“Pass Him Up So Bad”: Shaquille O’Neal Grudgingly Allows People to Name Wilt Chamberlain Alongside Him as the Most Dominant Ever

Many may already consider Shaquille O’Neal as the most dominant big man to ever play in the NBA, but the superstar himself has a different view. Recently, he sat down with Ahmad Rashad in an interview for the NBA, where he expressed how he wanted to pass up Wilt Chamberlain. According to Shaq, if he passed Wilt in points, he would have crowned himself as the undisputed most dominant player ever. However, as things stand, he is ready to accept top two status.

Shaquille O’Neal had a very clear objective in mind when he entered the league, and he played like it. All he seemingly cared about was to be remembered as the most dominant player in the league. Back then, Wilt Chamberlain had the tag. Shaq was determined to swipe it away from him convincingly but fell short in the total points scored category. Even though his achievements far surpassed that of Wilt, he was reluctant to call himself the most dominant.

Shaquille O’Neal came into the NBA looking to dominate

Shaquille O’Neal, in an interview with Ahmad Rashad for ‘NBA Rewind’ talked about his career and aspirations coming into the league. Wanting to be remembered as the ‘Most Dominant Player’ ever, he modeled his game on power and force. There was no stopping Shaq on the NBA court. With Wilt Chamberlain being the most dominant player of his time, Shaq wanted to surpass him. Here is what he said:

“I have said it myself that I have missed 250 games, averaging 25 points, thats 5,000 points right there. If I didnt miss those games, I would have passed Wilt Chamberlain up and I would have arrogantly said – ‘I am the most dominant player ever. I do not want to hear anybody’s name’. But for now I will allow people to say two of the most dominant players are Wilt and Shaq. But I wanted to pass him up so bad.”

Entering the league as a rookie, he wanted Alonzo Mourning and himself to have the rivalry that Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain had. Shaq won more championships and had more All-Star appearances than Wilt but could not get over the hump in overall points. And without that stat, he cannot claim to be the most dominant center ever. Hence, he would settle for being Top 2.

“So when Alonzo and I came out, I quickly said to myself  – We are the new Bill Russell versus Wilt Chamberlain. So I wanted to show everybody that I am the first big, I am the most dominant and I had to dominate. I wanted to make a name for myself. I wanted to play a certain way. I wanted to show my versatility, my power and my strength.”

Admittedly, Shaquille O’Neal’s case as the most dominant of all time is a rather convincing one. In fact, the popular opinion in the NBA community is that he is indeed the most dominant player of all time. With his many accolades, and overall game from his playing days, it is hard to disagree with that notion.

Shaq’s one-on-one match with Ahmad Rashad

Before starting his career in the NBA, a rookie Shaq faced off against Ahmad Rashad in a one-on-one game. In the video, the latter was seen taunting the NBA superstar and trash-talking him. In response, Shaq decided to break the backboard. The game ended right there.

While talking about that incident back in 1992, Shaq clarified that the match ended in a draw. His agent, Leonard Armato, stopped the game as he and his management did not want Shaq to continue any further. As Shaq fell while breaking the board, his agent feared an injury at the start of his career.