Was Shaq underrated?

[RoxSteady]

Does anyone who watched Shaq play think that his dominance is/was underrated? The guy won only one MVP award which is paltry (half as many as Steve Nash) and -- I know this is anecdotal, but -- you hear so many people criticize him now ("fat and slow"; etc.), plus he seems to be relatively low on All-Time lists. Kobe seems to be seen by many as the greater player.

There just seems to be a lack of understanding how quickly and thoroughly he helped turned around Orlando, how dominant he was on a Laker team that won 3 championships, how good he still was as he won a championship in Miami and as an All-Star at 36 in Phoenix, and how he was close to or at the very top during the post-MJ, pre-LeBron years.

[Danny1616]

He's not really underrated.

Most people have him easily in the top 10 of all-time.

At his peak he is arguably the most dominant player in NBA history. He might have been the GOAT if he took his career seriously and kept in shape, but he enjoyed his life and did a lot of stuff outside of basketball.

He won 4 championships and one MVP, but probably could've had closer to 6-7 if he took it seriously.

He deserved MVP over Iverson imo in 2001, but he never deserved it over Nash...he was passed his prime by that point.

[OriginalRed]

Shaq is far from underrated. He's always the first person people mention when they discuss the most dominant players in NBA history and is in the conversation for GOAT center. I have him in my Top 10 ATG's and most people do as well, though he's near the bottom due to the lack of MVP's.

[HBK_Kliq_33]

He is my all-time goat center for peaks. The problem with Shaq is he could of had 2-4 seasons where he stayed healthy, averaged nearly 30PPG and played DPOTY defense. Unfortunately, he only put together one of those seasons in 99-2000. So overall prime he is probably not ranked as high as somebody like Kareem and definitely not Tim Duncan.

1999 to 2004 Shaq is probably the best 5 year playoff stretch for a center in NBA history but like I said he didn't put it all together for a full year as much as he should have.

[UcanUwill]

In absolute peak, second most dominant player ever behind Wilt. easily underrated, I just dont understand how people rank Kobe over him, I get that Kobe had longer span of dominance, and why he is ranked higher as a Laker, because he was there much longer, but Shaq was metahuman, and if you just rank who reached higher highs, its Shaq without question. I feel like I rank shaq higher than Most, even Sabonis said that he was amazed of how good Shaq was, like he never saw anything like that.

[Big NBA Fan]

The problem is he hurt his legacy tremendously by hanging around 5 years longer than he should have, and forcing his way out of Miami was a horrible decision on his part, as well.

Getting outplayed by Dampier/Diop should have been a sign to him that he was on the decline, but he didn't seem to realize it.

If he retired after the 2006 Finals like he- in retrospect- should have, it would have been a perfect ending to an amazing career.

I was actually happy and relieved for him when he retired as it was sad to see the once-biggest star in the NBA become a punching bag of the media from 2007-2011.

But his dominance from 93-05 was amazing and I don't hold the lack of MVP's against him; should have won over Nash in 2005 and maybe over Iverson in 2001.

His 2007-2011 years hurt him and his crappy work on TNT doesn't help, either. His image took a battering after he forced his way out of Miami; at-least former punching bags like Kobe (04-05) and MDA (Lakers and Knicks) rehabbed their images...Shaq never did.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

He's not really underrated.

Most people have him easily in the top 10 of all-time.

At his peak he is arguably the most dominant player in NBA history. He might have been the GOAT if he took his career seriously and kept in shape, but he enjoyed his life and did a lot of stuff outside of basketball.

He won 4 championships and one MVP, but probably could've had closer to 6-7 if he took it seriously.

He deserved MVP over Iverson imo in 2001, but he never deserved it over Nash...he was passed his prime by that point.

Not really, the 2001 one should have been Duncan's.

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[Clyde Frazier]

He's commonly thought of as the most dominant player ever at his peak, so no I don't think he's underrated. Lack of MVPs would be due to so so durability.

[BBgun]

At his absolute peak, especially in the playoffs, I would argue he was in fact underrated. It's hard to overstate how dominant he was and how much affected opposing teams gameplans. Other teams would structure their season long rosters and acquire certain players for the sole reason of potentially facing the Lakers in the playoffs. And when the games really mattered he was the literal definition of unstoppable.

