“I Wouldn’t Want It”: Shaquille O’Neal Explains Why LeBron and Giannis Won’t Be a Part of His Perfect Three

Shaquille O’Neal has had an illustrious playing career. He has four NBA titles to his name. Three with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with Miami Heat. O’Neal won three consecutive titles from 2000-2003 with the Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant.

Ever since retiring, O’Neal has become a sports analyst and is currently making appearances on podcasts and live chats on social media. 

Shaquille O’Neal And His Version of A Big Three

O’Neal joined Adam Lefkoe on his podcast ‘The Lefkoe Show’, last week. He was posted a question by Lefkoe which was gathered from Reddit. 

A Reddit user had posted a question contemplating how a ‘freakishly’ big three consisting LeBron, Shaq and Giannis would look like. O’Neal denied this question posted by the host and he answered that he wouldn’t prefer it. 

The 15-time All-Star countered the question by responding that his big three would always be “Kobe, D-Wade, and himself.”

Dwyane Wade who was also present in the podcast episode made a solidifying agreement to his former teammate’s statement. He stated that their pairing would have dominated the NBA if it had happened. 

Was O’Neal being Disrespectful?

Not at all. He was being quite respectful towards his former teammates, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade. It suggests the magnitude of things they have accomplished together. 

With respect to LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal has never liked the comparison of Bryant against James. Although O’Neal spent one year playing alongside James for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he has great admiration and love for his late friend Kobe Bryant.

O’Neal has also publically stated that, in his mind, Bryant is the second greatest player after Michael Jordan. 

As for Dwyane Wade, O’Neal considers him the best 1-2 player to play with. Wade and James won two championships at Miami Heat when the duo played together. O’Neal had once mentioned how LeBron needs a strong partner to go out and win championships. He further mentioned James’ early stint with the Cavs as an example. 

O’Neal has never played alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nor has he played against him. Despite that, the four-time champion had stated Giannis is better than he was at the age of 24.