Shannon Sharpe ranks Shaquille O’Neal as 3rd best center of all time, ticks off Stephen A. Smith

Shaquille O'Neal dominantly won 3 straight NBA Finals MVPs.

Shannon Sharpe ranks Shaquille O’Neal as 3rd best center of all time, ticks off Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith gets ticked off after co-panelist Shannon Sharpe claims Shaquille O'Neal is the 3rd best center behind Wilt Chamberlain

Shaquille O’Neal is widely regarded as the most dominant player to ever set foot on an NBA court. But where he ranks as one of the best centers of all time is a topic that is still debated to this day. Shannon Sharpe for instance, had O’Neal below Wilt Chamberlain. That ranking ticked off his ESPN partner and close friend of the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar, Stephen A. Smith.

The NFL Hall of Fame tight end was on First Take to discuss today’s sporting topics. In between the segment, host Molly Qerim asked Sharpe where he would put Shaquille O’Neal on the all-time best centers list. He replied:

I can't put him in front of Kareem or Wilt. People say Shaq is the most dominant, no its Wilt. Because Wilt averaged 50 and 25. Blocked shots was not a stat. So how many blocked shots do you think he would have had, had they kept track of it.
Shannon Sharpe on First Take
My issue with Wilt compared to Shaq comes in is that Wilt had a nemesis (Bill Russell) that got 9 more titles straight up against him in that era. Nobody would have done that to Shaq, that's the difference.
Stephen A. Smith responded

As soon as Smith stopped talking, Shannon Sharpe suggested that Bill Russell had 8 Hall of Fame players alongside him. Suggesting that O’Neal did not have competition.

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There is some truth to this as the only elite center to go up against Shaquille O’Neal was Hakeem Olajuwon. In that NBA Finals matchup, Olajuwon won.

However, since then O’Neal has dominated the NBA, winning 4 titles and 3 Finals MVPs to go with his league MVP honors. Suggesting that he took the word dominating to a whole new level.

Shaquille O’Neal was one of a kind

Shannon Sharpe might feel Wilt Chamberlain was dominant. But there is one aspect that the former tight end might be forgetting. He played in an era when basketball players were not accustomed to the extreme physical style of play that Chamberlain brought. In comparison, Shaquille O’Neal played in an era when physicality was at its peak.

He would use his rare combination of size, athleticism, and skill around the basket to dominate the game. The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar would make double teams look like they are not enough to stop him. His ability to explode to the basket despite taking a lot of contact was something no big man had ever done.

Rival coaches were forced to sign players to specifically deal with the former league MVP. Such was the domination of Shaquille O’Neal that no player has been able to replicate.

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