Shaquille O’Neal has often spoken about the significance of Julius Erving in his life. After watching “Dr. J” play, Shaq fixed his aspirations of wanting to play in the NBA. Shaq recently paid tribute to Dr. J by posting a reel dedicated to him on Instagram. The TNT analyst revealed the importance of Erving’s presence in his life. Doubling down on what his former teammate implied, LeBron James also dished out huge praises.
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Shaquille O’Neal initially had no interest in basketball. However, his father, Sgt. Phillip Harrison decided to take O’Neal to watch a Philadelphia 76ers game live. This is when a 12-year-old Shaq first witnessed his role model. Looking at Julius Erving’s excellence on the hardwood, the Big Aristotle instantly made up his mind that he wanted to become a professional in the NBA. Years after his retirement, Shaq even joked about encountering his inspiration in heaven during his LSU days.
LeBron James joins Shaquille O’Neal in lauding Julius Erving
Shaquille O’Neal is an avid social media enthusiast. The 51-year-old is often seen talking about players and mentioning random achievements on his Instagram Stories. Recently, ‘the Diesel’ shared Julius Erving’s highlight reel on his Instagram. Bringing in the Philly legend’s name into the GOAT debate, O’Neal also stated his importance as a role model for several youngsters. The post was captioned:
“There is much debate on who the greatest player in the NBA is. But let us not forget this man @juliuserving paved the way for all of us. Salute to GODFATHER OF GREATNESS. #yallmustofforgot‼️ i didn’t”
LeBron James also seemed to agree with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate. James revealed how Dr. J was one of his inspirations while praising the Hall-Of-Famer for playing the game with “class and eloquence”.
Dr. J was a dominant force in the ABA and NBA. One of the most athletic players to grace the hardwood, the forward put up some impressive stats across his 16-year career – 24.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. Apart from putting several defenders on posters routinely, Erving also managed to rack up all accolades possible – 2 ABA titles, 1 NBA title, and 4 MVPs.
One of the best highlight reels in NBA history, so it is not surprising why guys like Shaq and LeBron looked up to him.
Dr. J left LeBron out of his top 10 list
LeBron James also holds Julius Erving in the highest regard. Despite LBJ’s respect toward Erving, the latter decided to snub him off a top 10 list. A few weeks ago, Erving revealed his top 10 players list. As surprising as it seems, both LeBron and Shaq were not included in the same.
Seems as though Erving was slightly biased in selecting players from his era. For, there is no way that Bron doesn’t be a part of any top 10 lists. Over the last 20 years, the King has dominated the league. Often regarded as the GOAT, LeBron has won 4 MVPs, 4 titles, 4 Finals MVPs, and is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
