Home/NBA

via Imago

via Imago

NBA has produced several legends over the 75 years of its existence. One of the most interesting aspects of this game is the comparisons between legends to determine who is the best. Although this area is mostly dominated by the fans of the game, some great players also take a go at it at times. These comparisons range from who is the best shooter or defensive player to who is the GOAT overall.

Recently, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal participated in one such comparison. Alongside Shaq in the comparison was the late Wilt Chamberlain. The two greats share a few common points between them, they were both over 7 feet tall and both of them played for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, what Shaq said while addressing the comparison, might upset some old heads of the game.

Shaquille O’Neal is not impressed with Wilt Chamberlin

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Recently, Shaq was on the Fluent & Chill podcast where he was asked for his take on going one-on-one against Wilt Chamberlain. Notably, Chamberlain used to bench press up to 500 pounds in his prime years. Even when the late legend was 59 years old, he could bench press up to 465 pounds. Whereas, Shaq had managed up to 450 pounds even during his prime years.

via Imago

The question was asked by a fan via super chat on YouTube. Shaq started by asking, “What era are we playin’ at?” to add further context to the comparison. After it was decided that the comparison is from Shaq’s era, he claimed that he will easily win the contest.

Furthermore, the Big Diesel claimed, “I’m not impressed”, after looking at Chamberlain’s highlights. Shaq added that during his time he was “a lot more hip-hop” and he had “a lot more style”. Adding to his style and ability to play, Shaq said that he was the first person to “bring it up off a rebound in style”. “Young Wilt, young Shaq, I’m gonna go with Shaq,” he said in conclusion.


Although the Big Man added that if anyone picks Chamberlain as their choice, he won’t be mad at it as he was a great player.

Read More: Wilt Chamberlain, who often rivals Michael Jordan?s GOAT status, was embarrassed of his iconic 100 point game: ?It destroyed the game because I took shots that I normally never would?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

A short career highlight of Wilt Chamberlain

The 2x NBA champion played from 1958-1973. In that time, he also won the NBA MVP four times. Chamberlain is a star of the NBA from decades ago, however, he still holds several records to his name. Several records of Chamberlain are considered unbreakable. Mentioned below are some of his records:

  • A career average of 22.9 rebounds
  • He scored 65 points or more 15 times in his career
  • Most points per game in a season (50.4 points)
  • He scored 100 points in a game in 1962 against the New York Knicks which is the highest ever
  • He scored 50 points a game 45 times in a season in 1961-62

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

What other records by Chamberlain can you recall? Tell us in the comments

Watch This Story: From Michael Jordan to Tom Brady: Top Athletes who tried their hand at professional Baseball