Shaquille O’Neal reacts to Draymond Green saying LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan with a surprising name: “My guy is Dr. J/Mike”

Who is the greatest NBA player of all time? There is a lot of debate about who the GOAT is, and they usually center around LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Both players were dominant in their era, and there is a strong case for each player.

Who a person may favor when discussing who is better, LeBron or Jordan, can depend on their age and when they get introduced to the NBA. That may be why Golden State Warriors' power forward Draymond Green ranked James ahead of Jordan in his all-time player rankings. Green is a contemporary of LeBron James and never shared the court with peak Michael Jordan.

Green’s rationale is that Jordan didn’t beat the greatest team ever assembled. What Green is referring to is the Warriors team that went 73-9 in the regular season. James led a comeback where the Cavs were down three games to one.

On “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” NBA Hall of Famer and number five on Green’s list, Shaquille O’Neal, shared his opinion on what the Warriors forward had to say about who is the greatest of all-time.

“I like Draymond, that’s his opinion,” O’Neal said. “I like people when they have opinions in this world.

“I’m not going to go off. That’s his opinion. My guy is Dr. J (Julius Erving) slash Mike. That’s my guy.” - O'Neal

Shaq’s opinion is informed by his age and the era he played in. When O’Neal was a kid, Dr. J (Julius Erving) was the face of the NBA until Larry Bird and Magic Johnson took over the league. He made his debut in the 1992-93 season when Jordan and the Bulls closed out their first three-peat. Shaq battled against Jordan for two straight years in the Eastern Conference playoffs between 1995-96.

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How good was Michael Jordan?

Michael Jordan may be the most special basketball player the world has ever seen. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships over an eight-year span. He was named Finals MVP in all six finals appearances.

Jordan has won at every level, starting with being a national champion at the University of North Carolina. He is also a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. As an individual, he has five regular-season MVP awards and won Defensive Player of the Year in 1988.

For many NBA pros and fans worldwide, there has been no player like him. Known as the best scorer of his era, he was a top-notch defender named to the All-Defensive team nine times.