With that said, it's still not that surprising he only had one MVP award in his career. He's admitted himself that he was inconsistent with his effort and conditioning in the regular season and it definitely showed. But when it mattered the most....he was undeniable.

[RoxSteady]

He's commonly thought of as the most dominant player ever at his peak, so no I don't think he's underrated. Lack of MVPs would be due to so so durability.

Apparently LeBron and Kobe have both said so, according to a Google search. Personally, I had run into this take enough.

[thebigbird]

No. Peak Shaq may very well be the best player ever. But, he is where he is on all-time lists because he didn't take care of his body and therefore doesn't have the longevity of other all-timers. He was my favorite player when i started watching basketball, but he fell off pretty quickly (in terms of being a superstar) after the 3-peat.

[Johnny Bball]

The problem is he hurt his legacy tremendously by hanging around 5 years longer than he should have, and forcing his way out of Miami was a horrible decision on his part, as well.

Getting outplayed by Dampier/Diop should have been a sign to him that he was on the decline, but he didn't seem to realize it.

If he retired after the 2006 Finals like he- in retrospect- should have, it would have been a perfect ending to an amazing career.

I was actually happy and relieved for him when he retired as it was sad to see the once-biggest star in the NBA become a punching bag of the media from 2007-2011.

But his dominance from 93-05 was amazing and I don't hold the lack of MVP's against him; should have won over Nash in 2005 and maybe over Iverson in 2001.

His 2007-2011 years hurt him and his crappy work on TNT doesn't help, either. His image took a battering after he forced his way out of Miami; at-least former punching bags like Kobe (04-05) and MDA (Lakers and Knicks) rehabbed their images...Shaq never did.

Just because you didn't see his prime doesn't mean he hung around too long. Just because he aged like every other single human being in the history of mankind does, doesn't take away from what he did prior.

[Sign5]

Somewhat only because you still have some that DONT think he'd absolutely obliterate this current league.

[thebigbird]

The problem is he hurt his legacy tremendously by hanging around 5 years longer than he should have, and forcing his way out of Miami was a horrible decision on his part, as well.

Getting outplayed by Dampier/Diop should have been a sign to him that he was on the decline, but he didn't seem to realize it.

If he retired after the 2006 Finals like he- in retrospect- should have, it would have been a perfect ending to an amazing career.

I was actually happy and relieved for him when he retired as it was sad to see the once-biggest star in the NBA become a punching bag of the media from 2007-2011.

But his dominance from 93-05 was amazing and I don't hold the lack of MVP's against him; should have won over Nash in 2005 and maybe over Iverson in 2001.

His 2007-2011 years hurt him and his crappy work on TNT doesn't help, either. His image took a battering after he forced his way out of Miami; at-least former punching bags like Kobe (04-05) and MDA (Lakers and Knicks) rehabbed their images...Shaq never did.

Just because you didn't see his prime doesn't mean he hung around too long. Just because he aged like every other single human being in the history of mankind does, doesn't take away from what he did prior.

He didn't age like every single human being in NBA history. After the 2002/2003 season (when he was 31), he never averaged more than 22.9 ppg. He only averaged 20+ ppg 3 times after he turned 31. He only averaged 20+ ppg in the playoffs once after he turned 31. He also missed a ton of games.

That's not normal aging for an NBA superstar, let alone a top 10 player of all time. Plenty of guys have been absolutely elite at 31, 32, 33 years of age. Shaq wasn't. He became much worse, in large part because he didn't maintain his body. The first 11 years of his career were insane. The last 8 years, not so much.

[Johnny Bball]

The problem is he hurt his legacy tremendously by hanging around 5 years longer than he should have, and forcing his way out of Miami was a horrible decision on his part, as well.

Getting outplayed by Dampier/Diop should have been a sign to him that he was on the decline, but he didn't seem to realize it.

If he retired after the 2006 Finals like he- in retrospect- should have, it would have been a perfect ending to an amazing career.

I was actually happy and relieved for him when he retired as it was sad to see the once-biggest star in the NBA become a punching bag of the media from 2007-2011.

