Shaquille O’Neal Names His Top-10 NBA Players Ever, Ranks LeBron James Third After Shocking Snub

Joseph Galizia | 04/06/2025
Shaquille O'Neal (L), LeBron James (R)

At some point, everyone shares their list of the Top 10 greatest basketball players of all time. But when an NBA legend does it, it tends to hold a little more validity. Well, Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal just dropped his, and it is stacked from start to finish.

The Diesel revealed his Top 10 NBA players on his new Netflix series Power Moves, which premieres on the 4th of June. Netflix dropped this particular clip on X, just to stir the pot of a great basketball conversation. While most of Shaq’s picks are heavy hitters, his top three are the three that many would expect.

Coming in at No. 3 of all time was “The King” LeBron James. This seems like a rebuttal after the four-time NBA Champion excluded LBJ from his all-time Starting 5 rotation that he revealed during an interview with Sports Bild back in 2024. Who was his all-time starting 5?

“Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dr. J[Julius Erving], Karl Malone and me,” said Shaq at the time.

Well, James made his Top 3 and Karl Malone didn’t, so it seems he’s thinking clearly again. At No. 2 was his old teammate, the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant. And No. 1 was, according to The Diesel, the “greatest player of all time,” Michael Jordan.

In case you were wondering if O’Neal put himself on that list…he did, at No. 10. However, for the sake of the video, he decided to remove himself from the conversation. “I will take myself off and put the great Julius Erving,” stated Shaq, who put the Doctor in at the 10 spot.

Shaq’s full list can be seen below:

  1. Michael Jordan
  2. Kobe Bryant
  3. LeBron James
  4. Magic Johnson
  5. Bill Russell
  6. Wilt Chamberlain
  7. Larry Bird
  8. Hakeem Olajuwon
  9. Tim Duncan
  10. Julius Erving

It’s hard to argue with one of the best basketball big men of all time. Every man on that list, Russell especially, are not only considered pioneers of their position, but have multiple championships to their name.

The only argument that could be made is subbing in a modern player like Stephen Curry, whose shooting efficiency should not only be studied, but changed the way the modern NBA operates. It’s hard to determine who The Chef would be subbed in for, though.

Steph’s exclusion becomes even more surprising when you take in the fact that for the entirety of the regular season, Shaq spent hours on TV campaigning that Curry also deserves a spot in the GOAT debate. Surely if you’re campaigning for someone that hard you’d put them in your top ten right?

Regardless, Shaq is one of the most well-respected players because of his dominance and his basketball knowledge. I’m sure if you asked each of these legends to drop their Top 10 it might vary by a name or two. But probably not by much.

Post Edited By: Sameen Nawathe
LeBron James Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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