“I used to hate on him early on in his career; that he ain’t gonna make that. But he kept proving me wrong. That’s why he’s my best player. I like being proven wrong,” said Shaquille O’Neal as he never shied away from accepting his wrong assessment of Stephen Curry. This year, the Lakers legend even wanted the Warriors star’s inclusion in the GOAT debate. However, during a recent encounter, Shaq wanted the young fan to “forget” about Curry. Flipping much? Well, he had a good reason.

On the latest episode of ‘Big Podcast with Shaq’, which was live from San Antonio, a fan asked O’Neal about the best basketball player right now during the live Q&A segment. The Big Aristotle said, “I like Steph Curry,” which prompted the fan to state his future goals. “Cuz I’m going to be the another one, Steph Curry.” Hearing the future goals, Shaq wanted to motivate the young fan and told him to repeat the six words.

“Forget Steph Curry. I’m the man.” However, this message became clearer once Shaquille O’Neal explained his reasoning. “But I want you to watch all his videos and everything he does. I want you to steal it, practice it in at school at home and just steal it.” So, the forget part was not disrespectful but an inspiring message to the next generation. In fact, even Diesel once claimed the Baby-Faced Assassin to be more influential than LeBron James.

“LeBron was always there, but when Kobe was fading out, that’s when LeBron [took off]. And then you got Steph Curry [taking off]. Actually, I’mma go with Steph Curry is more influential because if you look at all f—ing basketball, it’s being played like Golden State Warriors now.” Now, Shaq got to see the influence of the Warriors superstar first-hand during the recent live show. Maybe that’s why O’Neal wants Curry to be part of basketball’s Mount Rushmore.

Shaquille O’Neal’s GOAT verdict for Stephen Curry comes after son’s reality check

“As the supreme leader of the Big Man Alliance, I demand you fans to start putting Steph Curry in that greatest-of-all-time conversation. Just just start putting them in the conversation. Mike, Kobe, and LeBron start putting stuff in that conversation; I demand it.” Yes, you heard right, The Big Aristotle wants Chef Curry to be a part of the chatter going forward! Since Shaquille O’Neal came face-to-face with all three, he knows a thing or two about the requirements of becoming a GOAT title holder in the NBA.

“I am the supreme leader, and my voice counts, and I’m saying listen, I played against Mike, played with Kobe, played against and with LeBron; they’re all great. But you got at some point, we’re gonna have to put Steph Curry in that category.” As stated previously, Shaquille O’Neal never thought that the Warriors superstar would sustain his shooting in the league. However, it was after the conversation with his son Shareef that his thinking changed.

The 25-year-old opined that Curry is not only “a great shooter” but “a game-changer in basketball.” The former G-League star also called the 37-year-old “inspiring a whole new generation.” So, after a conversation with his son, plus seeing the widespread prevalence of three-point shooting in the league, Shaquille O’Neal is now fully on board the GOAT debate for the Warriors superstar.