5. Shaquille O’Neal
In his prime, Shaquille O’Neal was unstoppable.
People currently rave about Lebron James’ amazing athleticism paired with his massive build, but Shaq was the original freak of nature. Standing 7’1″, 325 pounds when in shape, with some of the craziest fast twitch muscles you have, or will ever, see, Shaq was a monster.
Diesel will forever be the NBA’s go to “shoulda, coulda, woulda,” in regards to what he and Kobe Bryant could have accomplished had they put aside their differences, dropped their egos, and worked together instead of fighting against each other. All good things must come to an end, but the one-two punch of Shaq and Kobe was a force to be reckoned with.
Four time NBA champion, three with the Los Angeles Lakers and one the year after leaving Los Angeles with the Miami Heat, Shaq is a one time regular season MVP, three time Finals MVP, two time scoring champion and was Rookie of the Year in 1993.
A lesser acknowledged fact about The Big Aristotle is the fact that he still ranks sixth all time in NBA scoring (28,596) with Dirk Nowitzki (28,567) close on his heels.
Averaging 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.0 blocks in his prime, there has not been a big man the likes of Shaquille O’Neal since his departure from the NBA in 2011, and likely will never be one again.
Next: No. 4 Kareem