Would you draft a 20 yrs.old Shaquille O'Neal over a 21 yrs.old Michael Jordan??

[Dresta]

With hindsight, obviously not. Shaq just doesn't have the focus, patience, attitude and determination to succeed with a single team for an extended period of time. Eventually he always got bored and/or lazy, blamed others for these things, and then left whatever team he was on, burning bridges as he left.

Basically, Shaq was never winning 6 titles for the team that drafted him. Jordan could (and did).

[Fire Colangelo]

With hindsight? Give me Michael.

With the information available at the time of their draft? Shaq.

[Prime_Shaq]

Of course everyone would pick MJ now but a rule of thumb is always picking the dominant big first.

[sdot_thadon]

In the moment without future knowledge this is Shaq 100% of the time. I mean they chose dream and freaking Sam Bowie over him lol.

[Marchesk]

Of course everyone would pick MJ now but a rule of thumb is always picking the dominant big first.

I think Shaq would go before MJ more often than not, regardless. You take the once in a generation dominant big over the GOAT. It would be the same if Wilt was in the draft.

[Jameerthefear]

I think Shaq would go before MJ more often than not, regardless. You take the once in a generation dominant big over the GOAT. It would be the same if Wilt was in the draft.

uhh no. no one would take wilt if they were actually planning to win championships. lets just leave this at shaq and jordan

[Marchesk]

uhh no. no one would take wilt if they were actually planning to win championships. lets just leave this at shaq and jordan

Wilt was on two of the five or six greatest teams ever. He could anchor championship teams. You just need to put the right players and coaches around him.

[scandisk_]

Yeah, hindsight is always 20/20. Give me Shaq over some lanky kid. Hell I'd even take Shaq over Alcindor.

[Jameerthefear]

Wilt was on two of the five or six greatest teams ever. He could anchor championship teams. You just need to put the right players and coaches around him.

wilt isn't a winner. PERIOD. lets leave this at jordan and shaq

[Marchesk]

wilt isn't a winner. PERIOD. lets leave this at jordan and shaq

More of a winner than Dwight ...

[MEB2kDeez]

Yup, if we're talking about right out of college.

[DonDadda59]

If you had a crystal ball, the GOAT. Otherwise, Shaq every time. Hakeem was drafted ahead of Jordan, no one batted an eye and even now you don't really hear people getting on the Rockets case for doing it. All things considered it was the right/smart choice, especially back then when the conventional knowledge was big men win championships.

Sam Bowie doe...

[sdot_thadon]

If you had a crystal ball, the GOAT. Otherwise, Shaq every time. Hakeem was drafted ahead of Jordan, no one batted an eye and even now you don't really hear people getting on the Rockets case for doing it. All things considered it was the right/smart choice, especially back then when the conventional knowledge was big men win championships.

Sam Bowie doe...

I figured Bowie was taken over him for the same reason Dream was, big men win titles. In hindsight we all know how it worked out and can ridicule it. In the moment that gm might have been fired for picking Mj lol.

[sd3035]

Shaq over anyone in the history of basketball if you want a few guaranteed titles

I always hated SHaq by the way but let's be honest

[Dr.J4ever]

If you had a crystal ball, the GOAT. Otherwise, Shaq every time. Hakeem was drafted ahead of Jordan, no one batted an eye and even now you don't really hear people getting on the Rockets case for doing it. All things considered it was the right/smart choice, especially back then when the conventional knowledge was big men win championships.

Sam Bowie doe...

I actually saw Jordan play live during his Tar heel days before he got drafted. I still remember the conversation among hoops people like Vitale and others regarding Michael. Being a 76er fan and an Erving fan, yeah Jordan was great and all in college, but I was skeptical about him doing great in the NBA.

Other experts said Jordan would do better in the NBA than in college with no zones and the more open game, but I don't think anyone thought he would become the best ever or even close to it.

With Hakeem and his Phi slamma jamma Houston Cougars, it was different. I remember watching Hakeem in college and thinking this guy was gonna be great in the NBA.

With the NBA at the time being dominated by bigs and catering to them, Hakeem was more impressive than Jordan going to the NBA. Sam Bowie in college was not at all impressive to me, and I wasn't surprised he was a bust.

Turns out Jordan changed everyone's thinking and made the NBA what it is today.