I have Shaq at #12, under Isiah Thomas. Shaq and I are the same age. I followed Shaq since the high school McDonalds All American game. He was a monster in that game. His grabbing a rebound and taking it to the other end with a dunk almost gave Dick Vitale a heart attack. He was a man against boys at LSU. It was almost unfair watching him dominate everyone in college (not named Christian Laettner). Then he got to the NBA and by his second year in the league, he was on his way to being at LEAST a top three player, if not the GOAT. If he wouldn’t have bulked up in LA and kept his Orlando Magic body, he would have had a career as long as maybe Kareem and would have just as much hardware as Kareem. Instead of having the work ethic of Hakeem Olajuwon, he had the work ethic of Charles Barkley. As great a player as he was in the League, he did underachieve. If you all never got to see Shaquille O’Neal in college, you really missed out. It was like watching a Mike Tyson fight in the mid to late 80s. He was so dominant that it would make you cringe and almost feel bad for the whole opposing front line of the other team. The highlights on RU-vid do not do justice with Shaq at LSU.
Another fantastic appreciation video COJ.. this time on the great Shaquille 'Man of Steel' O'Neal. Also a huge credit goes to one of the greatest NBA access shows produced in Open Court. And for also over half a decade now organising the ideal panel of former NBA Athletes around Ernie Johnson to have such thought provoking discussions both from a personal and social aspect
i agree i think honestly derek fisher should have started over payton and payton should have led the second unit because in 2004 Payton was stiff effective not near his 90s form but still very effective
1:36 “Top 10 you have to be able to argue that he was the greatest player at his position” 1:44 “You can make an argument that Shaq was the greatest center ever” 3:53 “Shaq never won a championship until he played with Phil Jackson” 4:05 “It took Shaq longer to get to the Finals on the Lakers than it did for him to get to the Finals on the Orlando Magic or with the Miami Heat” 4:24 “Shaq was able to reach the Finals on the Orlando Magic in his 3rd year, he reached the Finals on the Miami Heat in his 2nd year, it took him 4 years to get to the Finals on the Lakers” 14:04 “The triangle offense is not good for point guards”
sometimes i wish the people you talk about on ur videos watch them aswell , so they can know where they turly fell short ,so they can make the rest of there life a lil easier , cause im learning from this and i hope shaq at least hear this video out
9:57 I think that would be a great match up as well, Kareem held his own against centers with the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Moses Malone so I don't understand why people always states that Kareem couldn't contain Shaq
Wilt and Malone won the matchups more times than Kareem did iirc and wilt was older by the time Kareem made it into the league..... and even a young Hakeem Olajuwon dominanted Kareem. Shaq would ragdoll the shit out of Kareem, but Kareem would also do the same to shaq just less aggressive
So basically what I'm saying is, I just don't think either one would be able to stop each other from scoring. It'll be a battle of "who scored more than who?" Lol
Regarding Shaq's assertion that Phil benched him because he didn't want him to pass Jordan's record: I always assumed he was talking about Jordan's playoff point record.
This must be the dumbest argument you’ve made ever! Kobe from 17 to 21 was supposed to ready to CO-LEAD the Lakers to a championship? Penny and Wade had gone to college and were physically and mentally ready right away. The fact that Kobe took over games and so poised in the clutch at age 21 is a testament to Kobe maturity at such a young age. I’m not even sure MJ had that at 21. Shaq went to the finals with Penny but did he win? We know he won with Kobe!
7”0-7”1 and at his PRIME he was 330lbs of pure STRENGTH and your right if he took the position seriously and kept his body in check he could have extended his career a extra 5 years i read phil jackson book eleven rings and he said how shaq called him in the off season while with miami and said pat riley was killing him and willing to fine him if his body fat was over a certain percentage
Your only problem with saying that Kobe maybe wasn't a good sidekick and it took Shaq longer to get to the finals with the Lakers is that kobe wasn't a starter in Shaq's first year with the Lakers than he did with the Magic. It was Eddie Jones and Nick van Exel starting
when u said it would be a good match up between shaq and kareem and i said no it wouldnt then u said finesse vs power and i was like "damn hes always right" lol
Those 3 Laker championship rings Shaq has are as much Kobe's than they are Shaqs. Remember even tho Kobe air balled 4 shots in a row against Utah, the entire team was deferring to a very young Kobe. Shaq had never been a closer. Kobe was the closer on those teams.
