One of Shaq’s favorite pastimes online (so it seems) is posting those “best of” lists… mostly of his own making. Now the big man is out with a new list and a question for his fans. This time, it’s all about the best big men to play the game. And yes, he’s included himself on this list, but there’s a bit of a surprise, too. Stay tuned.
O’Neal’s is asking for readers to pick the best center of all time. The GOAT big man. Thanks to our friends at www.TheSportsRush.com for info on this story.
If you’ve been reading along here on ShaqFu Radio, you know there’s been a little kerfuffle between Shaq and a current center-in-the-spotlight, Utah’s Rudy Gobert. Shaq has openly questioned why the Jazz would pony up a $200 million dollar contract for Gobert, considering his mucho-average numbers.
As for Gobert, he has not engaged with Shaq on the issue… and it seems the issue might be dying down, at least for now. Of course ShaqFu Radio will keep you up to date.
So needless to say, Gobert is not on O’Neal’s greatest-of-all-time list of centers. Here’s the Shaq-official rundown. Hint: there’s a really good collection of center OG’s here. You may have to check your NBA history books for more details. Why the big names from past generations? Maybe it’s because how Shaq has talked about how his father had him carefully study videotapes of greats like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The official list is those three, along with Hakeem Olajuwon and of course O’Neal himself. But here’s the surprise: In his own post, Shaq says “I know it ain’t me.” Wow! Quite the tip ‘o the hat to the great big men of the past.
So… what do you think? If you go by the numbers, the hands-down favorite should probably be Bill Russell, who had a total of 11 rings in his amazing career.
On the other hand, in-game numbers would favor Wilt, who had crazy numbers for the life of his career, including an eye-popping 30 points per game and 22.9 rebounds.
And finally, the overall favorite might just have to be Kareem. How’s this for a body of work? A 19-time All-Star, 6-time MVP, and 6-time NBA Champion.
Feel free to weigh in with your comments and thoughts. Plenty already have, but there’s always room for more. Stay tuned to ShaqFu Radio for all the latest!