The debate over the ‘greatest of all time’ (GOAT) is a perpetual topic of discussion. The debate rages in a number of sports and is usually a matter of opinion with no right or wrong response.
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal recently gave his opinion on the subject, sharing a photo of his chosen sporting GOATs and sparking fresh debates.
In basketball, the age-old LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan debate resurfaces. Jordan is hailed as the undisputed basketball GOAT, with a flawless 6-0 NBA Finals record and numerous accolades. In addition, the legendary former Bulls player has won five MVP awards, 10 scoring titles, fourteen All-Star selections, nine NBA All-Defensive First Team selections, and defensive player of the year.
On the other hand, LeBron’s longevity is often praised. He became the first player in NBA history to score more than 40,000 points in his career. Despite winning four titles, four MVPs, and four Finals, the 39-year-old is still mostly regarded as not being as good as Michael Jordan was.
Shaq’s endorsement of LeBron as the basketball GOAT challenges the conventional narrative.
The Messi-Ronaldo debate, extends beyond the football pitch. Shaq’s endorsed his support for Messi by choosing him as his GOAT over Ronaldo. Despite Ronaldo’s status as the highest-paid footballer and social media icon, Messi’s eight Ballon d’Or victories and World Cup win positioned him as Shaq’s football GOAT.
In the world of combat sports, Shaq’s photo singles out Floyd Mayweather as boxing’s GOAT. With a perfect 50-0 record, Mayweather’s dominance in the ring is indisputable. Although Mayweather rose to become one of the highest-paid pay-per-view stars in history, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Muhammad Ali are still regarded by many boxing fans as the greatest of all time. Shaq’s choice opens up discussions on the definition of boxing greatness.
Shaq offered his pick on a lot of other sports GOATs that were less controversial.
Tiger Woods is shown as the golf GOAT, followed by Wayne Gretzky in hockey, Tom Brady in football, Michael Phelps in swimming, Simone Biles in gymnastics, and Usain Bolt in track and field.
The two other controversial choices were Serena Williams for tennis and Willie Mays for baseball (many would argue it should be Babe Ruth).
Although Williams, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer are undoubtedly in the debate, many believe Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis player of all time since he has 24 Grand Slams compared to Serena’s 23.
According to Shaq, the MMA GOAT is Georges St-Pierre. Fans may argue as Anderson Silva, Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, and Khabib Nurmagomedov are hailed as GOAT by many. However, St-Pierre is still a very legitimate option.
Overall, Shaq made some very good decisions.