Okay, so let me begin by saying thank you for another great video. Secondly, i want to ask, do you believe the Lakers or Shaq, would have ever won a championship without a player like Kobe and if he just had Phil jackson, Nick Van Axel and Eddie Jones? When Shaq got to the Lakers, they did not have a good record and Eddie HouseI enjoyed watching the Lakers play, i'm not a Lakers fan because i've always thought that Shaq was the sloppiest big man to play the game, besides Javale McGee..lol
You make me laugh brother .... I Respectfully Disagree in regards to Phil Jackson being the reason for Shaq getting over the hump ..Western Conference Finals 1999 / 2000... It all came down to Game Seven against the Trailblazers Kobe had 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7assists, and 4 blocks Shaq had 18 points and 9 rebounds.The Lakers went on to win 89-84 in the biggest comeback in Western Conference Finals history...Lakers played the pacers in the finals .. Game 4 was the defining game. Shaq fouled out in overtime and Bryant took the lead and went on to score eight points in OT as the Lakers won 120-118. 2000/2001 they beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals... Kobe averaged 29.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game in the final series... Make no mistake brother Kobe is the reason why Shaq got over the hump. Phil Jackson played a big part but when your second fiddle is averaging those numbers Your going to win ... Let us Compare Michael Jordan's playoff stats in 1991-1992 ( 2nd championship), in which he averaged 31.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 8.4 assists.Kobe averaged 29.4 points 7.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists ....However, nobody would dare say Jordan doesn't deserve credit for his team's success. .. Shaq won his 2nd ring because he had KOBE BRYANT..... Facts 2001 / 2002 The Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets, and once again Shaq won the MVP Award while Kobe averaged 27 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, while shooting 51.4% from the floor. It was also in this series that Bryant would begin to gain his reputation as clutch. In fourth quarters alone, he shot a staggering 63% from the field..... Shaq has 3 rings because he played alongside Kobe Bryant and vice versa... To claim that Phil Jackson got Shaq over the hump and not Kobe is NONSENSE .. Be fair that is all i am asking .......Peace
Roger Raymond Bruh this is not a fan channel. Bryant was in his 4th season and Phil Jackson was in his first as coach. The Lakers had been swept out of the playoffs 2 of the previous 3 seasons with Kobe being a prominent player in the previous 2 seasons. Phil was brought in to teach Shaq how to elevate his teammates, and to teach Kobe how to play with his teammates. To be quite honest, your assertion is like a Bulls fan stating that the reason why they won their first title was because John Paxson scored 20 points in game 5. Phil Jackson and Tex Winter put Paxson in the position to succeed. Once again, this is not a fanboy channel. Thanks for viewing the video.
Roger Raymond Did the LA Lakers win anything from the 1996-97 season to the 1998-99 season until Phil Jackson arrived in 1999-00 season? Did Kobe win anything from 2004-07? NOPE
Roger Raymond and btw Shaq reached a final in 1995 with the Magic and also another title in 2006 and could have won in 2005 had Dwayne Wade not got hurt. In 2005 Kobe missed the playoffs entirely
Roger Raymond and btw Shaq reached a final in 1995 with the Magic and also another title in 2006 and could have won in 2005 had Dwayne Wade not got hurt. In 2005 Kobe missed the playoffs entirely
E BO man context is key. Explain to the people WHY he put up 15 (it was closer to 16)a game. You want to explain to them how Kobe got “Jalen Rose’d”. He severely sprained his ankle and even missed a game. If you’re going to hold that against him then so be it. I give all the credit to shaq that series myself personally but Kobe was playing at 75% percent and he still won them a game that series. Tell the whole story. Yes, Shaq was the man that series but y’all sound like these weak biased journalists that parade around television now thing to fit narratives.
Shaq was the Superstar player. Kobe was just a Star player at the time. Shaq was that guy in those championships. Having Kobe just made it uneven for opponents. Could an aging Superstar in Reggie Miller and his veteran cast beat the Lakers..No. Could a young Superstar in Iverson and his veteran cast beat Lakers..No. Could a Superstar with unprecedented high I.Q in his prime in Jason Kidd and his young energetic cast beat the Lakers..No. It ended up being the team with no All Stars, lead by Billups all going to work to shock the world and beat LA in the finals. The Detroit Pistons. We WILL be back to shock the world once again real soon
Let me ask you something, do you think if Kobe started his career in Charlotte and didn’t have a ball dominant teammate like Shaq that he would’ve gotten that shot jacking phase out of his system earlier, matured earlier, and then won more championships than he ended up with in reality?
It took him 4 years with the Lakers cause that included Kobe's first 2 years where he didn't start. Once Kobe became a starter it took only 2 years to get a ring. Everything you say is fact based but make sure to dig deeper into the facts to find the truth. Peace.
super disengenous to point out it took shaQ longer to reach the finals with kobe in LA when kobe wasnt a starter. kobe was a 1st time starter in 98-99 season 99-00 season LAL was in the finals and won. prior to that shaQ nick and eddie jones were all worthy all stars and didnt reach the finals. phil made a difference but so did kobe you can not discredit him
They would foul and hit Shaq hard as fuck and he would still dunk with you hanging on him . When he threw his side body on defenders they would just fold
kobe wasn't shaQ sidekick shaQ's first 2wo years [96&97] in LAL considerin he wasnt even a starter and you're privy to this knowledge. he became his sidekick in 98-99 so that clearly wasn't a fact.
So let me this this straight. CoJ say Phil is the entire reason Shaq won on the Lakers. But when u bring up Mj. U never say Phil or Pippen is the entire reason Mj won? Bro u just gotta admit your a kobe hater. I never heard u give kobe credit for any of his rings. Its sad. 🤣🤣🤣
Kobe Bryant wasn't relevant when he 1st came into the league, he not only came off the bench behind Eddie Jones but c'mon man he wasn't even mentioned with Iverson Marbury Ray Allen Marcus Camby Kerry Kittles Antoine Walker an Shareef Abdur-Rahim they were the big names of the draft, Kobe an Nash both started their rookie seasons off the bench. An it wasn't til his minutes picked up the Lakers got better. I overstand your Phil argument but Kobe Bryant does deserve more credit than you give him, he was very selfish but he was a damn killer.
I remember back in the 96 draft that the teams was say that Kobe Bryant was the most talented player in the draft he was cookin NBA players in open runs in Philadelphia and was killing in the predraft workouts
shaq when he joined the lakers was a offensive foul machine and and hacking everyone plus swinging his arms hitting people in the face and the refs let it happen