But his dominance from 93-05 was amazing and I don't hold the lack of MVP's against him; should have won over Nash in 2005 and maybe over Iverson in 2001.

His 2007-2011 years hurt him and his crappy work on TNT doesn't help, either. His image took a battering after he forced his way out of Miami; at-least former punching bags like Kobe (04-05) and MDA (Lakers and Knicks) rehabbed their images...Shaq never did.

Just because you didn't see his prime doesn't mean he hung around too long. Just because he aged like every other single human being in the history of mankind does, doesn't take away from what he did prior.

He didn't age like every single human being in NBA history. After the 2002/2003 season (when he was 31), he never averaged more than 22.9 ppg. He only averaged 20+ ppg 3 times after he turned 31. He only averaged 20+ ppg in the playoffs once after he turned 31. He also missed a ton of games.

That's not normal aging for an NBA superstar, let alone a top 10 player of all time. Plenty of guys have been absolutely elite at 31, 32, 33 years of age. Shaq wasn't. He became much worse, in large part because he didn't maintain his body. The first 11 years of his career were insane. The last 8 years, not so much.

Do I really have to explain that the point was that every human ages? Good **** grief. If there's a problem you have with his "legacy", the problem is with you guys and your perception and not everybody else or Shaq. I can't see how he wasn't one of the greatest players of all time, how playing longer in life diminishes anything before it, and how it's anyone else's decision when he retires except for those that incredibly entitled.

[XxIronChainzxX]

He's commonly thought of as the most dominant player ever at his peak, so no I don't think he's underrated. Lack of MVPs would be due to so so durability.

The lack of MVPs are also a product of the bonkers league he played in during the 90s. He had to go up against guys like MJ, Malone and Robinson for MVPs as a young guy just barely coming into his prime. By the time everyone retired in the late 90s / early 2000s the league was BBQ chicken in the front court.

[Clyde Frazier]

As an aside, I've always thought about what Shaq would be like if he were drafted say within the last 5 years. I think he'd be just as dominant, but probably see his team try to preserve that young mobile Orlando version throughout his career. His ability to run the floor at that size back then was incredible.

[MrDollarBills]

He's not underrated. First ballot HOF and the most dominant player the sport has ever seen.

[thebigbird]

Just because you didn't see his prime doesn't mean he hung around too long. Just because he aged like every other single human being in the history of mankind does, doesn't take away from what he did prior.

He didn't age like every single human being in NBA history. After the 2002/2003 season (when he was 31), he never averaged more than 22.9 ppg. He only averaged 20+ ppg 3 times after he turned 31. He only averaged 20+ ppg in the playoffs once after he turned 31. He also missed a ton of games.

That's not normal aging for an NBA superstar, let alone a top 10 player of all time. Plenty of guys have been absolutely elite at 31, 32, 33 years of age. Shaq wasn't. He became much worse, in large part because he didn't maintain his body. The first 11 years of his career were insane. The last 8 years, not so much.

Do I really have to explain that the point was that every human ages? Good **** grief. If there's a problem you have with his "legacy", the problem is with you guys and your perception and not everybody else or Shaq. I can't see how he wasn't one of the greatest players of all time, how playing longer in life diminishes anything before it, and how it's anyone else's decision when he retires except for those that incredibly entitled.

Do you intentionally miss the point? I love Shaq. He was my favorite player. He is compared to the top 10 players of all time because that's where he is as a player. If player X was elite for 15 years and player Y was elite for 11 years, player X has the advantage for his legacy.

Shaq did enough in his first 11 or so seasons to be a top 10 player of all time. He's one of the best ever. He could've been the GOAT, or top 3 of all time at worst, if he had stayed in shape and kept dominating like he did earlier in his career. But he didn't, and that's why he's in the back half of the top 10.

[MrDollarBills]

As an aside, I've always thought about what Shaq would be like if he were drafted say within the last 5 years. I think he'd be just as dominant, but probably see his team try to preserve that young mobile Orlando version throughout his career. His ability to run the floor at that size back then was incredible.

If Orlando or Prime Shaq played now: