Shaq says he is "The most dominant player ever"

• 2quik4u

  

  http://www.torontosun.com/sports/basketball/2010/07/31/14891236.html
  

  Shaquille O'Neal is still without a home for the 2010-11 season, but the legendary center still considers himself an iconic player.
  
  "The biggest thing that will define my legacy is how I've done it, and what I've done, and who I am," O'Neal said. "I'm a weird big guy. Doing rapping, doing movies. Do a lot of stuff.
  
  "But always do things the right way. Changed three different franchises around (Orlando, L.A. Lakers and Miami). This is a guy who they (league officials) would have secret meetings about to change the rules. So, that's going to be my legacy: The most dominant player ever."

  
  
  
  
  
  how is he more dominant than jordan?
• gerb131

  

  Beginning not to like Shaq so much these days.
• wes_mantooth

  

  He is in the conversation as the "most dominant big man" of all time....not in Jordan's league though.
• Trueblue23

  

  You're not the most dominate ever if you can't make a free throw. Shaq was a liability at the end of ball games.
• trackandccrunner

  I don't even know if I'd call him the most dominant center ever.
• mallymal614

  How can he be the most dominant ever when he never led the league in rebounding at his size? I think Wilt Chamberlain has a better case than he does.
• From the Hills

  

  Dominant big man yes. But, not lately. Realistically, he should retire to save some of the dignity he still has left.
• wgh raider

  shaq was pretty dominate offensively with his brute strenght but to me he never rebounded consistently for his size or was he much of a shot blocker. from the hills in the lakers championship season of 69-13 and like a 33 game winning streak wilt chamberlain averaged like 12 points or so a game and basically concentrated on rebounding and shot blocking.
• From the Hills

  

  wgh raider;439929 wrote:shaq was pretty dominate offensively with his brute strenght but to me he never rebounded consistently for his size or was he much of a shot blocker. from the hills in the lakers championship season of 69-13 and like a 33 game winning streak wilt chamberlain averaged like 12 points or so a game and basically concentrated on rebounding and shot blocking.

  
  You don't have to sell me on Wilt, he was the ultimate big man.
• killer_ewok

  

  From the Hills;439938 wrote:You don't have to sell me on Wilt, he was the ultimate big man.

  
  That's what she said.
• thedynasty1998

  

  I am one who would agree with Shaq. I don't think he was the best ever, but I do think he was the most dominant. There really wasn't anyone in the NBA that could stop Shaq, except for himself due to his foul shooting. People are probably remembering him later in his career, but he was an absolute freak in his prime.
• Commander of Awesome

  

  Shaq is most dominate player I have ever seen play. As for before him, I can not comment.
• gut

  Most dominant physically? Yes. There has never been a more unstoppable, more prolific less-skilled scorer. I always hated how he would just back his way down to easy dunks - no one was strong enough to keep him out (should be charging, but that's another discussion).
• lhslep134

  

  He didn't say he was the best player. He said he was the most dominant. And I think, due to me never seeing Russell or Wilt play, that I would agree with him.
• thedynasty1998

  

  lhslep134;440048 wrote:He didn't say he was the best player. He said he was the most dominant. And I think, due to me never seeing Russell or Wilt play, that I would agree with him.

  
  I never really saw Wilt or Russell play either, other than highlights, but there is absolutely no way they could have matched up with Shaq in a physically point of view.
• gut

  thedynasty1998;440056 wrote:I never really saw Wilt or Russell play either, other than highlights, but there is absolutely no way they could have matched up with Shaq in a physically point of view.

  
  Such an ugly period for actual, REAL basketball....Watch ball go down to Shaq.....dribble, bang....dribble, bang....dribble, bang....dunk
• Sage

  

  When Shaq was at the height of his powers, I'd have to agree.
• 2quik4u

  

  killer_ewok;439943 wrote:That's what she said.

  
  no homo?
• trep14

  You know what, I really don't have a problem with what Shaq said. When he was in his prime out in L.A. he could absolutely not be stopped (except for hack-a-shaq). Read the box scores from some of his playoff series with the Lakers. The guy was a beast. For anyone who has ever read the Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons, you know how he talks about Shaqs effect on fantasy basketball leagues, about how some fantasy leagues had the "Shaq rule", where if you selected Shaq in the first round, you lost your fifth round pick because Shaq was so dominant. Best ever? No, and its not close. But in those few years in his prime, Shaq was as dominant of a player as we've ever seen in the NBA (sans maybe Wilt, simply because he was a 7'0 center playing against a bunch of 6'5" guys [other than Bill Russell]). I think if you put Shaq in Wilts era, they would probably test Shaq to see if he was from outer space because he would be so much better than everyone else.
• Speedofsand

  

  I went to a bunch of Magic games when he was there. He was dominant in the paint but not all around.
  His remark was probably trying to stir publicity for his tv show starting tonite.
  "Shaq vs." Dale Jr.
• Skyhook79

  

  "(sans maybe Wilt, simply because he was a 7'0 center playing against a bunch of 6'5" guys [other than Bill Russell])."
  
  
  Wilt played against (Walt Bellamy 6'11" HOF'er) (Nate Thurmond 6'11" HOF'er) (Willis Reed 6'10" HOF'er) (Bob Lanier 6'11" HOF'er) (Wes Unseld 6'7" HOF'er) (Kareem Jabbar 7'2" HOF'er)
  and they actually guarded each other and played each other about 8 times a year unlike the Centers of Shaq's time.
• trep14

  Skyhook79;440644 wrote:"(sans maybe Wilt, simply because he was a 7'0 center playing against a bunch of 6'5" guys [other than Bill Russell])."
  
  
  Wilt played against (Walt Bellamy 6'11" HOF'er) (Nate Thurmond 6'11" HOF'er) (Willis Reed 6'10" HOF'er) (Bob Lanier 6'11" HOF'er) (Wes Unseld 6'7" HOF'er) (Kareem Jabbar 7'2" HOF'er)
  and they actually guarded each other and played each other about 8 times a year unlike the Centers of Shaq's time.

  
  Please. Half of those guys careers barely overlap with Wilt's. Kareem Abdul Jabbar? They probably played in the league together for like a year or two.
• 2quik4u

  

  shaq did become pretty dominant after all the great centers became old
• Skyhook79

  

  trep14;440689 wrote:Please. Half of those guys careers barely overlap with Wilt's. Kareem Abdul Jabbar? They probably played in the league together for like a year or two.

  
  
  
  Bellamy 12 years
  Thurmond 11 years
  Lanier 4 years
  Unseld 6 years
  Jabbar 4 years
  Reed 10 years
  
  
  Of course thats not counting Bill Russell.
• sjmvsfscs08

  My initial thought to this was "If Shaq is the most dominant played ever, than I'm Margaret Thatcher!"
  
  But the more I think about it, the more I might be Margaret Tatcher...I just don't think Wilt or Kareem would've have the power to stop Shaq.
  
  Now I will say, "dominant" as in "unstoppable offensive game" doesn't necessarily mean a bulldozing center, or a center at all. Maybe it just comes down to "what guy is the hardest person to guard in the history of the league," and that would probably be Michael Jordan. You can double-team a center and have some success stopping the passes to him, but if a guy can shoot and slash and jump out of the fucking gym while beating your entire team down the court...good luck.
  
  Michael Jordan takes this title, and maybe Magic Johnson in my opinion. Kareem Adubl-Jabber has a claim to the throne being the highest scorer. Lebron James will have his say before it's all said and done.