Hoops Habit
Fansided

Ranking the 50 greatest NBA players of all time

By Gerald Bourguet

The Last Dance, Michael Jordan, LeBron James (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
The Last Dance, Michael Jordan, LeBron James (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images /

9. Shaquille O’Neal

  • Resume: 19 seasons, 4 NBA championships, 3 NBA Finals MVP Awards, 1 regular season MVP Award, 14-time All-NBA selection, 15-time NBA All-Star, 3-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year Award, 3-time NBA All-Defensive Team, 2-time NBA leader in scoring, Hall-of-Famer
  • Stats: 23.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.3 BPG, .582/—/.527 shooting splits, 26.4 career PER, 181.7 win shares

Say what you want about Shaq as a TNT commentator, but the guy’s personality and demeanor are just infectious. If you ever find yourself being annoyed by Shaq, stop what you’re doing, take a deep breath and realize you’re probably taking life way too seriously. This may seem like a random tangent, but it perfectly describes Shaq’s game as well.

Anyone who knows anything about the NBA could tell you that Shaq’s greatest flaw (aside from occasionally being out of shape) was his poor free-throw shooting. But focusing on that one glaring hole in his game and the subsequent Hack-A-Shaq techniques meant to exploit it would take away from all the wonderful things he brought to the table.

The Lakers team that three-peated in the early 2000s featured an on-the-rise Kobe Bryant, but it was Shaq who led the way and brought home all three NBA Finals MVP Awards. Early on in his career, Shaq was obliterated by Hakeem in the NBA Finals, but the big man would soon grow into the league’s most unstoppable force in the paint — possibly ever.

Shaq was basically the Juggernaut mixed with the Blob — nobody could stop his strength or his sheer mass down low, but that shouldn’t undercut the big man’s skill or touch around the rim. His sense of humor, his love for the camera, his insane numbers at his peak and the infamous alley-oop from Kobe make him larger than life for more reasons than his 7’1″, 325-pound frame.