According to Chris' logic when Hakeem Swept Shaq and Penny, in Shaqs THIRD YEAR ,Shaq was a baby, But then in the same discussion Shaq's prime started when he entered the league. Which is it, Sir? Btw, Shaq had his ERA'S JORDAN (KOBE) FOR YEARS penny Hardaway in his PRIME in Orlando, and PRIME DWADE in Miami. DREAM NEVER PLAYED WITH ANY PRIME PLAYERS THAT GOOD HIS ENTIRE CAREER. Sampson was nice but he was already injury prone and inconsistent when Dream BEAT THE PRIME 86 Lakers. Stop with the mythmaking, Broussard and give REAL props.
Chris sounds as educated as a average fan of the sports. Chris doesn't have layered takes...its just like Shaq went to more finals done...Shaq was a baby done...Shaq has more rings done....like really thats your take Chris...Chris is good on the odd couple no doubt withba barbershop argumentive vibe...but to really disect a sport or a player is not his lane at all....sorry Chris
Dream won a Championship without playing with another all star. Dream is one of the few players that could dominate on both ends of the floor. Imagine if Dream got to play with some of the all time greats in their prime such as Wade or Kobe!
This light skin brother is delusional Hakeem Olajuan lead the rocket's to the finals in second year and beat a prime Lakers team in the western conference finals.
@@DadBot-_- lol when shaq got in his prime there weren't really any other all time great centers any more during his 99-04 stretch and considering Hakeem was out his prime and I bet if you give Hakeem kobe in his prime he wins more than 4 if you ask Robert horry he'll tell you
Hakeem so underrated. One of three people to win MVP and DPOY in the same season (Dream, Giannini, MJ). And here is the list of NBA players to repeat as NBA champ without any all star teammates. 1) Hakeem.... End of list
I've never understood why people thought Shaq peaked in L.A...That a much fatter, slower, lethargic version of what he was with the Lakers, was somehow a better version of himself then when he was with on the Magic..
He also discredited Hakeem making it the NBA Finals in his 2nd year in the league by saying he had Ralph Sampson when Shaq had Penny, Kobe, and Wade. Plus Shaq was past his prime when he won with Prime Wade
@@vishbegamin Right, I'm really disturbed by Chris's fairness. Shaq hasn't won anything without another All Star, top 75 player...He's had multiple title runs with players who were either right behind him, or better then him. Then Chris says Shaq was "prime" his first few years in the league, then disses Hakeem for going up against a "baby shaq" something clearly isn't right with his view.
Shaq in 95 was nowhere near as dominant as he was during his threepeat.He put up the greatest finals stats by a center in history. What other center ever averaged 38points and 17rebs in the finals and then 36.5 points the next year, then 33.5 ?? I'm waiting
Thank you Nick!!! Let's be honest as dominant as Shaq was the Center position was really shallow in the 2000s. Meanwhile Olajuwon was CLEARLY the best Center when you had big men like Shaq, Ewing, Mutumbo, Robinson, Morning, Divac, Daugherty etc
Literally all those guys you mentioned Shaq dominated, let's not act like shaq didn't play half his prime in the 90s, because he wasn't winning rings doesn't mean he wasn't the top 2 center alongside Hakeem in those years he averaged 27 points 11 rebounds on 58% from the field from 1992-1999, he lead the league in scoring and finished second another year so lets stop acting like Shaq wasn't dominate in the 90s
From 1989 to 1993, over the span of 290 games Hakeem averaged 23 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and over 4 blocks per game. Think about that for a minute, 4.3 blocks per game for 4 years straight. Hakeem is the greatest center ever.
@@ChrisBurnette68 KAREEMS LEGACY IS HE HAD OSCAR ROBERTSON FOR A RING AND MAGIC "TOP 5" JOHNSON AND JAMES "TOP 50" WORTHY FOR THE REST. DREAM WINS THE SAME OR MORE WITH THOSE PARTNERS DREAM IS THE 🐐 CENTER. STOP falling for narratives and learn to think for yourself. ✌🏼
Bru contradicted himself. Head to head, hakeem swept shaq but brussard said shaq was a baby. Then he ends the argument saying that shaq was in his prime from his 2nd year...which means that shaq wasnt a baby but got beat by Hakeem at his peak. He neglected to include shaq had penny, dennis scott, horace grant, nick anderson. Hakeem had a rookie sam cassell, kenny smith, otis thorpe, vernon maxwell. Co'mon, shaq had way more help and got SWEPT
Meaning at that time dream was more seasoned and had more experience but shaq was definitely dominating from year two, in his 3rd year in those finals he averaged 28 out rebounded had more assists and blocks than dream
He's being dishonest...He can't make any money off Hakeem, Shaq is still marketable still to this day. And I've never understood why people thought Shaq peaked in L.A...That a much fatter, slower, lethargic version of what he was with the Lakers, was somehow a better version of himself then when he was with on the Magic..
