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Shaquille O’Neal Admits That He Wasn’t As Good As Hakeem Olajuwon

As two of NBA’s best big men of all-time, Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon will always be linked and compared to each other. The two players enjoyed some tough battles throughout their careers including a popular head-to-head matchup in the 1995 NBA Finals.

In the longstanding debate between O’Neal and Olajuwon, one’s opinion is skewed based on their NBA Finals matchup which works out in Olajuwon’s favor. Others however tend to lean on picking Shaq due to his stacked resume with four championship rings and three Finals MVPs.

The debate may have been a tough one, but not in the eyes of Shaq himself at least. The Los Angeles Lakers legend has not hid his admiration for Olajuwon in recent years, and on Sunday, Shaq even offered more praise for the Houston Rockets Hall of Famer, admitting that he wasn’t as good as him.

“It was a very emotional moment for me. Because the guys that are greater than me,” Shaq said.

“I can’t believe that I’m sitting next to him. You wanna look at myself play? I was not as good as Hakeem. I wasn’t even as good as Chief.”

Must watch: Shaq’s emotional 4-minute speech on @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/RwfynnERLa

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 21, 2022