Shaquille O’Neal has been notoriously hard on active NBA players during his time as an analyst with TNT. Big men in particular have had to reach an incredibly high bar to impress him, with a very select few earning his respect as the self-appointed “Supreme Leader” of the Big Man Alliance.
However, for all the criticism Shaq has levied, he is willing to dole out some extremely high praise when he feels it’s been warranted. He loves Nikola Jokic and the way the three-time MVP plays the game and can dominate inside, but his favorite player is, somewhat ironically, one of the smaller players in the NBA — Stephen Curry. Shaq is a massive fan of Curry, always quick to drop a “Stephortless” during a Warriors highlight, and after the Warriors beat the Knicks on Tuesday night as Curry had 28/9/7 in the Garden, Shaq decided it was time to get something off of his chest.
For years, the debate about the greatest NBA player of all time has revolved around Michael Jordan and LeBron James, with some others receiving votes like Kobe Bryant (or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell, depending on your age). Shaq believes Curry belongs in that conversation as well, demanding that fans bring up Curry’s name when they argue about who is the GOAT.
Shaq notes that he played against Jordan, played with and against Kobe, played with and against LeBron, and believes Curry is at least close to that same tier if not firmly in it, explaining “I ain’t never seen nothing like that before, and nobody has.” Curry’s resume is certainly up there with anyone’s, with four championships, two MVPs, and a Finals MVP — something only six players have ever done. His Olympics performance this past summer was a reminder that, even on a team with the very best in the world, he can separate and do things no one else can, and with Jimmy Butler alongside, the Warriors certainly look the part of a threat to the Thunder in the West (along with LeBron and the Lakers and Jokic and the Nuggets).