Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 6 – Shaquille O’Neal
On NBA 50 at 50 List
Career: 1992 – 2011
Achievements: Four-time champion; 1-time MVP; All-NBA (14x); All-Star (15x); All-Defense (3x); Finals MVP (3x); 9th in career blocks; 10th in career points; 16th in career rebounds
Shaquille O’Neal probably deserves to be in the Top 10 based on nicknames alone, many of them self-administered. Diesel. The Big Aristotle. Superman. Say the word “Shaq” and anyone, basketball fan or no, instantly knows who you are talking about. He became a household name through the combination of an endearing personality and absolutely dominant play.
He was a full-speed freight train in the paint, a gigantic athletic marvel who could shoulder his way right by you when he was younger, and who simply knocked you over later in his career. He was so dominant right from the start of his career that he made the NBA’s “50 at 50” list after just four seasons, a prediction that he would be an all-time player (one that clearly came true).
O’Neal began his career with the Orlando Magic and made the NBA Finals, then left for the Los Angeles Lakers where he became his generation’s premier center. He won three titles with a young Kobe Bryant, then when that relationship broke up he went to the Miami Heat and won with a young Dwyane Wade.
He places sixth on this list because of how truly dominant he was in a league geared to stop him. He could score inside against double-teams, and he was underrated in his ability to pass out to open teammates when the paint was truly packed against him. Kobe often gets equal credit for those three titles and that’s not fair to how good Shaq was. Those were his titles, and Kobe was an excellent co-star.