In a move that caught the basketball world off guard, Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal waded into the long-standing NBA “Greatest of All Time” debate, placing LeBron James third, and even slotting himself outside the top 10 at the end of the day — much to the astonishment of fans who expected James or the late Kobe Bryant to occupy the top spot.
The Lakers legend didn’t stop there. In a teaser clip from his Netflix series, “Power Moves,” he followed up this GOAT proclamation by releasing his top 10 list of NBA players ever. Shaq’s roster mixed generational icons with a few curveballs, and notably omits former teammate Bryant from the very top spot.
But who is the NBA’s No. 1 greatest player of all time, according to Shaq?
Shaq Unveils NBA Top 10 All-Time List
O’Neal stepped into the Netflix spotlight to end, or at least reshape, the decade-long “Who’s the NBA GOAT?” debate. In the clip where he names Michael Jordan as the GOAT, he cites Jordan’s six NBA championships (6–0 in NBA Finals), five regular-season MVPs, and global cultural influence.
As the video began, Shaq first ranked himself at No. 10 before replacing his name with the two-time ABA champion and 11-time NBA All-Star Julius Irving. Immediately, O’Neal held up a finger and added, “No. 10, I have myself. I will take myself off and put the great Julius Irving.”
Despite being a four-time NBA champion, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and 15-time NBA All-Star, Shaq snubbed himself off the NBA’s GOAT list without much of a second thought.
In the end, according to Netflix’s clip posted on X, Shaq’s list ranked as follows:
1) Michael Jordan
2) Kobe Bryant
3) LeBron James
4) Earvin “Magic” Johnson
5) Bill Russell
6) Wilt Chamberlain
7) Larry Bird
8) Hakeem Olajuwon
9) Tim Duncan
10) Julius Irving
Shaq reveals his top 10 greatest NBA players of all time 👀
Watch one of the all-time greats make his next play on Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal premieres June 4. pic.twitter.com/yxonDJvM9m
— Netflix (@netflix) June 3, 2025
Most fans gushed at Shaq’s inclusion of Kobe at No. 2 — cementing that any perceived “snub” in the GOAT top three was not a slight on Bryant’s legacy, which O’Neal explicitly recognized.
Yet, Shaq’s list also raised eyebrows for those accustomed to lifetime-achievement metrics. As the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in 1984 with 31,420 points (career record of 38,387 points) and a six-time MVP, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s absence felt particularly jarring.
O’neal’s omission of the six-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP suggests a deliberate pivot away from career-accumulation metrics (points, MVPs) toward peak-moment impact (how a player shifts a franchise’s destiny).
Similarly, excluding Stephen Curry signals that prolific modern shooting, while celebrated, doesn’t automatically translate into an all-time top-10 spot under Shaq’s criteria — this even after Shaq’s public campaign for “Steph to be in the GOAT convo.”
All that propaganda about “Steph needs to be in the goat debate” to not have him in your top 10 is crazy. Lmao https://t.co/RpDZvB5A4X
— Hub (@KenHeLive) June 3, 2025
Despite publicly campaigning for Curry’s GOAT candidacy throughout the 2024–25 season, Shaq left Curry off his all-time list. Fans seized upon that decision.
“All that propaganda about ‘Steph needing to be the GOAT debate’ to not have him in your Top 10 is crazy. Lmao,” one commenter wrote on X.
Shaq’s teaser-revealed rankings underscore how “greatness” in basketball now blends rings + digital-era clout + on-court artistry. By anointing Jordan (the definitive commercial superstar of the 1990s) and Bryant (the “Black Mamba” ethos icon) at the top, Shaq showed he values cultural footprint as much as on-court dominance.
Meanwhile, including Bird and Russell — figures from pre-TV boom eras — demonstrates his debt to pioneers whose championships rewrote NBA history.
Shaq’s Netflix Docuseries ‘Power Moves’ Airing Globally
“Power Moves” is an intimate look at Shaq’s return to Reebok, chronicling his role as president of Reebok basketball alongside Allen Iverson as vice president.
The six-part series, executive produced by O’Neal and Authentic Studios, follows Shaq’s business gambits as he tries to restore Reebok’s basketball legacy, leveraging his own cultural impact and championship résumé to fuel a brand revival.
Montage shots show Shaq standing at center court, poised to crown his all-time NBA pantheon, before a backdrop of Reebok logos and flashes of his championship moments.
MORE: How Many NBA Championships Did Shaquille O’Neal Win? Revisiting the Legend’s Rings
With the “Power Moves” Netflix teaser, O’Neal didn’t just promote a brand-revival docuseries. He delivered a seismic statement on basketball’s hierarchy.
By naming Jordan as the uncontested GOAT, granting Bryant a firm No. 2 slot, and naming generations bridging stalwarts like Irving to Chamberlain, Shaq reminded fans that “greatness” remains both highly personal and eternally debatable.
