Controversy always surrounds the debates about the top 5 or top 10 NBA players. Recently, even Barack Obama’s starting 5 got mixed reactions when he excluded Shaquille O’Neal. Similarly, a 4x NBA Champion, who was teammates with Shaq, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan, revealed his top 5. Later changed it to the top 10 but still did not add the Big Aristotle.

“Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Isaiah Thomas, Kareem Abdul Jabbar. I left Hakeem Olajuwon out because I’m an idiot.” John Salley, who represented the Pistons, the Bulls, and the Lakers, was clear about his top 6 players. Later, he added, “I put LeBron in, I put Kobe in, I put in Bernard King, and Charles Barkley cuz no one realize he’s 6’5.” Leaving out Shaquille O’Neal is interesting because earlier in the podcast with Byron Scott, he recalled why the 7 feet 1 phenom was a menace.

“Our problem would have been Shaquille,” even the host Scott agreed and said Shaq was everybody’s problem. Salley also recalled how he felt that 3x Finals MVP did not realize his true potential. “If Shaq knew how dominant he was, he doesn’t I know it sounds crazy, but he is like a small person inside.”

Further, the former teammate with Shaquille O’Neal also highlighted the strategy of other teams that Shaq did not like.” You know he hated that they had Hack-A-Shaq. He hated that the refs let people push on him cuz he was so big. The former player-turned-actor said on Fast Break. A similar sentiment even Richard Jefferson echoed 2 months ago.

“Shaq was a type of person that made you have to change the construction of your roster.” The former NBA champion accepted that the pace and skills of the league might have changed, but there was no stopping Shaq. The only way to stop him was by excessive fouls, via the Mark Jackson show.

Shaquille O’Neal was once part of the John Salley list

John Salley’s NBA career is as unique as they come. The journeyman spent 11 seasons bouncing between five different teams, with stints overseas before closing out his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. But it was that final championship with the Purple and Gold that made him the first player in NBA history to win titles in three different decades.

When asked to pick his ultimate starting five of players he shared the court with, Salley didn’t hesitate to include Shaquille O’Neal. “Shaquille, Kobe, Isiah, Michael, and Dennis Rodman,” he listed, before adding a classic Salley twist. “Let me tell you what would happen. Their record would be 7 people punched in the face.” According to Salley, despite the immense talent, the team would struggle with chemistry, with both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant trying to outscore each other every game.

Isiah Thomas, ever the floor general, would choose whom to pass to on any given day, while Dennis Rodman would keep up his trademark defensive intensity, and Shaquille O’Neal would anchor the team at center. But for Salley, while Shaq made the cut for his personal “best five,” he didn’t quite earn a spot on Salley’s all-time greatest list.

The playful jab leaves us wondering if the Big Man himself, known for his quick wit and fiery personality, will have a comeback for Salley’s comments. The banter between these NBA legends is sure to be worth watching!