@@johnmonster1001 All that and he got swept. Shaq averaged 1 more rebound, and 0.5 more blocks and 0.8 more assists. Hakeem scored 5 more ppg than Shaq (outscored him every game - even though Shaq was the regular season scoring champ) and in the entire Finals had 8 steals to Shaq's 1 steal. Shaq also had twice as many turnovers as Hakeem. Shaq barely squeezed by Hakeem in those categories but Hakeem destroyed him in the rest. Then you also have to consider the intangible of Hakeem elevating the team around him to a higher degree than Shaq. The Rockets were 3-7 without Hakeem in 95 and 1-9 without him in 96, whereas the 96 Magic were 20-8 without Shaq.
In the history of the NBA you just cannot find a more skilled center than Hakeem. When people talk about Shaq they like to use the word dominant, but a better word is strong so you couldn't deny him the positions he wanted closer to the rim.
It’s never a plus losing in the finals until lebron started losing in the finals all the time that’s when that trend started 😂😂watch the video Shaq only lost in finals 2 times lebron den lost like 4 times 🤦🏾♂️
elgin baylor for the long time was a top 5 all time, because of all the finals, despite losing, jerry west, all time great, same story basically, it really is when bron started losing people started holding that against players
Taking teams to the finals is a plus for the "all time great" conversation. But it's not a positive for the "greatest of all time" conversation. You can lose 6 finals and still be a great player. This is why Jerry West, Wilt etc. are all called greats. But nobody calls them the greatest of all time.
It’s mostly Lebron haters looking for something to nitpick. Somehow, if he was 4-0 in the finals, and lost in the conference finals or sooner for the rest of his career, he’d have a better legacy. Makes 0 sense.
If I never saw either player play, heard their names, or anything, I’d believe that Hakeem was indeed the better of the two. Nick gave very solid points that Broussard really couldn’t counter.
Shaq was physically imposing and dominant, once his athleticism went, so did his game. Hakeem has more basketball skills and moves. More aptly a basketball player. Shaq was a size and athletic problem for other teams, he was soooo big and fast, but …. The clearly better basketball player would be Hakeem
As a Laker fan who watched 95% of games televised during Shaq’s era, he was a super underrated passer, better than Hakeem. Hakeem actually had problems with double teams much more than Shaq
@jason what Thank you! I've always said that Shaqs greatest "skill" was his size and power, but you're born with that, it can't be taught nor is it a talent developed over time. 60% shooting percentage? I would think so, when his shot chart rarely extended beyond 2 ft from the basket. His only "move" was receiving a pass down low, whip his elbow into a defenders head and a dunk. Granted, he was always being double teamed and had to work like a bull to get his points, but from a footwork, variety of moves and defensive standpoint, you're talking Duncan and Hakeem. PS...Shaq had great intangibles however in his personality, locker room charisma and ability to lead.
@@johnobrien5037 that was Shaq’s greatest asset but you’re shortchanging his game. It would be silly to expect/want/ask him to not use his size and strength, it was his greatest advantage. If you can dunk every time, you should. But he also did a great job with his footwork and technique, especially without the ball - something that Dwight Howard never learned the importance of. But he developed a solid jump hook with either hand, decent baseline fade-away, and again, he was a great passer. Better passer than Robinson or Hakeem, IMO. Not as good a defender as either, but when motivated he could be dominant on that end as well. Clearly he’s not as skilled as those guys, they’re maybe the two most skilled centers of all time; at least until the modern era it’s hard to rate them against guys like Embiid where it’s just the norm for centers to have guard skills. Shaq’s game was built around power, but he was great at getting guys to lean one way or the other and make a quick spin the other way. He always knew where the double was coming from, knew where his guys were at, and trusted them. He and Brian Shaw, especially, had incredible chemistry on lobs where the defender would brace himself to try and lean on Shaq and he’d just reverse it for an oop.
I’m sorry, but I’ve got Hakeem ahead of Duncan and Shaq. The footwork, shooting, athleticism, and defense. Just impeccable. The fact he was so big and could move like he did, simply magnificent. Waaay more skilled than Shaq.
