Shaquille O’Neal says Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry are better than him

Everyone who loves the NBA loves the NBA on TNT. A big reason for this (along with the fact that their banter is awesome) is that the show features some of the greatest players in NBA history.

The two biggest faces of the show – Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley – are widely considered to be two of the 25 greatest players in NBA history. Hell, some even call O’Neal one of the five greatest players ever. So it’s safe to say that when they talk, people listen.

O’Neal Thinks Curry Is Better

On Tuesday, during the broadcast for the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics regular season clash (one that lived up to all the hype), O’Neal and Kenny “the Jet” Smith got into a debate over whether or not Stephen Curry should be included in the GOAT debate.

O’Neal was quick to say that he should be included in the debate. However, Smith was hesitant to put Curry in that group. As we said, some people have O’Neal himself in that bubble, and apparently, Smith is one of those people. He responded to O’Neal adding Curry to his list by asking The Big Aristotle if he would take Curry over himself. O’Neal responded with an affirmative “Yes. He’s way better.”

.@SHAQ on Steph: "I'm wondering… Is it time to start putting him as the best player of all-time?" 👀 pic.twitter.com/4ORTLUyHpt

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 20, 2023

This was an interesting comment coming from O’Neal, especially considering how hard he’s been on other players in the past (remember what he used to do to JaVale McGee?). The fact that O’Neal is saying that Curry is better than him should tell you just how incredible of a basketball career Curry has put together.

But even that statement does not compare to what O’Neal said later on in the segment.

O’Neal Said It Without Saying It

As the debate continued, Smith said that only Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar should be mentioned in the GOAT debate. O’Neal corrected him by saying that Curry and his former running mate Kobe Bryant needed to be included in that conversation, too.

Notice how O’Neal didn’t mention himself there. That means that O’Neal is implying that Bryant is a better basketball player all-time than him. One could argue that he was just trying to be humble. But O’Neal, an individual famous for giving himself hundreds of self-aggrandizing nicknames, has never been one for modesty. So, the fact that he’s mentioning Curry and Bryant as potential GOAT candidates and not himself should tell you that he is being sincere.

The thing that makes this all so interesting (and worth drafting this post) is the dynamic that once existed between him and Bryant. O’Neal putting Curry over himself isn’t that crazy, especially considering they don’t have any serious history.

However, the reason Bryant and O’Neal split up in the first place is because they hated playing with each other. The two did eventually make amends before Bryant’s tragic passing. But the fact that O’Neal is able to put Bryant over himself (even implicitly), given their rivalry, is noteworthy.

Oh well, no matter who you think is better, there is no chance that either Curry or Bryant spent as much money at Walmart as O’Neal!