Shaq made dream look like he was in a 12 rd fight after the finals. Shaq made deke look helpless as a defender. 2 yrs later, he made dream look like Aliand he was larry holmes. The guys physicality is unparrelled to me at 7ft 325 lbs and would beat guys down the floor.
Like other posters have said, Lebron is more skill than body, while Shaq was athletic with such a huge body.
I was speaking about the "total package." I think there are guys closer to Lebron's combination of size/power/athleticism than there were to Shaq. Also, it's hard for me to buy that Lebron is 260lb like the media claims. Karl Malone played at 255lb and you can't tell me Lebron is anywhere near the size Malone was. Dwight Howard is listed at 265lb and he is a much larger person than Lebron. Lebron is strong but I think guys like Jordan and Vince Carter were every bit as quick (Jordan was quicker) and explosive. Keep in mind that Lebron is 2-3 inches taller than those guys. Stength wise he is obviously far beyond them but I still don't think the gap is nearly as big as it was between Shaq and every other player to ever pick up a basketball (Wilt included).
shaq. cmon. 7'2, 300lbs man playing basketball the way he did when he was young? you wouldnt think that's possible until you saw it with your own eyes.
I'd vote for Shaq. When he played people were clamoring to change the rules of basketball because it was so unfair down low. Teams stocked up on extra centers, I mean, extra "6-foul bipeds", to combat him. Since I started watching basketball as a little kid in the late 70's, I haven't seen any post force so offensively dominating as Shaq was, and yes, sorry, but that includes Hakeem. In terms of athleticism, you can say Lebron may be an evolutionary step above every other player in the NBA, but Shaq wasn't just an evolutionary step, he was a mutation. I've seen quick and fast 250-260 pounders that could run the court with the ball and were freight trains like Lebron. Lebron's skills at his size have been approached by others. I've never seen any center be the force that Shaq was with the abilities he had and with the mass and height he had. The guy truly was a freak.
Yeah, Hakeem won the series but you're out of your mind if you don't think Shaq didn't dominate statistically. The answer to this question is Shaq IMO.
LeBron more explosive than MJ? I disagree. MJ's lightning quick first step is still unparalled in today's NBA. MJ averages more steals and more blocks per game than LeBron, which I see as a reflection of his athleticism.
Dawkins broke backboards before breakaway rims. Shaq brought goals (entire goals) down after breakaway rims. Breaking rims isn't much of an indication of how much of a physical freak you are. Darvin Ham was strong and broke them in college. Hell, even Chris Morris broke one back in the 90's and he sure wasn't some supremely athletic specimen.
DoD summed it up best. Dream is my favorite player ever and inthe finals, he couldnt do much with a 3yr yr shaq. Yeah dream got his, but so did shaq. Dream dominated robinson,ewing, and guys like that. Shaq did what he wanted to against dream, dominated deke, and man handled ben wallace also. Like others have posted, hack a shaq, was called that for a reason. By year 4, he was probably the best center and top 5 player in the league despite being a terrible free throw shooter.
