Shaq or Lebron?

[Doomsday Dallas]

LeBron James has a record of 6-11 versus Shaquille O'Neal in his career.

y'all need to stop arguing about MJ vs Lebron and focus more on Shaq vs Lebron.

[warriorfan]

Wilt

[Kblaze8855]

I take prime Shaq over prime LeBron in every league before 2005 or so when it would be about even for maybe 6-8 years after which I’d take prime LeBron over prime Shaq. Really just depends on the rules and style being played.

[3ba11]

Lebron couldn't 3-peat with Wade/Bosh, while Shaq did with Kobe - there's no debate here - Shaq actually beats Lebron at all of Lebron's perceived strengths, such as carrying weak rosters and at-rim prowess.. He also fits better with more guys like Wade and 3-peated with Wade, I mean Kobe.

[ILLsmak]

Tbh shaq. The four time champ underachiever. I would have liked to see him in a league with better bigs prime for prime.

-Smak

[Spurs m8]

As in which one committed the most heinous rapes?

I bet they're sweating now that Diddy is in custody

[Phoenix]

I would take prime Shaq over just about every player, but with the caveat that he comes with at the bare minimum an above average guard who can pass and is reliable in the clutch. Otherwise, 47/48 minutes he may be the most singularly indomitable force ever. People forget in the early 2000s you needed 4 bigs on your roster just to basically have enough fouls. He was fouling out entire frontlines during the Lakers 3peat.

[dankok8]

I consider Shaq's peak a bit better than Lebron's. As for today's era, I think Shaq's game becomes even more deadly. It would be that much harder to double team with better outside shooting. Like I've been saying for a few years, surround Shaq with four role players that can shoot one of which is a good enough ball handler to get him the ball and the result is a lot of championships. Offense is so simple with Shaq and on defense considering he's a big body, even if I'm low on his impact, he still protects the paint and thus I can't see how Lebron can be above him.

[Carbine]

I would take 2000 Shaq easily but since this says "prime" and not peak I am going Lebron. Shaq got swept a lot in his prime. He was lazy, not a good leader, moody and seemed to be disengaged on defense a lot for a lot of those prime years.

2000 was the one year where he was locked in from the start on both sides of the ball.

The stats may not support it but there was a major difference watching 2000 and 2002 Shaq play basketball.

[Phoenix]

I consider Shaq's peak a bit better than Lebron's. As for today's era, I think Shaq's game becomes even more deadly. It would be that much harder to double team with better outside shooting. Like I've been saying for a few years, surround Shaq with four role players that can shoot one of which is a good enough ball handler to get him the ball and the result is a lot of championships. Offense is so simple with Shaq and on defense considering he's a big body, even if I'm low on his impact, he still protects the paint and thus I can't see how Lebron can be above him.

I think it depends on which version of Shaq too. Everyone looks at his peak as the 2000-2002 threepeat version( and rightfully so), but that version of him is also slower and would have a hard time with all the switching and pick and roll spamming. Orlando Shaq was more athletic and would probably be prone to the same thing but to a lesser degree. Either version would annihilate offensively because surrounding him with a shooter up top and on each wing becomes a pick your poison situation. You would have to live with guaranteed 2s because there isn't a single player who will match his physicality( mayhe Embiid but I'm still rolling with Shaq). Imagine pairing him with Curry and having them play off each other, mixing GOAT exterior gravity with GOAT interior. You wouldn't be able to do anything.

[dankok8]

I think it depends on which version of Shaq too. Everyone looks at his peak as the 2000-2002 threepeat version( and rightfully so), but that version of him is also slower and would have a hard time with all the switching and pick and roll spamming. Orlando Shaq was more athletic and would probably be prone to the same thing but to a lesser degree. Either version would annihilate offensively because surrounding him with a shooter up top and on each wing becomes a pick your poison situation. You would have to live with guaranteed 2s because there isn't a single player who will match his physicality( mayhe Embiid but I'm still rolling with Shaq). Imagine pairing him with Curry and having them play off each other, mixing GOAT exterior gravity with GOAT interior. You wouldn't be able to do anything.

