(Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
For decades, NBA fans have debated who’s the best basketball player of all time.
For the most part, the names on the list changed throughout the course of the years, with guys like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell getting the nod at first and then Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
However, people have gone back and forth between LeBron James and Michael Jordan as well.
And even though we’ve seen countless talented players take the NBA by storm year in and year out, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal believes only three players have a legitimate case for being the GOAT.
Talking on his podcast, Shaq chose Jordan, LeBron, and Kobe Bryant as the only three people who could and should be in that discussion right now (via NBA Central).
Shaq says Kobe, LeBron, and MJ are the only players who should be included in the GOAT debate
( @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/YcXCxbGevR) pic.twitter.com/70jWgBjRIX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 9, 2024
He also acknowledged that sometimes, he just doesn’t know the criteria people use in that discussion, whether it’s championship or points.
Whatever the case, only those three guys should be up there.
Truth be told, it’s hard to disagree with that list and that top three.
That speaks volumes about the level of impact, influence, and dominance they had, as no tournament on Earth has featured more talent than the league, and narrowing almost 80 years of history to just three guys is no easy task.
Even so, at the end of the day, this debate is rather futile and pretty much impossible to settle, as there will always be subjectivity involved, and basketball has changed so much throughout the years.
The post Shaq Names The Only 3 Players That Should Be In GOAT Debate appeared first on The Cold Wire.