Welcome back to the "Best Ever" series as i'll continue to make case for a certain legend as arguably the greatest player to step on a NBA Hardwood.
A valuable center who dominated the league in a strong fashion for 15 years, in which he displayed his full greatness, unique play and made a name for himself.
Shaquille O'Neal is without any doubt, a proven legend. Without any further ado, here're my reasons why i think that Shaq can be argued as the best player of all time.
1.Dominance
If there's one word to describe Shaquille O'Neal and that will always be tied up to his legacy is "dominant". He was arguably the most dominant force in the NBA History.
A physically imposing player with rarely matched physicality, this allowed Shaq to be nearly unstoppable in the paint and extremely efficient.
O'Neal dominated the league through his entire career. His domination peaked in the playoffs and especially the finals, where he literally destroyed his opponents.
To show you that, i'll point out his stats during the three peat. He averaged 38.0, 33.0, 36.3 points, 16.7, 15.8, 12.3 boards and 2.7, 3.4, 2.8 blocks on 61.1, 57.3 and 59.5% from field in those winning runs.
His domination caused some several rules changes too. The Diesel had remarkable and very similar productions against the back then's top defenses as well.
2.Peak
Shaquille O'Neal had arguably the greatest peak of all time. Very few could stop him from absolutely destroying the opposition, as he established himself as a force to be recognized.
His combination of power, strength, size and athleticism with excellent moves, footwork and soft touch made him a dominant figure out there.
O'Neal was literally unguardable as he'd score with ease against his opponent, but if you doubled him, he made the double team pay by finding a team mate for the easy basket.
Shaq's physicality was very rarely matched, as he easily overwhelmed his opponents. Thanks to that, he was efficient and effective force in the paint in his career.
In his peak which was from 2000-02, he absolutely dominated and led his team to three straight championship while winning the Finals MVP honors with phenomenal numbers in the process.
To illustrate his greatness, i'll point out the fact that he became the second player ever to win the All-Star, Regular Season and Finals MVP in a season en route to a title without not so big help.
Even when he faced pretty legit and tough competition, he was still coming up big for his team.
'00 Finals (vs Pacers)
38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.7 blocks on 61.1% FG, 57.6% TS
WCF vs San Antonio in 01 :
27.0 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 2.5 apg on 54.1% FG/54.7% TS
WCSF vs Sacramento in 01:
33.3 ppg, 17.3 rpg, 2.3 apg on 59.8% FG/58.9% TS
'01 Finals (vs Dikembe)
33.0 points, 15.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3.4 blocks on 57.3% FG, 57.5% TS
'02 Finals (vs Nets)
36.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.8 blocks on 59.5% FG, 63.4% TS
These are quite impressive efforts by the Diesel, who in his peak was arguably the most unstoppable player of all time. And because of that, he's recognized as a legend.
3.Efficient Scorer
When it came to scoring, Shaquille was among the elite in that aspect. However, no one in the NBA History was arguably a more efficient scorer than him.
Thanks to his mix of power, athleticism, strength with overlooked skill set that allowed O'Neal to be devastating. He also possessed great footwork and signature moves (e.g spin and drop step moves) with a jump hook as well.
He usually relied on his physicality to maximize his game and was capable to overpower his opponents too. The Diesel maximized the touches he got.
Shaq won two scoring crowns with averages of 29.3 and 29.7 points respectably. He also led the league record ten times in field goal percent, while finishing with a career percentage of 58.2%.
He's the NBA's all time leader in both regular, post season (for all high scorers) and finals history too. That's quite amazing. He topped everyone in this regard.
4.Unstoppable
When you're perhaps the most physically imposing player to play basketball who possessed nice skill set, underrated footwork, some great moves and touch, you have the needed tools to be unstoppable.
That was exactly what Shaquille O'Neal was, especially in his peak. For a very long part of his career, he destroyed his opponents in the paint, cleared the glass, was great defensively when he wanted to etc.
The Diesel was quite unstoppable in the low post offense, thanks to his already mentioned physicality. He won two scoring crowns while leading numerous times in efficiency from field.
Then, here are the stats to prove that. He ranks fifth and fourth on the all time lists in scoring. O'Neal additionally ranks first in field goal percentage during both regular and post season.
Also, i'll point out some of the stats he had versus elite defenders and defensive teams in his career.
'95 Finals (vs Hakeem)
28.0 points, 12.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.5 blocks on 59.5% FG, 95, 60.6% TS
'00 Finals (vs Pacers)
38.0 points, 16.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.7 blocks on 61.1% FG, 57.6% TS
WCF vs San Antonio in 01:
27.0 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 2.5 apg on 54.1% FG/54.7% TS
WCSF vs Sacramento in 01:
33.3 ppg, 17.3 rpg, 2.3 apg on 59.8% FG/58.9% TS
'01 Finals (vs Dikembe)
33.0 points, 15.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3.4 blocks on 57.3% FG, 57.5% TS
'02 Finals (vs Nets)
36.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.8 blocks on 59.5% FG, 63.4% TS
These are some of Shaq's most remarkable playoff series which all came against quality competition. O'Neal was truly an outstanding force that produced amazingly when it was needed most.
5.Top Clutch Performer
Shaquille O'Neal nearly always was elevating himself on a whole new level when it mattered most. He was easily one of the greatest clutch performers in NBA History, with a case as the best ever.
Here are some numbers to prove that.
