ESPN analyst and radio show host Chris Russo has controversially ranked Shaquille O’Neal all the way down in fifth on his list of all-time NBA centers, much to the disappointment of the man himself.
Chris Russo Ranks Shaquille O’Neal Fifth on His All-Time NBA Centers
The NBA has had no shortage of dominant centers throughout its history, but few come close to touching the accomplishments of Shaquille O’Neal.
His larger-than-life persona – in every sense of the word – has earned him a rousing reputation off the court, but there is no doubting the 2000 MVP’s place among the greats.
While a sizeable majority of avid NBA watchers would comfortably rank him in their top three centers of all-time, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo has controversially come out with a different take.
Russo is certainly not one to shy away from sharing a left-field opinion, but he has claimed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone all rank above him.
He even suggested five-time champion Tim Duncan was a better center than Shaq, despite spending the lion’s share of his career as a power forward.
Shaq Fires Back at Russo, Says He Will “Smack the S**t” Out of Him
As he typically does, Shaq has fired back at his doubter by claiming he is behind only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain.
“Let’s just get it straight. I will smack the S*** out of that dude,” O’Neal responded on his self-title podcast.
“However, Kareem? Yes.
“Wilt—only because he has more points than me. [I] missed a s*** load of free throws. That would have put me past Wilt. So because he has more points, I’ll let that slide.”
Shaq continued by saying by virtue of his on-court dominance, he deserved to be in the top three.
“I’m the most dominant center ever. I don’t ever want to hear another name again.”
O’Neal ended his career as a four-time NBA champion, in which he was named Finals MVP in a run of three successive titles with the Lakers.
Shaq recently took aim at the current state of the league, claiming the homogenous style of play across the NBA has become “boring” and is to blame for declining television ratings.
