Shaquille O’Neal’s top 10 of all-time list drew a lot of reactions from NBA fans.
- Shaquille O’Neal shared his top 10 all-time list on Instagram and asked fans who they’d replace or trade
- Lots of fans thought Karl Malone shouldn’t be on the list
- There was a lot of talk about Hakeem Olajuwon being excluded
Among retired players, we often see Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal comment on happenings in the NBA or drive discourse online through his posts on social media.
Recently, we saw Shaquille O’Neal share his top 10 players of all-time list on Instagram while asking fans who they would trade out or replace. A lot of fans reacted to his post, with many of them having differing opinions.
One fan suggested that he’d switch out Karl Malone for Larry Bird.
“Larry Bird should be in over Malone”
Others thought similarly, with one commenter noting that Larry Bird would destroy Karl Malone.
“Larry Bird would 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 Malone 7 days a week.”
Another person suggested that Karl Malone should be replaced by Hakeem Olajuwon or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“Take our Karl Malone and put in Hakeem Olajuwon or Kareem”
Others had a similar sentiment, with one person even claiming that both players are way better than Malone.
“Kareem and Hakeem are much better than Malone.”
We saw one person claim that they would take Kevin Durant over Karl Malone.
“I’m taking KD over Malone”
Kevin Durant also had other supporters in the comments.
“KD needs to be on here”
One comment asked if Olajuwon was left off the list because he beat O’Neal in the Finals.
“You left off Hakeem….is that because he swept you in the Finals?”
Another pointed out that Shaquille O’Neal left off a lot of big men on his list.
“Shaq left all the big men out.”
Some people pointed out that players like Karl Malone and Allen Iverson don’t belong in the top 10.
“AI and Karl don’t belong on here at all.”
However, some people appreciated Allen Iverson’s inclusion on the list.
“Having Iverson on this list lets me know you know ball Diesel”
Still, there was a lot of negative sentiment toward Allen Iverson’s inclusion in the comments.
“Get rid of Iverson. He was the least efficient player of all time.”
One person even claimed that Shaquille O’Neal was looking at Iverson through “nostalgic lenses”.
“Iverson shouldn’t be on here, nostalgic lenses.”
We saw some calls to replace Isiah Thomas with Kyrie Irving.
“Kyrie for Isiah”
There were definitely people who wanted Bill Russell to be included.
“Bill Russell for Malone.”
One fan strongly believed that Isiah Thomas shouldn’t be on the list.
“Get rid of Isiah….he’s a bum.”
Julius Erving wasn’t included on the list, so there was some surprise about that.
“Surprised Dr J isn’t on Shaq list”
There were some shocking opinions as well, with one person claiming that LeBron James and Stephen Curry shouldn’t be included on this list.
“James doesn’t belong there or Curry”
Another shocking opinion came from an account that claimed they’d put Dennis Rodman over Karl Malone.
“I’d add Dennis Rodman and take away Karl Malone.”
One commenter surprisingly claimed that this is one of the best lists they’ve seen
“One of the best lists I’ve seen.”
Another response had a similar sentiment.
“This looks legit to me, to be honest.”
There is no doubt that a lot of commenters had different opinions on Shaquille O’Neal’s list. Still, it was clearly a list that drove discourse, and it’d be interesting to see Shaquille O’Neal explain his decision process for this.
Top 10 Lists Are Subjective
Every single person’s list won’t be the same, and Shaquille O’Neal clearly went against the grain with his. With that being said, he is entitled to his own opinion, and there’s nothing wrong with him selecting players from his era.
At the end of the day, opinions on this subject will vary. There have been many great players in the history of the NBA, and even if people don’t have the same opinions on their top 10, discussion and debate should be welcomed.