No. 5: Shaquille O’Neal, C, Los Angeles Lakers
Chief Accolades – 4x NBA Champion, 3x NBA Finals MVP, 1x NBA MVP, 15x NBA All-Star, 10x All-NBA Player
Stats – 20 Seasons, 23.7 PPG, 10.9 RP, 2.5 APG, 2.3 BPG, 113 ORTG, 101 DRTG, 181.7 Total Win Shares, 74.0 VORP
The most dominant NBA Finals force ever and one of the best prime players ever is Shaqtus. He didn’t have a long prime but it was well spent. Shaq is known for breaking backboards, posterizing defenders and just being a big ole teddy bear.
O’Neal is a four-time NBA champ and took home three Finals MVPs to pair with those rings. Shaq’s prime numbers are 27/11 per game, a line that has him up there with Wilt’s dominance when you compare advanced metrics and era of play.
Shaq is also a legendary Finals performer. In the 3-peat with the Lakers, Shaq averaged 36 points and 15 rebounds per game in the NBA Finals. Absolutely insane numbers. Defensively, he was just as good. Shaq averaged three blocks per game while getting those three rings as well. He also wasn’t a slouch in other defensive metrics.
Next: Larry Legend