Shaquille O’Neal (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Every year, the Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony is conducted where the most qualified athletes are honored for their extraordinary abilities. While many notable players have been acknowledged over the years, a few names couldn’t make it to the grand event. NBA great Shaquille O’Neal was the one to point out some of the names that were overlooked.

On Sunday, Shaq shared a story on his Instagram account revealing the names of top players who, according to him, were deserving candidates for the induction and yet missed out on the acknowledgement. The Pistons’ Rasheed Wallace was the first name on the list, who shared the same locker room with Shaq for the Celtics for around a season.

Shaquille O’Neal (Image Source: IG/Shaq)

Shaq placed his former Magic teammates Penny Hardaway and 4-time champion Horace Grant. He believes 2-time champion Bill Laimbeer was also deprived of the honor, and so was Cavaliers’ Shawn Kemp. The next on his list was renowned Blazers player Cliff Robinson, who might not have many accolades added to his name, but the Big Diesel certainly has his justification.

Alvin Robertson, the Spurs’ supremely talented guard, also made it to his list. Shaq also didn’t forget to add his former teammates Robert Horry from the Lakers, Shawn Marion from the Heat, and Amar’e Stoudemire from the Suns.

Shaquille O’Neal knows the significance of the honor, as he was inducted in 2016. Having been in the league for 19 years, the 52-year-old has enough experience to determine real talent. He has never shied away from expressing his views, be it about the Basketball Hall of Fame or the GOAT debate.

Shaquille O’Neal Makes Himself Clear Over Kobe Bryant’s GOAT Claim

The never-ending discussion about the greatest players, Michael Jordan and LeBron James, has been going on for years. However, Shaquille O’Neal feels the conversation should also include late legend Kobe Bryant and the other two.

Expressing his view on his “BIG podcast,” Shaq said, “The only thing I don’t like about the (GOAT) conversation is that they don’t put my boy’s name (Kobe) in it. If you’re gonna be throwing names around, you gotta have my boy’s name in it.”

JJ Redick and Shaq discuss the GOAT conversation 🐐

Watch the FULL JJ Redick episode here ⬇️https://t.co/WsQ6OHLG4I pic.twitter.com/YsZTU9NIJw

— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) May 7, 2024

Kobe Bryant redefined the sport with his exceptional skills. Suited in the Purple and Gold, the Black Mamba added 5 championship trophies to his name and numerous other accolades that might not fit in one article. Yet his name is not taken in the debate, which upsets his Lakers teammate Shaq.