Shaquille O’Neal made a name for himself as one of the best basketball players to ever step foot on an NBA court. The Big Aristotle shared the majority of his honors with Kobe Bryant, taking home three consecutive MVP awards in the Finals as well as one of the most enduring regular season MVPs in 2000.
It was evident that O’Neal had carved out a career deserving of inclusion in the NBA Hall of Fame by the time he announced his retirement following his 19th season in the league. Kobe Bryant is in the same boat. One of the most accomplished players to ever compete in the league is Bryant.
When considering who the best players of all time are, any list that doesn’t include Kobe in its top 10 is one that shouldn’t be given the slightest consideration. Shaq appears to share this sentiment as he releases an official statement on social media admitting that he disagrees with it.
For more information, see Shaquille O Neal, a Laker legend who is worth over $400 million, who revealed his preferred nickname and the source of his enormous wealth.
Read More: Michael Andretti’s F1 Venture Was Supported by Cadillac After a $600 Million Contract Fell Through!
Shaquille O Neal on Kobe Bryant Missing out On the Top 10
On his social media, Shaquille O Neal does this pretty frequently. He posts images of GOAT pyramids or top 10 all-time lists on Instagram or Twitter, comments on the rankings, and then polls his followers to determine which order they believe the players should be in.
Most recently, he posted a ranking of the top 10 players of all time from the Playmaker page, which included a number of individuals in positions with which the general public would disagree. The biggest exclusion from the list, though, was unquestionably Kobe Bryant, who was surpassed by players like Stephen Curry, who came in at number three, and Kevin Durant.
View this post on Instagram
Many commenters were enraged by this and inquired about the whereabouts of the Black Mamba. Additionally, they would strongly contest Curry’s ranking as the third-best player of all time, ahead of players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.
Shaq disagreed, saying he was content with his position (no. 5). He attempted to @ the page that was on the list, but it appears that the page has been taken down.
Shaquille O Neal and Kobe Bryant would eventually bury the hatchet
Near the end of their time spent together in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were almost at war with one another. After the Lakers lost to the Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, Jerry Buss eventually forced Shaq out of the team and opted to keep the younger Bryant instead.
On the purple and gold, both of them were determined to be the dominant canine and refused to yield to the other. Despite their rivalry, they were able to capture three championships. The conflict was exaggerated, according to O Neal, in order to maintain his name in the news. Fast forward to the present.
Even in a highly publicized event, the two would sit down together and discuss their relationship and share their feelings. Shaq explained how much Kobe’s death had affected him mentally by claiming that he had lost his younger brother after Kobe passed away.
Continue reading about Shaquille O’Neal’s mother Lucille O’Neal’s struggles with raising Shaq in How Am I Gonna Take Care Of This Man-Child?