Don’t be sorry Hakeem did way more with less he never had another allstar let alone a hall of famer to win with Hakeem beat up on shaq head to head in the finals and had he been around for time Duncan’s dominating years he woulda annihilated Duncan to even shaq admits Hakeem was ahead of him and better than him.. I got Hakeem the best center ever Get him one more allstar and hall of famer and he’s got 4 or 5 rings two
@@Marlowe10100 I mean, if he is on the Spurs or Lakers then he has more than he has now lmao. But yeah if you put him on a poverty franchise in the West then of course he isn’t gonna win.
In their primes, I’d take Hakeem the Dream over Shaq as my center in a playoff series. Hakeem is among the best 2-way players and he has a better free throw percentage (71%) compared to Shaq’s (52%). Shaq’s biggest weakness is the fact he was such a bad free throw shooter that opposing teams would intentionally foul him at the end of close games.
Add in that Hakeem is *9th in total steals all-time* as a freaking true Center. He was never a liability on defence either, even in his moonlight year in Toronto when he averaged plus 2 steals & 2 blocks *per 36 minutes* at 39-40yrs old. While teams could also counter Shaq by simply running him off the floor by pushing the pace constantly into 5v4’s. Especially post-2002 Fat Shaq who got so many stupid fouls, after guys consistently got by him for easy layups or dunks. He “peaked” by averaging 4.1 fouls a game in the 2004 playoffs, & having a horrid -31 total for the 5 game finals series.
If I get prime Shaq I'm taking that over anyone in NBA history ever. That 3 year reign of dominance is insane. MJ doesn't have a 3 year stretch as dominant as that.
@@laz0rama Shaq averages when the Lakers won 3 in a row were absolutely insane. He averaged 38ppg in the Finals in 2000. MJ hasn't even sniffed that. Shaq holds the title for most dominant player in the NBA for a reason and it is because of that 3 year run.
Hakeem did a lot more with less. His first trip to the Finals, he beat Magic/Kareem Lakers 4-1 in playoffs in ‘86 with a lesser team. But lost to the great ‘86 Celtics. He won 1st championship with no all-star teammate in ‘94. Lead Rockets in all statistical category. Won 2nd championship as the 6th seed. And sweeping Shaq’s Magic in Finals in ‘95. Hakeem is the only player with 2 quadruple doubles, only player winning MVP DPOY FMVP in same season, best footwork of any player ever, best 2-way player ever. Skill wise the best center ever. Broussard mentioned that Hakeem won those 2 rings when Jordan retired. Hakeem had a 5-1 record against 1st 3peat Bulls; Bulls couldn’t handle Hakeem.
Nicks is ranking these guys based on who’s the better player not who has the greater legacy. Give Hakeem Phil jackson and Kobe for 4 years and nobody expects anything less than 4 rings so I understand and respect nicks ranking
Shaq was great... not sure why as time goes on we try to point shave him. During that 3 peat, Shaq was the most dominant player ,imposing, I had seen. Love hakeem...just seems Shaq gets point shaved for what he didn't do, but what he did do, he did it the best...never seen anyone like Shaq. I do think hakeem was great though
@@sebastianslazyk4251 But Kobe wasn't that good during the 3 peat. Shaq averaged 38 17 on 60 % shooting against Indiana. I don't think Dream would have done that.
They don't win. If you listen to Nick, he said he thought peak Shaq (during the 3peat) was better than peak Jordan and LeBron. That's what the Lakers had in that threepeat. Hakeem is not that.
But hakeem is the All time leader in blocks, top 10 in steals, 2rings 2fmvp 2 dpoy 1mvp, Shaq doesn't have that defense, has 0dpoy and only 1 more fmvp, playing alongside Kobe and going against weaker centers... Hakeem dominated Robinson shaq and Ewing.... Hakeem was the only reason that team won... Shaq could sit or foul out and Kobe would take Over.... Hakeem has more assists rebound steals and blocks than shaq, has like 1600 less points he is 12th All time , lead the league in RPG 2x blocks 3x shaq never, hakeem 12x All NBA 9x All defense shaq 14x All NBA 3x All defense..........
Hakeem was better, my guy. He DOMINATED his contemporaries. Mutombo, Robinson, Malone, Eaton, Ewing and of course Shaq. He was one of the most skilled and versatile players of all time and carried a lackluster team to back-to-back championships. If you were to ask O'Neal he'd probably tell you he was better. Also, he is quite literally the best defensive player ever.
@@nehzei5625 I named all time great bigs that couldn't hold a candle against Hakeem. So, what were the great enters of the early 2000s Shaq was dominating?
I do believe Hakeem wins those 2 rings cuz the Bulls lost Horace Grant and they literally had no answer for the Dream. Now no one had an answer for Jordan and the series would of went 7 but I think Hakeem gets them. I have the Dream in my top 5 all time. Number 1 big. To me he's better than Kareem cuz Kareem could only win with dominant guard play like most bigs. Hakeem won without a dominant guard.
