4. Shaquille O’Neal

Right now Shaq may not be as popular as he once was, but people have strange memories when it comes to these things. Most professional analysts would argue that he’s over the hill and too much of a character. These sports writers have such a ‘what have you done for me lately’ attitude; it makes me a little sick. In time Shaq will be remembered as one of the most unstoppable forces in basketball.

He’s also made a lasting impact on the way the game is played and how fouls are called. I feel compelled to defend my pick for number five because there are other centers out there who are also great, like Wilt and Kareem. Wilt did amazing things with a basketball, but the skill level of his opposition is suspect as compared to Shaq who had to deal with several quality centers in his career.

Shaq also had to deal with life in a post Michael Jordan league; he managed to fill that void left by Jordan and then some. Sure some of the comments he makes are taken the wrong way by the sports media, and he’s used as a scapegoat a lot, but fans know that Shaq is still one of the best centers in the league and may go down as the greatest of all time, despite Kareem having the scoring title.