Shaq Says Kobe Belongs in the GOAT Talk With LeBron and Jordan
O'Neal argues his old Lakers teammate — a five-time champ — deserves a seat next to MJ and LeBron. Here's the fantasy read on the names still active.
Up 7.9 FPTS over his last 5 — still a locked-in starter at 41.
- Kobe: 5 titles, 2 Finals MVPs, 1 regular-season MVP
- LeBron: 4 titles across a 23-year career
- Jordan: 6 titles, Finals MVP in all six
- Kobe's 81-pt game (2006) is 3rd-most ever
- LeBron: 41.4 FPTS/G in 2025-26 (actual)
Shaquille O'Neal used his own podcast to reframe the tired two-man GOAT argument, insisting there are exactly three names that belong — and one of them is the guy he won three rings alongside. On "The Big Podcast," Shaq said the list is Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan, full stop, and wondered aloud why his former teammate keeps getting left out.
The résumé backs the pitch. Bryant won five titles over a 20-year Lakers career, took home two Finals MVPs and the 2008 regular-season MVP, and dropped 81 on Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006 — still the third-highest single-game total ever, behind Wilt's 100 (1962) and Bam Adebayo's 83 in 2026. Shaq admitted he's arrogant but not dumb, which is why he's not putting himself on the list.
The math is where the debate gets spicy. Kobe's five rings top LeBron's four, but neither touches Jordan's six titles and six Finals MVPs. Shaq's point wasn't about crowning a winner — it was about who gets invited to the table, and he thinks the "Mamba Mentality" earns Bryant a chair next to Mike and Bron.
The Fantasy Angle
Nostalgia doesn't fill box scores, but two names from this conversation still matter for your roster. LeBron remains an active, productive asset in Philadelphia, and Adebayo — the guy who just crashed Kobe's all-time scoring list with an 83-point night — is a top-tier center you're already rostering. Kobe's the sentiment; these two are the players.
LeBron posted 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists across 60 games last season (2025-26), good for 41.4 fantasy points per game and our #23 overall rank (#9 at forward). More encouraging: his last five games ran 7.9 fantasy points above his season average, so the tank isn't empty. Adebayo sits at #26 overall and #4 at his position on the strength of 20.1 points, 10 boards and 3.2 assists in 73 games (41 FPTS/G, 2025-26).
Verdict: hold LeBron with confidence. The recent uptick says he's still a weekly starter, not a fading legacy play, and his floor at 41 fantasy points is exactly what you drafted him for. Adebayo stays a set-it-and-forget-it big. The GOAT talk is fun barroom fuel — your lineup decisions should track the actual production, and both active names are still delivering it.
