GOAT Index

Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.

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Shaquille O'Neal: the case for the GOAT

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    Shaquille O'Neal: the case for the GOAT

    Center · Magic, Lakers, Heat · Born 6 March 1972, Newark, New Jersey, USA · Career 1992–2011

    A 7-foot-1, 300-plus-pound center of rare power and agility who starred for the Magic, Lakers and Heat, and later played for the Suns, Cavaliers and Celtics.

    Career highlights

    Why Shaquille O'Neal could be the GOAT

    At his peak from 1999 to 2002, Shaq was the most physically dominant force the league has seen, winning three straight Finals MVPs. Rules and strategies were changed to slow him down. No player on this list was as impossible to stop one-on-one near the basket.

    What fans say

    Shaquille O'Neal is #10 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 8–5 head-to-head record from 157 NBA votes. See the full NBA GOAT ranking

    Shaquille O'Neal head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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    Photo credits

      Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under the licenses listed. Each links to its source page.