Greatest shot blocker in each NBA team’s history

Best shot blocker in Miami Heat history: Shaquille O’Neal

How does one accurately describe the most dominant force of the modern era, a guy who treated every opponent, both tiny and large, like his own personal rag doll that he’d drag up and down the court for 48 minutes?

It’s possible Shaquille O’Neal deserves the illustrious title of unstoppable because, in reality, nobody could stop him. It wasn’t that he had so many weapons in his back pocket, he was just bigger than literally everyone else at 7-foot-1, 325 pounds.

He had ridiculous athleticism for someone his size, and could just back down his defender, either throwing up a soft baby-hook or nearly — and on occasion actually — tear the rim off its hinges with powerful slams.

Because he could out-muscle everyone on the court, Shaq put up some truly eye-popping numbers, with career, that’s right, career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, including a whopping decade’s worth of seasons in which he led the league in shooting percentage.

Also due to his sheer presence at the rim, not many guys — except maybe Allen Iverson — were looking to challenge the “OG Superman” at the rim. But if someone was feeling themselves that game and wanted to try it, Shaq would have none of it, either getting a hand on the ball or altering the shot enough to turn it into a miss.

When O’Neal arrived in South Florida to join the Miami Heat, he was already a three-time champion and NBA Finals MVP. Though he wasn’t quite the dominant presence that garnered his claim to fame, but only due to the extremely high bar he set for himself.

Once he arrived in South Beach though, it changed everything for the Heat. His arrival gave them a legitimate shot at a title, which they wound up winning in 2006, the team’s first in franchise history.

Weirdly enough, had he taken better care of his body, Shaq’s dominance could have lasted even longer than it did. Even so, he still has a résumé that puts him among the 10 greatest to ever play the game, with a legacy as unique as they come as the ultimate force on the offensive end.