O Neal s 10 Greatest NBA Players: James Third, Lakers Legend Excluded

According to US sports media F/W reporter Gautam Varyl. O'Neal has listed the 10 greatest players in NBA history in his Netflix documentary Power Moves with Shaquille O'Neal. Every top 10 list often has some surprises, and O'Neal is no exception, as James is third and Los Angeles Lakers icon Jabbar is left out.

"No. 10, I have myself," O'Neal said. "I'm going to put myself down and put the great Julius Irving here. No. 9, Tim Duncan. 8 is Olajuwon. 7 is Larry Bird. 6 is Chamberlain. 5 is Bill Russell cooperation. 4 is Magic Johnson, 3 is James, 2 is Kobe Bryant, 1 is the greatest player of all time is Michael Jordan."

O'Neal initially ranked himself in 10th place, but later decided to give this position to Julius Irving. Irving’s best years of his career were spent in the ABA, but he did win an NBA championship and MVP. He has been selected to the All-Star team in each of his 11 NBA seasons and has also been selected to seven NBA All-Squad.

O's old rival Tim Duncan ranks ninth. Duncan won five championships, three Finals MVPs and two MVPs in his 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs. He was selected for 15 All-Stars, 15 All-NBA and 15 All-Defensive Team.

O's other old rival, Olajuwon, won eighth place. Win two championships, two finals MVPs, one MVP and two DPOYs. He was selected for the All-Star 12 times, the All-NBA 12 times and the All-Defensive Team 9 times.

Boston Celtics idol Larry Bird won seventh place. Bird has won three championships, two Finals MVPs and three MVPs in his career. He was selected for 12 All-Stars, 10 All-NBA and 3 All-Defensive Team.

Chamberlain missed the top five as he finished sixth. Chamberlain won two championships, a Finals MVP and four MVPs. He was selected for 13 All-Stars, 10 All-NBA and 3 All-Defensive Team. Often referred to as the most dominant player in history, Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points per game in the 1961-62 season.

The main person in charge of Chamberlain's only two titles was Bill Russell, who ranked fifth on O'Neal's roster. Russell won 11 championships and 5 MVPs in his career with the Celtics. He was selected for 12 All-Stars and 11 All-NBA teams.

Although Jabbar did not enter, his criminal partner Johnson won fourth place. Johnson won five championships, three finals MVPs and three MVPs with the Lakers. He was selected for 12 All-Stars and 10 All-NBA teams.

James then unexpectedly ranked third. James won 4 championships, 4 finals MVPs and 4 MVPs. James is the scoring champion in NBA history, making it to 21 All-Stars, 21 All-NBA and 6 All-Defensive Team.

O'Neal let his former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant replace James with the second pick. Kobe has won five championships, two finals MVPs and one MVP in his career. He was selected for 18 All-Stars, 15 All-NBA and 12 All-Defensive Team.

Kobe's idol Michael Jordan won the top spot, O'Neal believed to be a GOAT person. Jordan won 6 titles, 6 Finals MVPs, 5 MVPs and a DPOY in his legendary career. He was selected for 14 All-Stars, 11 All-NBA and 9 All-Defensive Team.

O's GOAT choice is not too controversial, but the rest of the players on his roster can't say that. James is widely regarded as the second greatest player of all time, and more and more people are beginning to believe that he deserves the top spot. You can't blame O'Neal too much, though, for he's leaning towards someone who wins three titles with him. The bigger shock was Jabbar, who won 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and 6 MVPs, and didn’t even make the top 10. It’s also surprising that O’Neal left him out after he asked fans to include Stephen Curry in the GOAT conversation earlier this year.