The NBA has had a plethora of all-time great players and one of them is undoubtedly Shaquille O’Neal.
In the age of social media, it has become a trend for former and current players to make their all-time starting lineup, basically making a standard five-player lineup including some of the best to ever play the game. Recently, Stephen Curry took part in it, putting four Lakers in his.
O’Neal put one together in late 2017 for his Lakers all-time starting lineup but made some changes when it comes to his NBA all-time starting lineup.
This iteration of the list only has two players who have worn the purple and gold, according to Today:
“Kobe (Bryant) and Mike (Jordan), that’s the one and the two. The three, I got to go with (Larry) Bird. Four, I got to go with (Karl) Malone and five, I got to go with Hakeem (Olajuwon).”
His list has undergone some significant changes when comparing the Lakers to the NBA. For starters, he replaced himself with Olajuwon. He also took Magic Johnson off the list in favor of Jordan, Jerry West was subbed out for Bird, and James Worthy got the boot to make room for Malone.
When it comes to making these lists, there’s almost no way to go wrong. O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Olajuwon, and Bill Russell are all just fine options at center as Jordan, Bryant, Johnson, and West are all great guards.
O’Neal will likely change his thinking on this again in the near future, perhaps putting in some more Lakers. If Curry managed to put four on his, it seems strange that a Laker legend would only have two. Regardless, all-time starting fives will forever be a fun and playful way to recognize the talent of the NBA’s greatest to ever do it.