OT Shaq: had no idea he was so close to all-time points leader

Submitted by myrtlebeachmai… on

Don't know why I didn't realize it before... but he hit 28,000 last night. **Edit - Cbuswolverine caught my early morning math error - adjustment follows...

He's 5th now, behind only Abdul-Jabbar, Malone, Jordan, and Chamberlain.

Maybe I'm just not enough of an NBA guy, but I feel like I've missed something. I clearly remember (age tell here) him at LSU, destroying rims, raw-as-crap. Now he's near the top of one of the great records of all-times (NBA socring), and I didn't even realize it.

I feel like I've missed experiencing it... like I'll never have that Bill Simmons moment, recalling watching a legend in action. I'd be able to say that about having seen Magic, Bird, and Jordan; but for some reason, not Shaq. Wonder why?

Adrian

January 20th, 2010 at 9:03 AM ^

Maybe its because for every team he played there was always a bigger star. Kobe, Lebron. Shaq is a great player but I wouldnt want him to be the all-time points leader.

jaggs

January 20th, 2010 at 9:19 AM ^

but I think your opinion is ridiculous. Shaq, aka most dominant ever, carried the Lakers to their titles and for most all his time in Orlando, who was his best supporting player? Penny Hardaway? Did you ever think that having Shaq down low might create some space outside for Kobe to perform better?

Other than LeBron (and at this point at the twilight of his career are we really expecting Shaq to be number 1?) Shaq was always definetly the best player on his team. Even when he was traded from the Lakers, he was the better player, LA just wanted the longer lifespan of having Kobe to build around.

Route66

January 20th, 2010 at 9:33 AM ^

I hate to argue with you because of that awesome avatar, but Shaq was not the best player on the court with Kobe and D-Wade.... he was the best personality. There is no way Shaq is a better player than D-Wade or Kobe.(Kobe has been quite relevant without him) He is 6'11" and 300#'s and agile. That does not make him a great basketball player.

Speed Kills

January 20th, 2010 at 10:27 AM ^

Yup. DWade carried us (Miami Heat) to the title that year without a doubt! To be quite fair, KAJ had one hell of a "supporting cast" during his career as well. I wouldn't mind if Shaq took over at #1...his longevity speaks volumes....I guess all that Icy Hot really did work.

Wolv2004

January 20th, 2010 at 10:34 AM ^

It's not even a question. When he was on the Lakers, they won three championships in a row. He was named the MVP in each of those finals series. It should have been four in a row, but the Pistons pulled off a major upset (which was awesome).

Following that, he moves to the Heat where they go from 42-40 team to a 59-23 team! They lost to the Stons in the Eastern Conference Finals. The next year, he brings the hardware back to Miami.

The only reason Kobe won a championship last year, which he didn't even come close to doing in any of the other years post-Shaq, is because Pau Gasol landed in his lap.

Shaq was simply unguardable for that stretch of his career. If he could have shot 70% from the line, he would easily have been the best player in the history of the game. As it was, his career averages are 24.3 points, 11.1 boards, 2.3 blocks, and 58% from the field. That's absurd. He might not be the greatest of all time, but he's in the top 10 for sure.

Smitty D

January 20th, 2010 at 9:21 AM ^

Shaq is the single most dominate big man since Jabbar. He was unstoppable from 1995-2005 4 rings 3 finals MVP's, averaged like 33 points and 16 rebounds in the finals. Shaq dominated when it mattered most, in the finals. 300#'s with his agility in the post could not be stopped. Plus have you guys seen the Big Shaqtus commercial?? Hilarious.

Tshimanga Cowabunga

January 20th, 2010 at 11:38 AM ^

that Shaq is still the most dominate since KAJ, Tim Duncan deserves a lot more love than he gets. All he does is put up 21 and 12 with 2 blocks and then dominates the playoffs. He may be the best power forward of all time yet doesn't get his props as he plays in San Antonio and has no personality whatsoever that I can see. He has led four title teams as well without Kobe or D-Wade

HermosaBlue

January 20th, 2010 at 12:36 PM ^

who, you may recall, embarrassed an admittedly young Shaquille O'Neal in the NBA Finals in 1995, after bitchslapping NBA MVP David Robinson in the WCF. Most agile big man ever.

Vs. O'Neal:

Plus this...

Vs. Robinson:

Anonymosity

January 20th, 2010 at 9:30 AM ^

Shaq's combination of size, strength, and agility made him practically unguardable for most of his career.