@@juwilball Grant was on the Bulls in 94. They took the Knicks 7 games in the semis without Jordan and those same knicks lost to Rockets in 7 after being up 3-2. I grew up in Houston and life long Rockets fan and those were my favorite memories but if Jordan is on the 94 Bulls, they 4 peat. 95 without Grant, same result. They still lose to Orlando and Houston still sweeps them.
@@HailKingCeezer oh ok yea they 4 peat with Grant more than likely. I think they beat Orlando with an in basketball shape MJ but lose to Hakeem if Drexler isn't scared out his shoes lol
Shaq might have had better FG%, but they both drew a lot of fouls and Hakeem was better at converting those into points. I'd pick Hakeem, but mainly because I think his defense would translate better to today's switch everything D. Playing Shaq always made this Rockets fan nervous, though
Shaq is 5th on his own list was hes recently changed because he knows all the young people will believe he's better than that! The Houston fans were never worried about Shaq they were worried about the Lakers, Kareem, and Seattle gave them fits ! I lived there from 79 to 06! Shaq had know skills! Ewing was a battle with Dream! We all laughed at Shaq!!! Like kobe said Know work ethic!!!
Take a moment to count the number of legends Hakeem dominated in his career and compare that to Shaq. Kareem, Parish, Eaton, Robinson, Ewing, Mutumbo, Mouring, Shaq, Smits, Bol, Sabonis, Divac, Bradley, Duncan, Moses, Campbell, etc for whoever else I'm forgetting.
Hakeem was a threat ALL the time. He played the entire floor. Shaq was only dangerous if he was in position and had many flaws that others exploited. I'd pick Hakeem ahead of Shaq (who is an all time great) because: 1) Doesnt get in to foul trouble like Shaq 2)Is great from the Stripe unlike Shaq 3) Can legitimately defend all 5 positions - top 10 all time for Blocks AND steals 4) Is not a weakness on the perimeter either offensively or defensively 5) Hakeem has a good outside shot, even putting down 3's, which is something he could master if he played today 6) Was a much better team mate 7) Was much more coachable 8) Stronger mentally - you cant play mind games with him, unlike Shaq 9) He defends the whole court, doesn't just plug up the paint. Run down blocks/steals/deflections/stops were a fixture of his game. Shaq aint running back to defend a fast break. Are you kidding me? 10) Hakeem didn't take plays off like, Shaq took plays off. Hakeem is dangerous ALL THE TIME, in EVERY SCENARIO. If you try put him on skates he'll pick your pocket or just swat you. Shaq was the man - but you only had to worry about him if he was in the paint, and he had SOOOOO many weaknesses that he could be taken advantage of.
I'd like to say if early 20s kobe played with Hakeem in the 90's, Jordan wouldn't have 6 rings. I know everyone is caught up in this bus driver stuff, but Shaq and Hakeem were not driving the same busses lol
These are the top 1% of the entire NBA history. Of course there will always be arguments of who is better among greats, especially when both are same position. That doesn't mean we don't appreciate greatness. In fact, we appreciate their greatness hence this subject is discussed.
You know, when Shaq was winning his championships in LA, he didnt have to face Michael Jordan either. In fact, in order to start winning championships, he needed Michael Jordan's coach.
@@nikkyblammon6814 it can go both ways. That coach only won when he had Michael, the greatest player of all time; and when he had shaq the most dominant player along with the second greatest shooting guard ever and the closest player to MJ.
@@MuhammedAKh exactly and Phil wasn't a championship coach until Jordan helped make him one. No one said phil was a great coach until after they started winning. Shaq and olajuwon are both amazing but I think olajuwon was better . Shaq gets more credit than he deserves for his finals dominance. His competition was weak in the finals so he killed them but most of his western conference finals he was great obviously but not nearly as dominant because the competition for him in the west was much better
Shaq needed a lot of things to win titles. He needed to go to the Lakers. He needed all the great centers of the nineties to start to retire. He needed Kobe and Wade
Bru, you contradicted yourself here. Was Shaq “just a baby” or “at his peak” during the 95 finals vs Hakeem? You said both in this video. Either Hakeem beat Shaq at his peak, or Shaq’s peak wasn’t that long. You have to pick one, both can not be true.
This is my problem with Broussard. He does this all the time. Skip Bayless is master of contradictions. And thats why I can't watch him speak about sports.
