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We are all aware of how dominant Allen Iverson and Shaquille O’Neal were on the offensive end. They were the best in their primes and their defined roles and have individual accolades such as the MVP to show for their dominance on the court. But former NBA veterans Gilbert Arenas and Kenyon Martin decided to spice things up, to make a unique comparison between the two Hall of Famers, by giving them an added feature. 

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Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaq’s offensive game had no flaw, except his poor free throw shooting. The 4x champion shot 52.7% from the free throw line in his 19-year career. What if Shaq had a free throw shooting percentage of more than 85%? Iverson, who was just 6’0, used his insane athleticism to toy with the defenders. What if he was blessed with six more inches of height? This was Arenas’ unique comparison, and they went with Shaq to be more effective in this scenario. What does Shaq himself have to say? 

On the latest episode of Shaq’s The Big Podcast, he was asked who he would choose in the above comparison. The Big Diesel replied, “Let me tell you about Kenyon and Gilbert. They’re absolutely right! He continued, “Kenyon made a good point by how I shot a free throw. I don’t know why I shot like that…I always had to feel it on my finger and how you supposed to shoot is on the palm but I always had to have it on my fingertips.”

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Shaq had one of the weirdest free-throw shooting actions. The ball would hardly fit his hands. Anyhow, coming back to the FT shooting percentage, what would it be like if Shaq shot 85% from the line? 

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How would Shaq’s career percentage change if he was effective from the free throw line? 

No center in NBA history has shot more than 85% from the FT line. The best by a center was 84.8% and 7x All-Star Jack Sikma of the Seattle Sonics holds this record. Shaq attempted a massive total of 11,252 free throws, out of which, he made 5935. If in case he shot 85%, he would have made approximately, 9564 free throws. This would add around 3,600 points to his total. So Arenas and Kenyon Martin’s choice makes more sense now. 

Read more: WATCH: 4-Time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal Forgot About His Free Throw and Ran Off in Bizarre Incident

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If Shaq shot those numbers, he would have passed Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki and his idol Michael Jordan in the All-time scoring list. At the same time, Iverson with a 6’6 height would be deadly too. However, the deciding factor here is the fouls that Shaq got in the paint. He was one of the most unstoppable centers in NBA history, so he had the capacity to draw more fouls.

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Read more: Shaquille O’Neal Admits Bad Free Throw Shooting Almost Embarrassed Him in Front of Gorgeous Halle Berry

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