As far as the NBA greatest of all time chat goes, Steph Curry has entered the chat.
That’s according to Shaq himself, who said he’s not only never seen someone do it like Curry, but would put Curry ahead of him on the best-of rankings.
“I’m wondering — not saying, I’m just wondering because he’s been consistently the best shooter his whole career — I’m wondering is it time to start putting him as the best player of all time conversation,” Shaquille O’Neal said Tuesday on TNT’s Inside the NBA.
TNT analyst Kenny Smith even asked Shaq specifically if he’d put Curry over him.
“Yes,” Shaq said — adding that’s his favorite player.
“I played 20 years, watched 20 years before that, I’ve never seen a guy like him, and he’s doing it consistently and he has championships,” Shaq added.
Smith then asked if Shaq is putting Curry over Michael Jordan, to which he responded, no — and didn’t say Curry deserved to be on a specific portion of this impossibly-tasked list, but that Steph should be a part of the discussion.
Michael Jordan himself mentioned Steph in a GOAT conversation recently. Curry called himself the greatest point guard ever, to which Jordan texted ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith a response saying he disagreed and that Magic Johnson is the best point guard of all time.
“Magic Johnson is easily the best point guard of all time,” Jordan texted Smith in August. “Steph Curry is very close, but not in front of Magic. You must define point guard to really have a serious debate.”
Jordan knows the debate question will always be a true debate, but we can agree those involved in this particular discussion deserve to have this conversation.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.