Idk what's so complicated Shaq was just entering his true prime at that point but he was still just a baby. Players can be young and enter their prime and still be inexperienced and mentally not mature enough which will show which did
Hakeems best teammate was an old Drexler and they immediately won the championship and the year before he had no all star and still won the championship. Shaq had a prime wade and prime Kobe.
@@morty215fightclubbringyour7 I didn't count that because Shaq was old as dirt just like I didn't count Charles Barkley with Hakeem cause they were older than dirt 😂.
@@juwilball Kobe at that age was already vastly more talented than any player Hakeem ever played with Drexler was nice for sure but older and Kobe would've cooked him even at his young age. Look at those playoffs yeah Shaq dominated the finals because the teams they played has no center but look at Kobe's stats in the conference finals.
@@winssports4830 Lol Shaq dominated the DPOY in Mutombo so chill with the no center. Kobe definitely was more talented and better but not by much at that point. Clyde averaged 20, 7 and 5 assist and Kobe averaged 22, 6 and 5. Kobe had supestar games but the consistency wasn't there yet. Like a Jason Tatum
Hakeem was much better than O'Neal period. Shaquille couldn't ✋ handle Hakeem by his own admission. The Rockets had the Bulls number during the regular season. Broussard needs to watch the interview of MJ talking about the Dream. MJ flatly admitted that the Bulls had no answer for the "Big Afrikan".
Man why is broussards argument all about random stuff like “number of seasons averaging 26+ ppg” and “how far you went the one year you built a superteam.” Absolutely terribly arguments
Hakeem #9 all time steals, and only Center to do so, is incredible. And head and shoulders above anyone in Blocks, is just absolute greatness. I have him slightly ahead of Shaq. Sorry Brou..
5:57 Shaq shot 58% for his career because he mainly dunked the ball 😂. He was nowhere near skilled as Hakeem. Nick clearly won this debate. Hands down. The Dream is the best center ever in the NBA
Yes!! Hakeem won 2 titles as the bus driver while beating all the best bigs of his generation: Shaq, David Robinson, and Pat Ewing. Brou is talking non-sense.
Not to mention he also took out his generation's greatest power forwards as well in both Malone & Barkley. And he beat them both in back to back years.
Hakeem was a player you could definitely thrust and rely on in the clutch to close and in big tough moments than Shaq, that is absolutely true Shaq was never that type of player. Shaq absolutely dominated but Kobe was the go to guy down the stretch to close at the end of games and Kobe was the go to guy in very tough moments, particularly in the playoffs. Overall when I looked at it Hakeem was almost flawless and for Shaq his biggest flaw was his free throw shooting and staying in shape. I mean there was times Shaq was in great shape but there was times where was not in great shape. Hakeem won it all in 1994 without a star or superstar even though MJ retired, it was still very impressive. Hakeem was a one man wrecking crew throughout his career overall even though his teams were not winning so many championships.
@@alexlawrence6440 they werent even in the same conference, and hakeem has a winning record over jordan unlike the names of the bigs bru mentions. jirdans absence or presence wouldnt have mattered
I agree about Hakeem and I think that overall he's more skilled than Shaq. He also had to carry more than Shaq and was more valuable to his team then Shaq was. Shaq was blessed to play with Penny, Kobe, D Wade and Lebron . So its a hard one for me because Shaq was more dominant. I think Hakeem should be higher , much better defender , almost same amount of accolades , 2 x Rebound Champ and 3 x Blocks champ to Shaqs 2 x scoring.
Hakeem is better than Shaq. Matter of fact, you can argue Hakeem is the best center ever. But I personally still have Kareem number 1. Hakeem’s skill, and his all around game (especially defensively) just makes him one of the best all around players ever.
@@austinclark007 he had them when they were washed. Drexler was old, and only had one left in the tank. And he was dry during the season and only showed up during the playoffs that year, check the tapes. Remember dude said peak!!! Drexler Drexler and them was far from they peak..
Hakeem was a 6'10" undersized center in the most 7-footer center-dominant era with the best centers in NBA history. Take that in. Jordan and Hakeem are the best 2-way players in NBA history.
While I do think we need to respect how just how dominant of a defender he was, I think Shaq’s 4 rings, 3 finals mvps and 6 finals appearances are enough to put him over Dream. But it’s close. I’m pretty sure I remember Shaq always saying he’s the best he ever played
I think there’s a debate, I’d go Hakeem, but using rings or finals appearances when one guy played with Penny, Kobe, and D-Wade, meanwhile one guy player with… Kenny Smith needs to be added for context.
@@christopherwilliams2351 Ok I was being a bit harsh with Hakeem’s teammates. Yes Ralph Sampson was great but it didn’t last long, and when it did they got to a finals and lost to a top5 team ever. Clyde was still great but he had lost a few steps from the early 90s.
