Meet Shaquille O'Neal... The NBA Player that SHOULD HAVE Been the GOAT

To the general public, Michael Jeffrey Jordan is the greatest basketball player to ever live. With all his unparalleled success in his 14 year career, it is hard to debate there is one player who has accomplished more in that same timespan. But as the classic moniker 'Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard' goes, it is hard not to wonder what Shaq would have achieved had he given it his 100 percent. In this video, I discuss the early career of Shaquille O'Neal during his Magic days and then pivot to why despite having an amazing, arguably TOP 5 NBA career of all time, he could have been even better had he changed just a few things. Alas, that is why the titled is called Shaq... the NBA player that should have been the GOAT!
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'Why isn't Shaq the GOAT?'

I don't want to disrespect Shaquille O'Neal's legacy, which is as gigantic as the man itself.

But as I listened to Shaq on Friday at his heartfelt farewell media conference -- as always, he exceptionally blended candor and humor -- a nagging question kept rising in my mind.

'Why isn't Shaq the greatest player ever?'

"His 19-year NBA career isn't on par with Michael Jordan's, who is universally regarded as the NBA's greatest player of all time.

But it could have been. Correction: It should have been. Shaq spent roughly a decade as the most physically imposing force in professional basketball. He won four championships and an MVP award, appeared in six NBA Finals, and arguably was the most likable person in all of sports. Over his first 14 seasons, he averaged more than 20 points per game and unofficially led the league in humiliating defenders in the paint.

But as phenomenal as he was, as exciting as it was to witness his breathtaking combination of power and athleticism, he could have been better.

And Shaq doesn't disagree.

"I missed over 5,000 free throws," he said. "I missed about 300 games, so that's five-to-six thousand points right there. I'd probably be No. 2 right now in scoring. That's the only thing I'm upset with myself about. But I've heard my name mentioned next to those names -- Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain -- and even if I didn't reach my full potential, I can say I made it."

Only, this is about more than just Shaq's place on the all-time scoring list, where he is fifth.

His career is littered with memorable moments and funny lines, but one thing I'll never forget is how Shaq sabotaged the Lakers' opportunity at an unprecedented fourth straight championship in the 2002-03 season.

The Lakers had never won four in a row; and although it's doubtful any team could challenge the eight straight championships won by Russell's Celtics, the Shaq-and-Kobe Lakers were putting themselves in the conversation as one of the best teams of all time.

But that year, Shaq elected to have toe surgery during training camp instead of in the offseason. As he put it, "Since I suffered the injury on company time, why shouldn't I be able to get surgery and do recovery on company time?"

Read more here: https://goo.gl/EAk1Xu

'Reviewing Shaq's Legacy'

"One of the first messages Shaquille O'Neal received from Phil Jackson consisted of both a compliment and a challenge.

"I told Shaq when I took over as head coach in our first initial meeting as a team that the MVP trophy should be named after him when he retired," Jackson recently told Fox Sports' Mark Kriegel.

The message spoke both to Shaq's nearly unstoppable stature. His 7-foot-1, 325- pound frame provided a physical presence that proved difficult to stop inside. His agility made it hard to slow him down. And on the heels of Shaq officially announcing Wednesday his retirement via Tout, he'll be remembered as one of the most dominant centers in the game.

But Jackson also shared that anecdote as evidence that despite his four rings, three-time Finals MVP, one regular season MVP and 28,596 career points, the man with a million nicknames grossly underachieved. “This is a guy who could and should have been the MVP player for 10 consecutive seasons,” Jackson told Kriegel."

Read more here: https://goo.gl/RHaAGj

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