E-Paper
LeBron James snubbed in Shaquille O'Neal's all-time NBA starting five: 'Don't know how he's going to edit it'
LeBron James, one of NBA's all-timers, didn't find a place in Shaquille O'Neal's all-time starting five.
Shaquille O’Neal has never been shy about offering his opinion, and on a recent appearance on the New Heights podcast, the Hall of Famer dropped one that’s bound to spark debate. When asked to name his all-time NBA starting five, O’Neal delivered a powerhouse lineup — but with one glaring omission: LeBron James.
“[Stephen] Curry at the one,” O’Neal said. “Kobe [Bryant] at the two. [Michael] Jordan at the three. Tim Duncan at the four and me at the five. Nobody's beating that team."
Also read: Jay Wright not in the mix to coach New York Knicks: Report
With that list, Shaq left out James, a four-time NBA champion, four-time Finals MVP, four-time league MVP, and the league’s all-time leading scorer. The omission didn’t go unnoticed, and O’Neal addressed the likely backlash right away.
"I don't know how your guy's going to edit it,” O’Neal remarked. “But let's just say I did that to somebody that didn't like us, and then they'll lead off with 'Shaq excludes LeBron.' And it causes like unnecessary beef... I hate doing these lists because I don't want people to think I'm dissing them.”
O’Neal offered insight into his thought process and the roles he envisioned for each player.
“But you ask me my team, I need a shooter, I need the best shooter in the world,” he explained. “Second guy I name is a guy who I helped raise. I know he's a f***ing dog. I know what he's going to do. And the other guy, Jordan, is the guy everybody looks up to... I know Kobe going to be trying to do what Jordan trying to do.
“So, you got Steph shooting threes when I get doubled,” O’Neal added. “Kobe and Michael doing this inner thing, and then you got the Big Fundamental taking that motherf*****, facing you up shooting off the glass, and then you got me. That's my team.”
LeBron in all-time list
O’Neal’s lineup includes elite credentials: Curry, the NBA’s greatest shooter with four titles and two MVPs; Bryant, a five-time champion and 18-time All-Star; Jordan, the six-time Finals MVP; Duncan, a five-time champion; and O’Neal himself, a dominant force with four rings.
Interestingly, while LeBron didn’t make the starting five, he did land third in O’Neal’s list of the top 10 greatest players ever — ahead of Curry, who wasn’t included there. O’Neal didn’t list himself among the ten, giving his original No. 10 spot to Julius Erving.
