Huh? Like, wait, what? Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most legendary centers of all time and Hall of Famer, recently shared his all-time NBA starting five—and it didn’t include LeBron James, a notable omission given James’ status as one of the greatest players in basketball history.
These lists are getting carried away and this one is no exception.
Naturally and deservedly so, O’Neal honored his late Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant by placing him in the lineup, he chose Julius Erving and Karl Malone, another former Laker, as his forwards. O’Neal also, unsurprisingly, picked himself for his own squad.
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Obviously LeBron James is often regarded by many as the greatest or one of the top two or three players in NBA history, was left off the list despite being the league’s all-time leading scorer and displaying unmatched longevity in the game. However, James’ 4-6 record in the NBA Finals and some criticisms of his performance in clutch moments might explain why O’Neal chose Erving over him—or even why he didn’t opt for a player like Larry Bird.
Yea, yea, finals yea, yea. They need to chill and look at the entire body of work. LeBron is going into year 22 as the oldest player in the league and still a top 10, easy. But we digress.
O’Neal has been vocal about his opinions on a variety of NBA-related topics. He recently criticized Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, labeling him as the worst player in the league, though he later clarified that his comments were influenced by Gobert’s large contract.
While O’Neal’s decision to exclude James from his all-time starting five raises questions, it also reflects the differing perspectives within the basketball world on what defines greatness.
Yawn.