Shaq: 'I'm the most dominant player to ever step on a basketball court' / News - Basketnews.com

Shaq claimed to be the most dominant player in NBA history. O'Neal said he'd dominate in today's NBA just as much as he did in his playing days due to the amount of spacing the league currently offers.

Credit: Daniel DeSlover/ZUMA Press Wire - Scanpix Credit Daniel DeSlover/ZUMA Press Wire - Scanpix

Shaquille O'Neal is known as one of the greatest players in NBA history. Now an analyst and a TV personality, O'Neal is certain he would dominate in the league just as much if he played today.

Shaq is now a businessman and a philanthropist who helps others start their journey.

"What I learned was that I always had to surround myself with people who were smarter than me. That's what great leaders do. They are not afraid to ask, to admit that they do not know the answer to each question," he said in an interview with Guillermo Garcia from Relevo.

Shaq is 10th all-time in points, 5th in all-time playoff points, a four-time NBA champion, three-time NBA Finals MVP, one-time NBA MVP, and a Hall of Famer. However, he was often criticized, or at least noted, for not giving his all every single game.

"I won four rings and was Finals MVP three times. People can say what they want, but I always came to play when it mattered most," Shaq said.

"I am the most dominant player to ever step on a basketball court. I haven't seen anyone yet who I thought could stop me," he said about himself as a player.

In his MVP season, Shaq averaged 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3 blocks per game. O'Neal thinks he would be as dominant in today's NBA as he was during his playing days. The reason? Court space.

"I think I would just be just as dominant," Shaq said. "With how open the game is now and with all those three-pointers and shooters, the paint would be much more open for me to work on."

O'Neal won all his major trophies with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing alongside the late Kobe Bryant. The two were said to have had conflicts during the time, resulting in a beef between the players that might have ultimately led to O'Neal's departure.

Despite what might have happened back in the day, Shaq has the utmost respect for Bryant.

"I have already said before - Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest of all time. Not only was he a great leader on the court, he was a remarkable human being and a great father," Shaq said. "A lot of things have been said about the time when we were teammates, but he knew how much I respected him as a player. He was always the first person I met on the court when we won three championships together."

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