Honestly I too believed till recently that Orlando Shaq would be better suited to defending P&R due to his improved mobility but I've been scouting Orlando Shaq for the past few months and honestly it's a wrong take. Young Shaq was prone to many more defensive breakdowns. His awareness in the threepeat years was much better. He may have lost lateral quickness but he still made better reads and rarely ended up on islands so to speak. Plus almost all bigs are more or less vulnerable to pick and rolls. You have to give either the screener or the ball handler an open three in today's NBA much of the time. Not sure that Shaq would bleed a lot more value on those plays than your average big and he just gives you so much on offense. That's my two cents anyways.

[ILLsmak]

Shaq had amazing longevity, but it was injuries, motivation, etc... he was amazing for 2 years in Miami, **** wat ya heard. Same with Phoenix. Dude was out there with everyone else injured and doing work. He adjusted to his physical limitations, but the issue was simply motivation, to me. That's why I said it would have been different if he still had someone like Hakeem to bust his ass and compete with. When he was in his prime, there were hardly any centers. Yao came in, TD wasn't really playing C vs him... Shaq even gave it to Dwight and he was way older than Dwight.

Somehow, over time Shaq has become massively underrated. People stay talking about missed fts and pick and roll defense, it's like yeah but.. EVERYONE HAS WEAKNESSES. He was ridiculous in most other aspects.

-Smak

[Phoenix]

Honestly I too believed till recently that Orlando Shaq would be better suited to defending P&R due to his improved mobility but I've been scouting Orlando Shaq for the past few months and honestly it's a wrong take. Young Shaq was prone to many more defensive breakdowns. His awareness in the threepeat years was much better. He may have lost lateral quickness but he still made better reads and rarely ended up on islands so to speak. Plus almost all bigs are more or less vulnerable to pick and rolls. You have to give either the screener or the ball handler an open three in today's NBA much of the time. Not sure that Shaq would bleed a lot more value on those plays than your average big and he just gives you so much on offense. That's my two cents anyways.

To be clear, I'm saying Orlando Shaq as in he maintained that size and weight over his career instead of bulking up in LA. All the little mistakes you're referring to with Orlando Shaq he probably would have figured out with experience. In other words, take 2000 Shaq experience and poise but with like 95 Shaqs body. That's what I was envisioning.

[Full Court]

Shaq three-peated. Lebron never could. Shaq's head and shoulders above Lebron.

Really, the best comparison if people want to argue about Lebron is Lebron vs. Kobe or Lebron vs. Steph. Those are the ones fighting for a spot in the top 10.

[dankok8]

To be clear, I'm saying Orlando Shaq as in he maintained that size and weight over his career instead of bulking up in LA. All the little mistakes you're referring to with Orlando Shaq he probably would have figured out with experience. In other words, take 2000 Shaq experience and poise but with like 95 Shaqs body. That's what I was envisioning.

Ahh gotcha. Yea that would be quite something!

[Phoenix]

Ahh gotcha. Yea that would be quite something!

Honestly, I think had that scenario played out he would have been in the GOAT conversation. As dominant as he was and respected as one of the greats( basically a consensus top 10 player other than someone like that John poster who has him ranked outside the top 20. There's always one...), it also feels like he left things on the table. There's a 'he's arguably the most dominant player ever, buuuuutt' dynamic when looking at his career.

[dankok8]

Honestly, I think had that scenario played out he would have been in the GOAT conversation. As dominant as he was and respected as one of the greats( basically a consensus top 10 player other than someone like that John poster who has him ranked outside the top 20. There's always one...), it also feels like he left things on the table. There's a 'he's arguably the most dominant player ever, buuuuutt' dynamic when looking at his career.

Yea. I can see that. He let himself go in terms of weight which maybe didn't exactly hurt him during the threepeat years (though he could have been better defensively with improved mobility) but the main issue is I think it shortened his prime. An in shape Shaq maybe squeezes 2-3 more prime years on the back end. Possibly another ring in there too.