@@jonshaqqir4575 Again, I focused too much on the ‘94 season. Yes Sampson and Drexler were great players and I should’ve clarified better. Although I still would take a Kobe or D-Wade or even Penny at that stage in their careers compared to Sampson and Drexler.
Hakeem is the only player to go back to back on teams where he was the only all star on both teams. That 95 team is the only 6 seed to win a championship.
Disagree with me if you want but I do have Hakeem Olajuwon in front of Shaq and I do not regret having him ahead of him also he didn't have a player called Kobe Bryant as the second best player
Yeah but we can't knock kobe for playing with shaq and then use it against Shaq. If Shaq carried kobe like people say then you can't use that against him
@@sean24833 nobody is knocking Shaq for playing with Kobe....but Shaq had someone that he could depend on while Hakeem basically had you and me which is why it's impressive
Chris's face whenever Nick has a great point is absolutely hilarious to me I have to be real. It looks like he's using every ounce of brain power for reasons to say No, but then whatever is said just does not hold at all. I love that. Then he goes on with very specific nonsense like he missed everything Nick said😂😂
You can't both argue that Hakeem only beat Shaq because he was a "baby" and that also Shaq was dominate his whole career. Fact is Hakeem trounced Shaq and Hakeem was 32 at the time. At 32 Shaq was good still but he wasn't best player on a championship team good.
i wouldnt say trounced hakeem averaged about 11 more shots per game with only a 4 point scoring differential a game with shaq having more rebounds, assists and blocks per game.
Hakeem was a baby when he dominated one of the greatest teams in the history of basketball Los Angeles Lakers dominating them in every aspect he could do what he wanted any time he wanted
What different did it make he lost in the finals so where's the rings?? The Lakers won five rings in the 80s how many did Hakeem win in the 80s?? Exactly ZERO!!!
Hakeem is my favorite center ever and I’ve been going to 40+ games yearly since 1987 in great seats. I always say if Hakeem switched careers/organizations/coaches/teammates/GMs with Russell Wilt Kareem Shaq Duncan He’d have as many or more titles then them and if they were in his situation they’d all have 0-2 rings max! Many ppl don’t know 94/95 playoff runs Hakeem had #1 most made FG ever and #5 most! His first 11 years in playoffs (107 games) he averaged 28 12 3 2spg 4 bpg 53 FG% Hakeem was also 11-5 head to head vs MJ 84-85 to 94-95. He would of def won 95 finals vs Bulls had they made although in 94 they prob lose as Bulls still had Horace Grant and Rockets no Clyde yet but it would of been close. PS Shaq literally said Hakeem was GOAT big man in mid 90s interview!
Hakeem is the ONLY player, in the same season, to win MVP FMVP and DPOTY. The Knicks, with a much lesser Ewing at center, gave the Bulls a run in the playoffs. And the Rockets always did well against the Bulls in the regular season.
I love the argument that Shaq lead the Lakers to 3 straight championships yet he had a Man next to him named Kobe Bryant who in some peoples eyes is the GOAT, Olajuwon had Drexler for one year but the first year most people couldn’t name his second best player on the team because none were superstars ! Bad argument!
Born/raised Houstonian. Clutch City years were my favorite basketball memories. Hakeem is my GOAT center. I have to be realistic and admit Hakeem would only have 1 ring in 95 if MJ didn't retire. Bulls took the Knicks to 7 games in the semis without MJ. Grant was still there. Knicks had Rockets down in the series and lost in a close 7. I think it could have been MJ's only 7 game Finals series but realistically i think Bulls win. In 95, they had no size. Grant joined Orlando. Same results. Hakeem sweeps the team Bulls lose to and gets his ring. So Hakeem 1 ring. MJ 7 with a 4 peat and a 3 peat. I also believe SA would have taken the Bulls to 7 in 99 as well but i got a rested short lockout season Bulls winning in 99 too so in my heart, i believe MJ should have 2x 4 peats, but history is what it is. Someone had to win in 94 and 95 and it was only the Houston Rockets.
@@Gh-jo1sr Nah man i'm just realistic. We overblow our regular season record against the Bulls just like we overrated Mad Max on MJ. The argument is Bulls had no one to stop Hakeem, and we had Mad Max on Jordan. Jordan is 11w 6L's and avg over 30ppg 50% against Maxwells 13ppg 40% in 17 career matchups. You can be a die hard but also be realistic.
@joceja23 Agreed but Rockets/Knicks extremely similarly built rosters. Bulls took them 7 without MJ. Pretty easy to envision a fully seasoned MJ putting the Bulls over the top.
