“The young student must kill the master… Everybody knew in order to get to the finals you gotta get past Mike” - Shaquille O'Neal says Michael Jordan is the greatest player he played against

To this day, Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is viewed as arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. Outside of LA Lakers star LeBron James, nobody has come close to being seen as an equal.

For his career, Jordan has averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 asssits. His list of accolades includes being a 14-time All-Star, six-time champion, six-time Finals MVP, 10-time scoring champ, and five-time MVP.

During his 15 year career, "His Airness" competed against a plethora of superstars. Among the long list of Hall of Fame talents to compete against him is Shaquille O'Neal. As the young center was getting his footing in the NBA, Jordan was leading the Bulls to dynasty status.

During a recent interview, the former LA Lakers big man was asked who the best player he ever faced was. As expected, he went with Michael Jordan.

"Michael Jordan is the best ever. I grew up watching karate movies so the basis of every karate movie that I watched, at some point the young student must kill the master to become the master."

"So Mike's the master and everybody knew in order to get to the finals you gotta get past Mike and I was the last one to accomplish that."

What makes Michael Jordan the NBA's G.O.A.T

Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets

Aside from his long list of achievements, there are multiple reasons why Michael Jordan is seen as the greatest basketball player of all time. The first being that he was the first athlete to become a mainstream icon. With his sneakers and other off-the-court endevours, MJ paved the way for stars today to be successful outside of basketball.

Arguably the main reason why MJ sits atop the NBA mountain stems partially from what Shaq said during his interview. He, along with many other players, knew they would need to get through the Bulls star if they wanted success. When other top talents view you as the main obstacle, it is a testament to your greatness.

When looking at the list of greatest players to never win a title, the majority played while MJ was at his apex. During the 90's, nobody could touch him and the Bulls. If MJ didn't retire to play baseball, there is no telling how many rings he walks away with in the end.

What cements MJ's case is that nobody was able to win while he was around. Few players ever had a similar vice grip on the league like he did when he was at the top.