Shaquille O’Neal Confessed He Always Felt As “Great” As Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley or Karl Malone

Published 02/27/2022, 2:30 PM EST

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most dominant players in NBA history. He was one of the top lethal big men the NBA has seen. Shaq was tall, huge, and was not afraid to use his physical attributes to his advantage. He was a dangerous player who couldn’t be stopped while driving to the rim.

However, there were a lot of naysayers regarding his career. Especially when he was young and in his twenties. Shaq lacked shooting and ball-handling skills. People held that against him for the longest. However, he made up for it by being the most efficient player within the paint.

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Shaq revealed in an episode of Fair Game that to be the best, you always have to think highly of yourself. He said, “Yeah, I know there is Mike and Charles and Malone, but I’m great too.” The Diesel always believed that he was doing the same thing they were. “In order to be successful, I think you have to have the mental process of saying that you’re the best ever,” says Shaq.

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Shaq always believed that he was at the same level as the greats. The only reason he achieved so much was because he believed he could. He always knew his talent was special. He worked on his potential and became one of the best centers ever.

Shaquille O’Neal’s legendary career

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Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most inspirational players on the court. He also has a dynamic personality which made watching him play very entertaining. The Diesel has achieved everything that a professional basketball player would want in their career.

Shaq established his legacy by winning four championships. Moreover, he is a 15-time All-Star. He won the MVP in the 1999-2000 season. That season is often considered his most dominating season ever. Additionally, he also has three Finals MVPs, and three All-Star MVPs to his name.

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He was named the scoring champion twice in his entire career. His defensive capabilities were also exceptional, as he was named in the All NBA defensive second team thrice. He retired as a Hall of Famer. Moreover, he made the list of NBA’s top 75 players.

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Abhinav Bhalla is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a 5th year law student and has had a passion for Basketball and NBA since his early childhood. He has competed at school, university and national levels himself, and has a deep analytical appreciation for the sport.

Shaquille O’Neal Confessed He Always Felt As “Great” As Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley or Karl Malone

Shaquille O’Neal’s legendary career

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