Shaquille O’Neal was a big presence on the court. He redefined and put forth a whole new era of bigs on the court. But the OG of the ‘bigs game’, Bill Russell, put his name into NBA history well before Shaq. Some believe that he paved the way for big men to play basketball. Russell played with power and ferocity which was possible due to his physique.

In a recent discussion on TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’, the Big Diesel told a reporter that his focus was on winning championships and not winning MVPs. Shaq claimed that when he began his career in basketball, he was compared to the three biggest players, namely Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

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He confessed that Russell’s massive accomplishment of 11 championships is going to pale with anybody else’s. Shaq said that he focused on getting one championship after another. He said he attempted to pass up on Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar’s record of championships.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend said that it was his legacy that people would remember him as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

Hearing this, Charles Barkley, also a panelist on the show, told Shaq that nobody compared or even mentioned the Big Aristotle with Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar. A quick-witted Shaq immediately refuted Chuck and said: “And they don’t mention you at all”. Even the reporter couldn’t stop laughing at the drama that unfolded between the two NBA greats.

Fans have a good laugh thanks to Shaquille O’Neal

Barkley and Shaq never miss the opportunity to roast each other. They have what many describe as a love-hate relationship, and NBA fans get a glimpse of them going at each other from time to time.

Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter:

It is always fun for fans to get to witness Shaq and Chuck go at each other, whether about who was the greatest center or about Charles Barkley never winning an NBA championship.

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But Barkley doesn’t seem to mind and reportedly said that he takes great pride in his other accomplishments. He was an 11x All-Star and is a Hall of Famer. His basketball intelligence, especially for rebounding, is a technique that has arguably been passed down.

Shaquille O’Neal of course retired with four championship rings and 15 All-Star appearances.

Where do you rank Shaq among the greatest centers to ever play the game? Is he number one on your list? Let us know in the comments below.