Shaquille O’Neal continues to embody the competitive nature of the game of basketball even a decade after his retirement. This time around, his actions linked him with the late great Kobe Bryant as the former teammates combined to claim a top spot. The dominance of the duo seemingly left behind the best achievements of LeBron James‘ career as ‘the Diesel’ candidly announced his opinion.
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Recently, a post ranking all the great NBA teams of this century garnered the attention of basketball lovers on Instagram. With the caption, “What NBA Team is the Greatest since 2000?” it listed the ten best rosters of the 2000s. Interestingly, it featured the Los Angeles Lakers’ team of 2000/01 consisting of Shaq and Kobe at the top of the list.
The post captured the attention of O’Neal as he shared it on his Instagram story revealing his support for the take, something that should admittedly come as no surprise. After all, his Lakers side ranked above a few of the best rosters LeBron had been part of. Thus, all three of James’ Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Lakers’ championship-winning rosters ranked below the 2001 Lakers.
Shaq puts up some of the greatest NBA teams since 2000 pic.twitter.com/XNDNDWKpLn
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) December 17, 2023
Not only this but it displayed the greatness of that squad by placing it ahead of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant‘s 2017/18 Golden State Warriors. Despite shattering numerous records in the previous decade, the Dubs failed to edge past the LA franchise on the list. So, the endorsement of the rankings from the 4x champion’s side conveyed a clear-cut message to the followers.
The list made the wildest dreams of Shaquille O’Neal come true
Since the majestic run of the 2017/18 Warriors team, several backed it as the greatest team of this century. Despite the noise, the 7’1 center had always showcased confidence in himself and his Lakers team to beat the Bay Area squad. “I’m focusing on touching those guys up, letting them know,” O’Neal mentioned previously while explaining his tactics to encounter the Warriors roster. He had displayed immense faith in his abilities throughout the discussion as the recent rankings backed him up.
Another source for his delight could be the featuring of his 2005/06 Heat roster on the list. Shaq’s championship win with that squad marked his first and only ring without Kobe as he had showcased pride in it. The 15x All-Star once even credited himself and his former teammate, Gary Payton, as the creators of the infamous ‘Heat culture’. “Me and Gary did that,” the 51-year-old revealed previously hinting at that.
So, the rankings embodied everything that the New Jersey-born had believed in all these years. It put forward his achievements while simultaneously putting his teams on a pedestal. Undoubtedly, Shaq had rejoiced at the moment of sharing the post with everyone.
