“Shaquille O’Neal Was No Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!”: When Magic Johnson Snubbed $400 Million Worth Big Diesel as Best Center All-time
The NBA is in its 76th season currently. Over the history of the league, there have been quite a lot of players who have garnered the love and attention of fans all around. Guys like George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and quite a few more dominated the past millennia.
We’ve seen some brilliant big men throughout the history of the league. Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, and of course, Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal played 19 seasons in the NBA, during which time he won 4 NBA Championships.
Shaq retired from the NBA and went down as one of the most dominant players the game had ever seen. Lakers legend Magic Johnson still doesn’t feel that Shaq was as good as this other Lakers great.
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Magic Johnson felt Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t as good as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Magic played with Kareem for a decade, during which time they won five NBA Championships. In one of his interviews, Magic was asked if Shaq, in his prime, was better than Kareem. Magic put his former partner over O’Neal, which might be because of some obvious bias. He said,
“I like Shaq but he was no Kareem Abdul Jabbar. This man could dominate you with both hands. When they have to change the game because of you that is greatness. We have to remember that Kareem won 3 NCAA championships in a row and it could have been 4 if freshmen were allowed to play. The man was so dominant. I like Shaq and he is probably the most dominant with his physical presence as you’ve ever seen in the game of basketball. He has a big personality and I love Shaq and I would put him right behind.”
Kareem was dominant and showed the world how a big can control the entire game. Shaq followed suit, and took it to another level. To compare the two is not easy, with each having their own set of accomplishments.
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