Shaquille O’Neal has definitely earned his spots in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame as well as the FIBA Hall of Fame. Along with being one of the best ever, Big Diesel is also known showing his appreciation for other players, be it contemporaries or predecessors. But O’Neal is also vocal about his strong opinions on what makes an NBA player great. That has devolved into a long-running feud with another great big.

The Portland Trailblazers legend and Shaq have shared a few similarities in their careers. However, O’Neal believes he’s in a league above the 2x Champion.

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Bill Walton and his flaming mop of hair arrived in the NBA in 1974. He was the first overall pick, played for three teams including the Boston Celtics, won two NBA titles, was an NBA Finals MVP and a two-time All-Star. Walton retired in 1988 and switched to coaching. The 6’11’ center was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993, when rookie Shaquille O’Neal began making his mark.

Like Walton, O’Neal was also a first overall draft pick in 1992. Interestingly, he retired as a Boston Celtic too. Shaq joined the Hall of Fame 24 years after Walton. Both were also named to the NBA’s 50th anniversary team. However, this is where their common ground ends.

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According to the YouTube channel, Secret Base, O’Neal kickstarted a feud with Walton after claiming he didn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Walton has also fired back at the Big Aristotle. The timeline of their feud now has become a hot topic online.

The feud seemingly began in 2020, when O’Neal said on a podcast, “I don’t think Bill Walton is a Hall-of-Famer.” In 2022, O’Neal doubled down that Walton didn’t build an impressive enough resume to be included in the NBA 75 list.

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“You know who I’ve always had a problem with – Bill Walton,” said the Los Angeles Lakers legend candidly.

One consistent theme in the 7’1″ titan’s beef with Walton is the ‘Big Man Alliance.’

Shaquille O’Neal and the Alliance

It’s an exclusive club the ‘Inside Guy’ is deeply protective of. Ironically, Walton himself invited Shaq into the alliance as a rookie.

It was a 1993 Reebok commercial starring rookie Shaq. Bill Russell led O’Neal to a basketball court where he was greeted by other legendary bigs – Chamberlain, Kareem, and Walton. Big Diesel passed the baton to Nikola Jokic, inviting him into the ‘Big Man Alliance’ recently.

O’Neal has always been vocal about his admiration for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar too. But Shaq’s inclusion into this circle was initially in a cinematic form with Bill Walton in the welcoming committee. After all, their relationship was initially alright.

Walton’s sports commentating career was also at its peak during O’Neal’s Lakers era. After his championships though, Shaq distanced himself from Walton. NBA media circles were rife with their indirect jabs to each other’s history of injuries.

These two still run into each other, are barely cordial, and don’t give off feud vibes. But who knows what’s simmering under the surface. What is your take on this weird beef between two icons?

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