If he was a 70% free throw shooter and had developed anything resembling a mid-range jumper, he'd be the greatest of all time, hands-down, IMHE. I know, all hypothetical, of course.

cbuswolverine

January 20th, 2010 at 9:10 AM ^

dude

He needs over 10,000 more points to take over the lead.

Malone has 36k+ and Kareem has 38k+.

He's not even going to come close to passing Wilt. He needs 3k+ just for that.

Route66

January 20th, 2010 at 9:08 AM ^

that he was a little overrated. He is large and has a presence under the rim, but he can't hit a shot from over 4' out. And free throws? He is regarded as a HOF'er because of his size, agility and personality....not his overall skillz. Does anyone agree with me on this? Kareem had the hook, Ewing had the short jumper/fall-away, Malone had the 15' jumper....Shaq has/d the dunk.

CWoodson

January 20th, 2010 at 11:00 AM ^

I'm probably the last living Knicks fan, but Shaq was never overrated. He was just dominant, period. It's easy to knock Shaq now because he's a shell of what he was, but for almost a decade, he was the most significant force in the NBA. Sure, he had no range, but who cares - he was an unstoppable scoring force. If you can score, it doesn't matter where you are on the court. The foul shooting was a mess, but even Hack-a-Shaq couldn't stop his teams from winning titles. Patrick had that gorgeous jumper, but he wasn't the same level of player, period (and that KILLS me).

And to your earlier comment: Shaq was CLEARLY the best player on all of his Lakers teams. Kobe was coming into his own at the end of the era they were winning titles, not the start. It's too obvious for me to waste the next five minutes throwing stats at you.

jmblue

January 20th, 2010 at 12:14 PM ^

This is just plain untrue. Shaq in his prime had an excellent array of low-post moves, including a very good hook and turnaround J. He had the ability to dunk on anyone if he got the ball deep enough, but it was far from the only thing he could do.

ldoublee

January 20th, 2010 at 9:09 AM ^

Shaq has 28,014 points.

Here is the list:

Abdul Jabbar 38,387
Malone 36,928
Jordan 32,292
Chamberlain 31,419

At his current pace of 10.7 pts/game, Shaq needs 318 games to catch Chamberlain, 400 games to catch Jordan, 857 games to catch Malone and 969 games to catch Jabbar.

So, my quick answer would be. No.

cjm

January 20th, 2010 at 10:21 AM ^

I've had a 15+ year stint in Houston (including the 90's) so as a Hakeem Olajuwon fan I have always been biased against Shaq. But when a guy get's to the top 5 of that list and you look over his entire repertoire, you have to be impressed.

Can I at least hold on to the fact the "dream shake" took some serious skill and not just bullying around guys in the paint?

joelr222

January 20th, 2010 at 11:49 AM ^

On Shaq vs. He lost a game of horse to Ben Roethlisberger.. He lost a game in which he is paid millions of dollars to play, to a football quarterback. Enough said.

Jinxed

January 20th, 2010 at 12:27 PM ^

Lebron lost a game of HORSE to David Kalb, some random dude from Ohio. He lost a game in which he is paid millions of dollars to play, to a random dude from Ohio. Enough said.

You're as sharp as a hammer my friend..

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 20th, 2010 at 12:40 PM ^

Dude, if I was playing HORSE against Shaq, I'd just step up to the free throw line, and probably win. Assuming no dunks allowed, probably half this country could do that. Doesn't make Shaq not a dominant basketball player - let's see what happens when we actually start playing basketball.

joelr222

January 20th, 2010 at 12:43 PM ^

Really.. I guess someone actually thought I was serious.. I just found it funny. And yes Horse isn't a game of basketball.. but be realistic.. horse is basketball. Your not shooting a football into a hockey net here..

The Bugle

January 20th, 2010 at 12:57 PM ^

Although I agree Shaq doesn't have the "razzle-dazzle" of Lebron, Kobe or Hakeem, he has been an incredibly consistent dominating force down low. Although the majority of his shots are within a few feet of the basket, his agility for a big man, size and power have made him the most dominating post presence until the rise of Dwight Howard.

His large personality has led to a lot of his fame, however averaging 24 ppg, 11 rpg and 2.3 bpg over 15+ years demonstrates incredible consistency and dominance. Compound that with 3 finals MVPs, and 4 titles with two separate teams - even without the huge Shaq persona he would be considered one of the top players of the generation and an obvious HOFer.