"Old school getting washed" - Shaquille O'Neal sparks debate among NBA fans by claiming he, Michael Jordan and Bird would beat LeBron, Steph and KD

By Yiannis Bouranis

Modified Oct 22, 2023 15:48 GMT

Boston Celtics v Miami Heat - Game Three — Shaquille O'Neal took to social media and started a debate on whether he and fellow legends would beat current NBA superstars

NBA legend and Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal usually takes to social media to address several NBA topics of his era and the modern era. He also doesn't hesitate to compare league legends and current NBA superstars.

On Saturday, O'Neal posted an image on his Instagram account, explaining who would win between Team Current and Team Legend.

Team Current consisted of Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant. In contrast, Team Legend featured Diesel, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and the late Kobe Bryant.

"You already know my question. So here we go, I honestly don’t know. Let me rephrase that my team would win, but this won’t be easy. This might be the best what if ever," O'Neal wrote.

His post went viral and started a debate, with fans choosing sides and predicting which team would emerge victorious in such a game.

"Old school getting washed," a user wrote.

"Team Current would destroy the legends," another fan wrote.

"Prime Bron and Prime Steph are the closest things to unbeatable. I say this as a certified LeBron hater," an Instagram user posted.

"Shaq, your teams are getting cooked respectfully," an Instagram user posted.

"Any team with Kobe, MJ and Shaq sweeping anybody," an Instagram user posted.

"Team Legend all day, every day. There is no debate," another user wrote.

"Team Legend easily," a user wrote.

"Team Legend getting swept," another Instagram user posted.

When Shaquille O'Neal put himself into his all-time Top-10 list

It doesn't come as a surprise when NBA superstars and legends are asked to name their all-time Top-10 list, and O'Neal was no exception.

Speaking with The Times in early August, the Diesel picked the ten best players of all-time in the NBA and included himself on the list.

Shaq went with himself, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, the late Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as the starting five, and Allen Iverson, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Isiah Thomas and Karl Malone as bench players.

"That ain’t no disrespect to Malone, [Charles] Barkley and Kareem. Hey, that’s my list. Understand what I’m saying?" O'Neal told The Times via Broderick Turner of Yahoo Sports.

O'Neal spent 19 years in the league (1992-2011) and retired as a four-time NBA champion, three-time Finals MVP, NBA MVP (2000) and a 15-time All-Star while playing for the Orlando Magic, LA Lakers, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics, respectively.