The conversation on who is the greatest basketball player of all-time is one that will never die out as there will always be fans who believe certain people have that spot above all else. And for Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, one person who should always be in that conversation is his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate, the late, great Kobe Bryant.
Shaq has been consistent in his belief that Kobe belongs in the GOAT conversation and has spoken on this numerous times. The Lakers legend feels that it is unfair that certain people have leapfrogged Kobe in the eyes of many and feels that, at the very least, Bryant should be mentioned.
This was recently brought up again on The Big Podcast with Shaq as he had on ESPN analyst and potential Lakers coaching candidate JJ Redick. O’Neal would say that the only thing that bothers him is Kobe being excluded from the conversation as a whole behind Michael Jordan and LeBron James:
“The only thing I don’t like about the (GOAT) conversation is that they don’t put my boy’s name (Kobe) in it. If you’re gonna be throwing names around, you gotta have my boy’s name in it. That’s like saying, ‘What are the best luxury cars out there: Lexus or Beemer? You gotta put the Mercedes in there, too. Mike, LeBron, or Kobe, now y’all debate.”
What the GOAT debate often comes down to is people’s criteria for what makes someone the greatest. There is no set standard, it is simply what people prefer which is what leads to the most heated debates. During his Lakers career, Kobe reached a level that few thought was possible and Shaq got to witness much of his growth up close and personal, which is likely why he is so adamant about his inclusion in those debates.
No player has stayed at as a high a level for as long as James has, while Jordan fans often point to his perfect NBA Finals record as putting him a level above. But many would argue that skill-for-skill Kobe is at or above both of them. Regardless of who is in the conversation, the talks and debates will continue on for eternity.
Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal puts out diss track amidst beef with Shannon Sharpe
While Shaquille O’Neal is still vouching for his legendary teammate, that is not what most are talking about when it comes to the former Lakers center as he has been engaged in a bit of a feud with ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe.
In fact, Shaq went as far as to drop a diss track on Instagram in the midst of the beef, which started after Sharpe claimed O’Neal was a little jealous of Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who won his third MVP in four seasons.
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