(Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
For years, fans have debated about whether Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant player in NBA history.
It surely looked that way when he was in his prime.
He was an unstoppable force of nature, and someone who made other players literally get hurt when they were trying to guard him.
Others believe his questionable work ethic and injury-proneness held him back, and that’s why they can’t put him at the top of their list.
With that in mind, Pro Football legend Shannon Sharpe shared his ranking, and he had The Big Diesel at No. 3.
In the latest edition of ESPN’s First Take, Sharpe pointed out that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain were ahead of him.
.@shannonsharpe ranks Shaq as the third all-time center in NBA history
His list:
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
2. Wilt Chamberlain
3. Shaquille O’Neal pic.twitter.com/Micw4dnekC
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 24, 2024
He argued that Chamberlain was more dominant because of his individual numbers, which didn’t even include blocked shots because the league didn’t keep track of that stat back in the day.
Stephen A. Smith thought that Bill Russell or even Shaq should’ve been ahead of Wilt.
Truth be told, one could make a case for several players, with Kareem being perhaps the only given at the top of the list.
Shaq was more physically dominant, but Wilt literally forced the league to change the rules to prevent him from dominating.
Either way, being No. 2 or No. 3 on that kind of list is still the ultimate honor for a big man.
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