greatest starting 5 that could be assembled

Though NBA Hall of Famer and 4x champ Shaq never grew up with social media, he is still very much active on it. He boasts nearly 20 million followers on Instagram alone, and has posted over 3000 times.

On November 1st, he took to his Instagram to claim that his hypothetical all-time starting 5 is unbeatable. The team he assembled consisted of Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and of course, Shaq Diesel himself.

This isn’t the first time Shaq has given his thoughts on “NBA All-Time” questions. He has taken to social media to ask questions like, “All time Bulls vs. all time Lakers”.

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Is Shaq’s starting 5 truly unbeatable?

The offense this lineup would generate would quite literally be unfair. LeBron and Shaq are the two most dominant players to lace up in the NBA.

Kobe, Michael, and Iverson are perhaps the 3 most skilled players of all time. Combine that with 4 out of the 5 being All-Defense studs, and you get why this team is indeed quite unbeatable.

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Allen Iverson Kobe Bryant LeBron James Michael Jordan Shaq

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Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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