Tiger Woods Once Alluded to the Late Bill Russell and Shaquille O’Neal to Make a Strong Case About Comparing Eras

Tiger Woods has been an inspiration to many young aspiring golfers. The 15-time major winner has made tons of records on the field and has millions of fans across the globe. However, there are a few people that Woods has grown up looking up to. And some of those names are Shaquille O’Neal and the late Bill Russell. And he once spoke up about people trying to compare their respective eras.

Tiger Woods gave his views about comparing eras

Woods started playing golfer as a little kid and was wonderful in the sport ever since he became a professional. His father Earl Woods made sure that Woods worked very hard to achieve his goals in life, and helped him get in his best form. According to Woods, his old man went by the ‘mantra’ that to receive half the success, one had to put in double the hard work.

And so, the golf legend has believed in this mantra all through his career and has done wonders in his field in each tournament he played. Woods has been the greatest of all in so many eras. And when someone asked him how one could decide who the best player of all time was, Woods said it was not right to compare eras.

During his statement, he used an analogy of two basketball legends and said, “Who’s the better [pro basketball] center: Bill Russell or Shaq? You just can’t say who was the best because the game has changed so much.” He even mentioned Jack Nicklaus in his statements and said, “Jack crossed so many eras because he played for so long, and he was in contention for so long.”

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Woods was right in his words as the game of golf and all others sports have evolved a lot over time. And so has the ability of players. However, golf legends like Jack Nicklaus have played and won even at the age of 54. But it is not fair to say that they were great only in their era. Woods also mentioned that many of his fellow golfers were now on the senior tour since he used to play with older players.

Woods explained what it took to be a champion

According to the golf star, being a champion came at a “cost”. He said, “You had to put in extra time in the weight room, extra time running…recovering…hitting shots or doing the things that other people didn’t do.” If we look at Woods’ case, the golfer has gone through a lot in his personal as well as professional life. Woods is still trying to recover from his car crash leg injuries but hasn’t given up on his dream to remain the best golfer ever. That’s what makes him a champion!

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