1 Inch Taller Than Giant Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan’s Bulls Predecessor Gets a Harsh Touch of Reality

We all like to create our fantasy basketball teams now and then. Shaquille O’Neal is no exception. The ‘Big Diesel’ is very self-aware of his abilities in his prime. So he shared a fan’s dream lineup of the Los Angeles Lakers versus Chicago Bulls on Instagram, which seemed to slightly shade an NBA veteran.

Towering at 7’1″, Shaquille O’Neal could overwhelm entire teams with his size and aggression. If there was someone who had a slight edge over him, that would be Artis Gilmore. The ‘Big A’ has an inch over ‘Big Diesel’. But the latter is confident about taking him on.

Is Shaquille O’Neal challenging Artis Gilmore?

A fan created a hypothetical lineup of the all-time top players from the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls. In the memorable purple and gold, we have Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and O’Neal himself. They’re up against Derrick Rose, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Artis Gilmore of the Bulls.

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In this lineup, Shaq is matched up with Bulls titan, Artis Gilmore. During the ABA era, the ‘Big A’ won the 1975 title and Playoffs MVP. He’s also a six-time NBA All-Star.

The original poster of this lineup claims, “Gilmore couldn’t see @shaq in broad daylight.” Now we’d have to see this in action to verify that. But that didn’t stop Shaq from agreeing. 

Fans brought out the stats and facts in the comments to contend with the post. Some even spilled their own fantasy lineups for both teams.

O’Neal gave this post his endorsement by sharing it on his Stories. Even he’s confident of taking on Gilmore. But it’s all hypothetical and in jest.

Shaq enjoys a little fantasy rivalry

Big Diesel’s competitiveness is notorious in NBA circles. He even has a score to settle with Steve Aoki to become the best DJ in the business. So he’s prone to give his take on made-up NBA teams.

O’Neal shared a similar fantasy scenario a month ago. This time he was pitted against ‘Team Jordan’ that included Allen Iverson, Kobe, LeBron, and Tim Duncan. Shaq humbly bragged that he could easily beat the star-studded lineup.

Rivalries aside, Shaq has been on a spree of lauding fellow NBA legends like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant recently. He knows how to stir fans into a debate. What do you think about this latest matchup?

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