---Regular Season Averages: 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists , 2.3 blocks, 58.2% FG
-------Post Season Averages: 24.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.1 blocks, 56.3% FG
-----Game Seven Averages: 26.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, N/A assists, 2.5 blocks, 58.8% FG
--------------Finals Average: 28.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 blocks, 60.2% FG
These stats display O'Neal's true dominance. Without counting the 06 Finals where he was out of his peak and injured, his averages are still legendary. He didn't win four titles and three Finals MVP just like that.
Some of the least known facts about Shaquille, is that he averaged over 11 points per game in the fourth quarter during the 00 Finals, which is impressive.
6.Physical Imposing
He possessed a rarely seen mix of size, strength and power combined with athleticism, leaping ability and mobility plus a great length, from a physical standpoint, Shaq had it all.
O'Neal was arguably the most physically imposing force ever. He was capable to overwhelm and overpower his opponents with ease, as he had the needed tools for that.
He stood at 7'1 and weighted 280 lbs (at least), was really strong, could get up there, had nice movement for a man of size, was athletic etc.
The Diesel was perhaps the strongest man this game had ever seen. He took the entire rim down twice. And here too. Thanks to this, he was always capable to get a good position for himself all the time.
He put on some muscle in his LA days, and he was even harder to contain. Nobody used his power as Shaq did, which made him a really dominant figure.
7.Low Post Offense
Shaquille O'Neal was arguably the greatest offensive low post player in NBA History. He was really tough to stop when he was close to the basket.
Thanks to his outstanding physicality combined with nice footwork, solid moves (such as the Drop Step, Spin move etc) and touch made him such a dominant figure.
Shaq was such a remarkable force in the paint, who left defenders to the ground after he'd just finish over them. His physical tools alone was too hard to handle, which maximized his game.
He saw ton of double, sometimes even triple teams and was always in the focus of the defense. Regardless of that, O'Neal left the league as its fifth and fourth highest scorer in both regular and post season, respectably.
The Diesel also holds the top field goal percentage mark of 58.2%, which is amazing for a guy that attempted many shots. Additionally, he won two scoring titles too.
8.Exciting
Coming from LSU as one of the most dominant players in NCAA History, Shaquille O'Neal took the NBA by storm and established as one of the league's most dominant forces ever as well.
He brought excitement in the world of basketball with his one of a kind personality. Shaq was a walking highlight machine who made the crowd stand of their seats and amazed people with his abilities.
Whether it was about a power dunk, poster, block, going coast to coast with the ball and acting as a point guard, O'Neal was truly out of the ordinary.
His post game interviews such as this one and this are funny. When you gave a microphone, no one could predict what was he going to say but he always made everyone laugh.
He retired recently, but many miss Shaq already.
9.Achievements
Shaquille O'Neal achieved a lot in his illustrated career of basketball, which only helps his case.
- 4× NBA Champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006)
- 3× NBA Finals MVP (2000–2002)
- NBA Most Valuable Player (2000)
- NBA Rookie of the Year (1993)
- 15× NBA All-Star (1993–1998, 2000–2007, 2009)
- 2× NBA scoring champion (1995, 2000)
- 8× All-NBA First Team (1998, 2000–2006)
- 2× All-NBA Second Team (1995, 1999)
- 4× All-NBA Third Team (1994, 1996–1997, 2009)
- 3× All-Defensive Second Team (2000–2001, 2003)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (1993)
- 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2000, 2004, 2009)
- 1994 FIBA World Championship MVP
10.Ability to Play In Any Era
Like all of the other great players, Shaquille O'Neal would have translated his game pretty well into other eras. There're dozen of reasons to back this up.
He was one of the game's biggest physical freaks as he possessed a combination of size, power and athleticism. He's also regarded as the most physically imposing player ever.
Shaq additionally had a nice length, was extremely mobile for a man of his size and was excellent leaper as he holds the record for the max vertical reach at impressive 12'5 feet.
O'Neal was phenomenal impact maker. He usually made his teams much better. He scored efficiently and in high volume, cleaned the glass nicely, controlled the paint, found open team mates etc.
Superman was certainly the main reason why in his best days, his teams had winning records as he led them to success and he always elevated his game to a whole new level in the playoffs.
He was just a physical freak, who had all the tools to succeed. Even if he was in the earlier eras, he'd have found ways to bulk himself like some of the legends did and still be dominant.
In other words, his game would have translated well.
11.Quotes
"You know he's a wonderful person, he's been one of the greatest players ever and you know I tell people Shaquille O'Neal I played in the NBA for 16 years; Shaquille O'Neal is the only guy that I ever said, wow that's a big dude. From the first time I saw him he's the only guy." -----Charles Barkley
"He's the most dominating player in our league. He's powerful, strong, able to get the ball in the hole. He's improved immensely, starting to make shots further from the basket. He's just so dominating that they have an opportunity here to do something great for a number of years."---------Pacers coach Larry Bird said after O'Neal and the Lakers clinched the title over his team
"As a teammate, I'm always appreciate of being able to play with one of the all-time greats. Humbled and totally honored to have been a teammate. As a fan, just seeing the dominance of what he did will never be forgotten."-----Dwyane Wade
"What he was able to do for this league not just on the court but off the court. I think he's probably one of the only big men to play this game that was able to be marketable off the court. He sold shoes, he did movies..."-----LeBron James
"His personality is definitely something I gravitated towards," -------LeBron James
