Shaquille O’Neal Explains His Two Divisions for the Hall of Fame, Places Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has taken some flak over certain inductions. Many believe the selection committee has become a bit too lenient with who gets in. Shaquille O’Neal is of that mindset but has a solution to the problem.

The conversation arose on Shaq’s The Big Podcast when cohost Adam Lefkoe claimed Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum already has a Hall of Fame-worthy resume. The Diesel became visibly irritated by Lefkoe’s assertion.

O’Neal put forth one of the greatest careers in NBA history. He won four NBA championships, three of those coming in consecutive seasons. His accolades speak for themselves: 1999-2000 MVP, three-time Finals MVP, 15-time All-Star and NBA Top 75 team.

Shaq’s believes the Hall of Fame should only be accessible to truly elite players, though that’s not the case. O’Neal quoted Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas to differentiate the talent: “There’s two Hall of Fames. There’s a ‘Bad Motherf***er Hall of Fame,’ and there’s a ‘Basketball Hall of Fame,'” O’Neal said.

According to Shaq, the cream of the crop — like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and himself — earns a spot in the Bad Motherf***er Hall of Fame. Lefkoe wanted more examples.

“I’m just saying [Allen Iverson] is a bad motherf***er,” O’Neal said. “[Karl Malone] and [Charles Barkley], you can’t say they weren’t bad motherf***ers. So they’re both in.”

One thing that all three of those players have in common is that none won a championship. O’Neal does believe rings are very important, but it’s not the end all, be all. On the other hand, there are players in the Hall of Fame who have won championships, who Shaq doesn’t believe should be in there.

“One day, I’m looking at [Bill Walton’s] stats, and he only got 6,000 points. How is he in the Hall of Fame?” O’Neal said. Lefkoe came to Walton’s defense by highlighting his injuries. That didn’t sway O’Neal’s opinion, as he also shared his confusion regarding Yao Ming’s induction.

O’Neal’s theory opens the door to a bigger discussion regarding who deserves to be in which division. Nonetheless, everyone in the Hall is in the Hall, whether Shaq thinks they should be there or not.