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With there being four full days without NBA action as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers prepare to do battle in this year's edition of the NBA Finals, there is plenty of space for the kind of talk that most fans engage in whenever it's offseason time, debating whether or not this player or that man must be considered the greatest player of all time or whatnot. On Tuesday, it was Shaquille O'Neal who went on the record, via Netflix, to name who he thinks the 10 greatest NBA players of all-time are.
There weren't too many notable omissions from Shaq's top-10 list, although he did go the humble route and excluded himself. The order, however, will raise a few eyebrows and will shed some light on the bias that O'Neal carries.
Shaq's top-10 listed below:
- Michael Jordan
- Kobe Bryant
- LeBron James
- Magic Johnson
- Bill Russell
- Wilt Chamberlain
- Larry Bird
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Tim Duncan
- Julius Erving
Shaq's top 10 greatest NBA players ever:
1. Michael Jordan
2. Kobe Bryant
3. LeBron James
4. Magic Johnson
5. Bill Russell
6. Wilt Chamberlain
7. Larry Bird
8. Hakeem Olajuwon
9. Tim Duncan
10. Julius ErvingThoughts?
(via @netflix)
pic.twitter.com/wkQutWCjKI— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 3, 2025
Shaq has always expressed a deep appreciation for Dr. J, so it's no surprise to see him landing this high in the Hall of Fame big man's rankings. Some would be tempted to put Stephen Curry in Erving's place, but it's not as if the inclusion of the legendary Philadelphia 76er/New York Net/Virginia Squire is egregious in any capacity.
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O'Neal also has been very reverent of the big men who carried the torch before and alongside him, which explains the inclusion of Duncan, Olajuwon, Chamberlain, and Russell. It was definitely interesting to see Shaq omit Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a fellow legendary Los Angeles Lakers center.
But perhaps the biggest point of debate in Shaq's rankings will be his decision to put Jordan at the top, Bryant at two, and James at three.
Shaq believes Michael Jordan, not LeBron James, is the NBA's GOAT
Bryant being number two on Shaq's list comes across more as a gesture of respect, especially when the two went to war side by side carrying the Lakers to great heights alongside each other in the early 2000s. But it's definitely interesting to see O'Neal have Jordan over James as the NBA's GOAT.
The case for Jordan being the GOAT remains the same; he went undefeated in the NBA Finals, going 6-0, and was a larger than life figure who always seemed to get the upper hand over his rivals. Meanwhile, the adversity James faced in his career has been more well-documented, and some have used his 4-6 record in the NBA Finals as the case against him being the GOAT.
James, however, is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, both in the regular season and playoffs. He remains one of the best players in the NBA 22 seasons in, making him the unparalleled king of longevity. With the GOAT debate being a matter of opinion, who one deems as the greatest will come down to what that person values the most.
