The word underrated typically implies a fairly significant level of devaluation from actual performance. In the classic sense, it’s hard to say Shaquille O’Neal is underrated. He’s universally considered an all-time great. However, Shaq is definitely underrated when it comes to where he falls in the pecking order of the all-time greats. It’s common to see Shaq tossed in at the back of a top-ten list, or outside of it all together. This, of course, is bananas. There are only two basketball players in history who unquestionably have a better resume than Shaq: LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar–whom I have rated one spot ahead–isn’t immune to a resume standoff with Shaq, given that Abdul-Jabbar played in a watered down league with half of the total pool of professional basketball players playing in the ABA. The case for Shaq in the top-5 is an easy one to make. The case for him outside of the top-5? Well, I don’t know what that looks like. 

There’s no need to get complicated when it comes to making the case for Shaq in the top five. At 7’1, 370 pounds, he was the most physically dominating player the NBA has ever seen. There is a lot of hyperbole and lore surrounding Wilt Chamberlain that belies how watered down the NBA was in the 1960s. There is no hyperbole with Shaq. He was significantly more efficient than Chamberlain, and did it in a big boy league featuring Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, Dwight Howard, Pao Gasol, Alonzo Mourning, Arvydas Sabonis, and Ben Wallace. 

Shaq’s resume is chock full of statistics that quantify his dominance, starting with his work in the playoffs when it mattered most:  

Shaq’s Dominance

1). One of only two players in NBA history to win three consecutive Finals MVPs. Michael Jordan is the other.  

2). Averaged a cartoonish 35.9 points, 15.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.9 blocks across three consecutive NBA Finals from 2000-2002. 

3). Pulled down 866 offensive rebounds in the NBA Playoffs, which are, by far, the most all-time. Only Tim Duncan (778) is within 230 of Shaq, and Duncan played 35 more playoff games! 

Editor’s note: This is my favorite Shaq stat. 

4). Led the NBA in field goal percentage a record 10 times. Wilt Chamberlain (9) is the only other player to do it more than five times. 

5). Only player since 1974 to lead the league in scoring and field goal percentage in the same season.  

6). Only player since 1974 to lead the league in field goal percentage and finish in the top-3 in scoring in the same season, and he did it six times. Nobody else who has led the NBA in field goal percentage over that timeframe has even finished in the top 15 in scoring.

7). Only player in NBA history to average at least 23 points per game with a .560 shooting percentage, and he did it with a .582 shooting percentage!

8). Led the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) for five consecutive years. Only Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Wilt Chamberlain have had longer streaks. 

9). Finished in the top-2 in scoring six times. No center since 1975 has done it more than twice. 

10). One of only two centers since 1976 to lead the NBA in scoring more than once. Joel Embiid is the other.

11). Holds the highest field goal percentage in NBA Finals history among players with at least 10 Finals games played.

12). Eight 1st Team All-NBA selections at center are the most by any player to debut since 1970. 

13). Led the NBA in field goals per 100 possessions eight times. Michael Jordan (9) is the only other player in NBA history to do it more than four times. 

14). 5th highest average in NBA Finals history (28.3).

15). 24 rebounds in Game 2 of the 2000 NBA Finals are the most since 1972.

16). 3rd most NBA MVP award shares since 1984.

17). 5th highest career Player Efficiency Rating (PER) in history.

The playing style in the NBA has evolved significantly since Shaq put on a jersey, which might obscure how difficult it was to survive in the paint in the 1990s and early 2000s when refs treated foul calls as optional. In a league full of bullies, Shaq was the biggest bully of them all. He scored more points, more efficiently than any player in league history. His three-year playoff run from 2000-2002 is arguably the greatest stretch any NBA player has had–regular season or playoffs-ever.  If Shaq was even a 70% free throw shooter, he would have been the greatest player of all-time. Still, outside of LeBron James and Michael Jordan, Shaq bows to no one.