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NBA: Ranking the 30 best players to win NBA Finals with 2 or more teams

By Corey Rausch

CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 16: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (L) and Shaquille O'Neal attend the AT&T Slam Dunk during the 2019 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Spectrum Center on February 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 16: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (L) and Shaquille O'Neal attend the AT&T Slam Dunk during the 2019 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Spectrum Center on February 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) /
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Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images) /

Best NBA players to win NBA Finals with two or more teams: 4. Shaquille O’Neal

Force of nature does not begin to describe the impact that Shaquille O’Neal made during his time in the NBA. If O’Neal had committed to the game the way the two players ahead on this list had, he may have been better than anyone to ever play. Instead, he enjoyed himself more than anyone and still was able to capture four championships.

That is not to take away from what O’Neal was on the court. He is one of the few who can say he beat a prime Michael Jordan in a playoff series (no matter how much people try to pretend that Jordan did not play in the 1995 Playoffs). O’Neal was Rookie of the Year but that was not the only accolade he earned in his first season. Shaq was an All-Star in his first season with an average line of 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds (career-high), 3.5 blocks (career-high) and 1.9 assists per game. Two years later, he led the league in scoring at 29.3 points per game.

The accolades are mind-blowing. O’Neal was a 15-time All-Star (for four different teams) and made 14 All-NBA teams (eight First Teams, two Second Teams and four Third Teams) and three All-Defensive teams. He led the league in scoring twice and field goal percentage 10 times. With the Los Angeles Lakers, O’Neal won three titles, an MVP and three Finals MVPs. After his relationship with Kobe Bryant soured, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat and, along with Dwyane Wade, made them an immediate title threat.

O’Neal won his fourth and final title in Miami in 2006. If he had stayed committed the same way as he had in his first two seasons in South Beach he could have collected a few more. Instead, O’Neal enjoyed life, become a sheriff, danced with the Jabbawockeez and made memories alongside Steve Nash, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett. As much as he grates on people from behind a TNT desk now, Shaquille O’Neal was easily one of the best players of all time.