LeBron James’ place among all-time Lakers greats in the GOAT debate
By Simon Brady
Shaquille O’Neal
- Ninth greatest of all-time
- Sixth greatest to play for the Los Angeles Lakers
‘The Diesel’ rounds out the rankings as the sixth and final top ten Laker in NBA history. O’Neal is widely considered the most dominant force in NBA history. He’s certainly the most powerful and forceful low post presence we’ve seen.
A four-time NBA champion, three-time NBA finals MVP, two-time scoring champion and three-time all-defensive team selection highlights the big fellas overwhelming two-way impact.
Obviously, as the late great Kobe said in a 2019 interview, the complacency Shaq had after winning and lack of work ethic kept him from being much higher on this list.
Although his offseason preparation and regiment was lackluster, coming into training camp noticeably out of shape multiple times when it was ‘money-time’ in big games he always imposed his will on the opposition.
His championship success and unstoppable nature throughout his prime years make him a solidified backend of top ten player, just slightly ahead of Tim Duncan.
Next. Lessons from the NBA Finals-winning season. dark
Laker top 10 honorable mentions: Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, James Worthy
Potential future addition: Anthony Davis