@joceja23 2 Way superstar C: Hakeem/Ewing Bruising defensive/rebounding PF: Thrope/Oak 6'10 Long versatile SF: Horry/Smith Mean 2 way streaky SG's: Max/Starks Smart low turnover 3pt specialist PG: Smith/Harper 6th Man: Cassell/Mason 2 former player Head Coaches from same era of NBA tough no non sense leaders. Extremely closely matched.
@joceja23 You're taking the comp too literal. The roster is built like minded inside-out with Rockets being more offensive minded and knicks being more defensive minded/dirty. It's not to say Ewing and Hakeem are exact players etc. Ewing was wrecking old man Cartwright and Luc too. Thorpe's giant hands helped him finish inside better than Oak, but Oak was a better rebounder and defender and Thrope peaked higher as a scorer(all star in sac) but wasn't scoring much more than Oak during that season and beyond. Oak was also much better FT shooter. I dont think its a stretch to envision the Knicks Bulls matchup being a preview of how the Rockets Bulls matchup could have gone.
Bro if ppl realize if hakeem actually had another star in his prime, Jordan might not be the goat hakeem was carrying the rockets w a decent team but didn’t have another 2nd superstar or even star
Hakeem not only beat Shaq before also he processes more skill than Shaq such as the deadly baseline turn around jump shot. Oh Hakeem can shoot free throws too lol
Brou had wilt out of his top 10, with all due respect, I don't wanna hear how he ranks nba players. Taking something away from Dream because MJ wasn't there, yet Shaq won 2 rings with arguably the 2nd best player in the world on his team.
Wilt is not top 10. Brou is correct on that one. Wilt barely showed up in the playoffs and only cared about regular season stats. Brou highlighted the facts about his poor playoff games.
This is a myth. Shaq’s power was his biggest advantage but he complimented it with great footwork, vision, passing, and surprisingly good touch in close. Obviously he’s going to use his power, but whereas someone like Dwight Howard would catch the ball then start trying to power through guys, Shaq would use his power and leverage and IQ to get great position, set up counter-moves, etc.
Love how the only real arguments people make for Shaq over Hakeem is that “Well Jordan wasn’t playing when Hakeem got his rings”. Meanwhile Shaq had a guy who is higher than him on the list in his prime and when Shaq got to the finals with the Magic Jordan wasn’t himself.
Broussard started the argument by stating that Shaq wasn't in his peak during the finals against Hakeem. And he ended the argument by stating that Shaq was in his peak since year 1. So either he had a long peak and Hakeem dominated him, or he didn't.
Not wat he said all at all. Nick tried to argue Hakeem’s was great for 10 years straight while Shaq was only dominate for 3 seasons. From 94-2003 Shaq was 28, 12 & 2.5 blocks on 58%. He was an all star 6 times before or after that time period, & won another ring AFTER that time period. The only way Shaqs prime lasted 3 years if ur comparing himself to himself. Which nick didn’t do the same when he said Hakeem’s peak lasted 10 seasons.
Hakeem is overall better player but Shaq was the most dominant big i believe, but let's not forget that Shaq had Kobe who provided play making and also scoring, Jordan had Pippen he didn't beat bigs on his own i hope when analysts give their opinion should always be with some perspective
Nick is too smart for his own good. And honestly Chris did all the work for him. Went on that entire soliloquy just to end up saying that the only thing Shaq supposedly had over Hakeem was scoring. And even if he does it’s not by much. And Hakeem has everything else over Shaq. I love Shaq, he was truly unstoppable. But I’m sorry, Hakeem was better
Shaq has 28,596 pts Hakeem has 26,946 wow what a big difference when hear these guys say he was a much better scorer than Hakeem pls people in RUclips do your own research these guys lies ALOT to promote someone they like
Shaq was the scariest force ever close to the basket. However, his glaring free-throw weakness allowed for hack-a-shaq, which started in 1997. So I'd give it to Hakeem - pure skill, speed, athleticism, heart, and smarts all combined in a 7-footer. Hakeem could guard in today's NBA. The big version of Shaq would be benched for not guarding high pick-and-rolls out by the 3-point line.
