While the “GOAT” debate usually boils down to LeBron James and Michael Jordan for most NBA fans, former NBA player Kendal Gill begged to differ during a 2022 interview. Appearing on TJ Sports USA, Gill declared Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to be the NBA GOAT. This conversation happened during the start of the 2022-23 season when LeBron James broke the All-Time Scoring record. Various analysts including Shaquille O’Neal had posited the view that if Bron breaks the record, he would automatically qualify as the GOAT. However, for Gill, this reasoning wasn’t sound.
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He argued that since LBJ entered the NBA just after high school, he had more seasons to break the All-Time Scoring record compared to some of the other greats. “‘If LeBron passes Kareem, he is the GOAT,’ I saw Shaquille O’Neal say it, I saw a number of NBA players say it, but I’m in total disagreement with that,” Gill told TJ Sports USA.
For the 1999 steals leader, one has to meet the “6-5” criteria to be in the GOAT conversation, i.e. having six championships and five league MVPs. The former Nets guard pointed out how only Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell meet the criteria. Gill also highlighted KAJ’s three championships as a UCLA Bruins center and how he won even at high school before arriving in the NBA.
“My opinion is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because of his pedigree. High-School, college, pro, nobody comes close to Kareem. Now, I think Michael Jordan is the greatest NBA player of all time, but over the duration of all the three careers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,” Gill argued.
Despite Gill disagreeing with his point about LBJ eclipsing everyone after breaking Kareem’s scoring record, Shaquille O’Neal shared a clip of the interview on this take on his IG. The story was redirected to an Insta video by the Insta handle “All Ball Baby!” In his usual fashion, Shaq didn’t impress upon any additional text on the story.
So, is he in agreement with Kendal Gill’s take about The Captain being the GOAT? Hard to tell, because Shaq has also repeatedly posted stories hailing MJ as the GOAT.
Who is Shaquille O’Neal’s GOAT?
In 2020, during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up, Shaquille O’Neal reflected upon Michael Jordan’s greatness. An article by Bleacher Report’s Tim Daniels covered his comments during the show. The 3x Finals MVP alluded to Jordan’s championships and how he “paved” the way for great players of the current generation. While bringing up these points, Shaq labeled the former Bulls legend as the “greatest“.
“Michael paved the way for all the great guys we have now; 6-0 in the Finals without a legitimate big man. Went through a lot, took a year off, came back and won three more in a row. He’s definitely the greatest player,” argued O’Neal on Get Up.
Apart from these comments, the former Magic superstar has repeatedly shared stories tabbing Jordan as the GOAT on his Instagram. However, the active Instagrammer drops a curveball now and then. He has swung between MJ, LBJ, and now KAJ.
