Shaquille O’Neal Names This Hall of Famer As the Most Dominant Player Over Him

Former NBA star and legendary player Shaquille O’Neal admitted he is not the greatest player of all time. Shaquille O’Neal played for the Los Angeles Lakers between 1996 to 2004. O’Neal admits that Wilt Chamberlain is the more dominant player compared to himself. Along with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and others, O’Neal is also considered an all-time legend by Lakers fans.

In an interview with the ‘Los Angeles Times’, Shaquille O’Neal expressed his opinions about basketball’s ‘GOAT’. He also commented on his own ability as compared to some other basketball legends. He brought up a comparison of scoring stats with NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain.

O’Neal was talking about Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James’ chances of being the best player in basketball history. At that moment, he also compared himself to Wilt Chamberlain and opined that if he passed Chamberlain’s scoring record, he would refer to himself as the most dominant player ever.

Shaquille O’Neal told the Los Angeles Times, “‘Cause if I would have passed Wilt [Chamberlain] in scoring, you know me. I would have been, ‘I’m the most dominant ever.’ I don’t want to hear [Chamberlain’s] name no more.”

O’Neal is eighth all-time in the scoring list (28,596) behind Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) in seventh-place. Alongside Kobe Bryant, O’Neal won three consecutive NBA championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002 with the Lakers.

Chamberlain won his second NBA championship in 1972 with the Lakers. Fans selected him as NBA Finals MVP as he helped the Lakers win against the New York Knicks in a 114–100 win.

Before the opening night against the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James was ranked third, scoring 35,367 points. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks first (38,387) and Karl Malone ranks second (36,928) ahead of LeBron. The Lakers eventually lost the match against the Warriors.

Read More: ‘The Garden Rocking’: LeBron James and NBA Players React to Knicks’ Thrilling 2OT Win Over Celtics

Was Shaquille O’Neal a better player than Chamberlain?

Shaquille O’Neal won four NBA championships compared to Wilt Chamberlain’s two championships. Some NBA fans point out this fact as proof of O’Neal being a superior player to Chamberlain. However, it can be argued that O’Neal played in some of the most dominant NBA sides in basketball history, one of which included the Lakers three-peat of the early 2000s.

Chamberlain leads O’Neal on the scoring charts despite playing five seasons lesser than the latter player. Despite this, O’Neal gives the impression of a big-game player as fans voted him NBA Finals MVP in 3 seasons. While Chamberlain won only one solitary Finals MVP in 1972, albeit with a dominant performance.

Given how similar the two centers’ play style was, it is destined that Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal will always be compared to each other by basketball fans. Who do you think was better Chamberlain or Shaq? Let us know in the comments section down below.

Watch This story: Steph Curry’s Failed Dunk, LeBron James’ Evergreen Jump Shots, and Other Top Highlights From Warriors’ Opening Night Win vs Lakers