Shaquille O’Neal may have just created a new wave of NBA debates with his latest take.
While speaking with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani about his memories playing against the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bull, Shaq said without hesitation that the Los Angeles Lakers in their prime would “easily” come away victorious if the two teams could’ve faced each other.
“‘Cause I would’ve killed Luc Longley, Bill Winnington, [Bill] Cartwright,” Shaq explained at the 18:00 mark. “The factor is me, and my free throw shooting.”
Since Phil Jackson coached both teams, O’Neal wondered which one he would choose, to which Helwani suggested the Bulls since he went there first. “So he would’ve tried the Hack-a-Shaq thing,” he responded. “I still would average like 28, 29, but the key would’ve been free throws. With me, it’s always 50-50. If I would’ve been on, we win. If I would’ve been off, we lose.”
With the eagerly anticipated ESPN docuseries The Last Stand to begin airing in just a few days, the Bulls during the MJ years have once again become a popular topic of discussion. They had previously been involved in debates over how the 1995-96 squad that went 72-10 would’ve fared against the Golden State Warriors team that broke their record just four years ago.
Even though the Warriors now hold the record for the best single-season record in NBA history at 73-9, and won three titles in four years, the Kobe and Shaq Lakers were the last team in league history to pull off a three-peat, an accomplishment that seemingly gets overlooked when discussing the best NBA teams of recent memory.
Last year, Bryant said that if Shaq would’ve had the same work ethic as him, they could have won 12 rings together. While his statement is a bit hyperbolic, there’s still some truth in the fact that if that dynamic duo put their differences aside, they would’ve definitely won a few more titles.