@@takeiteze3168 no explanation needed if you actually watched the games. Other than 1995 finals, Shaq dominated Dream everytime when he was with the Lakers. ‘96-03’
Check out What’s Wright? with Nick Wright: sprtspod.fox/WhatsWright_YT
According to Chris' logic when Hakeem Swept Shaq and Penny, in Shaqs THIRD YEAR ,Shaq was a baby, But then in the same discussion Shaq's prime started when he entered the league. Which is it, Sir? Btw, Shaq had his ERA'S JORDAN (KOBE) FOR YEARS penny Hardaway in his PRIME in Orlando, and PRIME DWADE in Miami. DREAM NEVER PLAYED WITH ANY PRIME PLAYERS THAT GOOD HIS ENTIRE CAREER. Sampson was nice but he was already injury prone and inconsistent when Dream BEAT THE PRIME 86 Lakers. Stop with the mythmaking, Broussard and give REAL props.
Chris sounds as educated as a average fan of the sports. Chris doesn't have layered takes...its just like Shaq went to more finals done...Shaq was a baby done...Shaq has more rings done....like really thats your take Chris...Chris is good on the odd couple no doubt withba barbershop argumentive vibe...but to really disect a sport or a player is not his lane at all....sorry Chris
@@PJ-HT59South 🎯
Dream won a Championship without playing with another all star. Dream is one of the few players that could dominate on both ends of the floor. Imagine if Dream got to play with some of the all time greats in their prime such as Wade or Kobe!
This light skin brother is delusional Hakeem Olajuan lead the rocket's to the finals in second year and beat a prime Lakers team in the western conference finals.
Totally agree with Nick on this one. Hakeem was so underrated, and a lot more dominant than we give him credit for. Hakeem over Shaq any day.
I agree with nick as well
Cook. Hakeem wins 6 in a row with Kobe
Shaq couldn't play in today's game
Just look at what happens when they go head-to-head?
Hakeem is Arguably the greatest 2 way player. Gotta put him up there. Top 10 all time in steals for a center is crazy.
@SamoaVsEverybody_814 lmao 🤣 when shaq went to the lakers what happened to hakeem ?
@SamoaVsEverybody_814 And not only being the most skilled big man with noone even close. But he could make an argument for most skilled player ever.
@SamoaVsEverybody_814 lmao 🤣 exactly deflect ..deep down you know once shaq got in his prime Hakeem disappeared
@@DadBot-_- lol when shaq got in his prime there weren't really any other all time great centers any more during his 99-04 stretch and considering Hakeem was out his prime and I bet if you give Hakeem kobe in his prime he wins more than 4 if you ask Robert horry he'll tell you
Honestly I don’t even think it’s an argument
Hakeem so underrated. One of three people to win MVP and DPOY in the same season (Dream, Giannini, MJ). And here is the list of NBA players to repeat as NBA champ without any all star teammates.
1) Hakeem....
End of list
Very underrated comment
True but that list deserves an asterisk because MJ was playing baseball
@@Jaccobtw MJ LOST TO SHAQ'S MAGIC THAT HAKEEM SWEPT, HE WASN'T PLAYING BASEBALL IN 95
🛑
THA 🧢 AND MYTHMAKING
I've never understood why people thought Shaq peaked in L.A...That a much fatter, slower, lethargic version of what he was with the Lakers, was somehow a better version of himself then when he was with on the Magic..
Very convincing comment 🤔
Also reminds me how amazing Giannis is.. going to be one of the GOATs 🐐
Hakeem was 11-6 against Jordan before the Bulls added Rodman. In fact during the first Bulls 3peat, the Rockets went 5-1 against the Bulls.
But weren't good enough to get in thr finals. Post season is what truly matters
@@wadegill1899 to be fair losing to malone and stockton isnt exactly something to be ashamed of.
And Jordan had a 3peat and hakeem had 0 rings lol
Bulls ended up 12-14 against the rockets when jordan was on the bulls
"it's a good thing they never made it out of the west, cause we have no answer for that african" michael jordan
Chris got caught..First he knocked Hakeem, saying he went up against "Baby Shaq"..But then said that Shaq's first years were peak years...Thanks Chris
He also discredited Hakeem making it the NBA Finals in his 2nd year in the league by saying he had Ralph Sampson when Shaq had Penny, Kobe, and Wade. Plus Shaq was past his prime when he won with Prime Wade
@@vishbegamin wasnt past his prime. celtics shaq was past his prime lol // cavs shaq/// miami shaq was still very good.
@@vishbegamin Right, I'm really disturbed by Chris's fairness. Shaq hasn't won anything without another All Star, top 75 player...He's had multiple title runs with players who were either right behind him, or better then him. Then Chris says Shaq was "prime" his first few years in the league, then disses Hakeem for going up against a "baby shaq" something clearly isn't right with his view.
His arguement was so weak and pathetic. He really sounded like an idiot
@@kylemitchell5512 very good is different from great. His first year in Miami was the last time he was "Great".
Jordan says Hakeem was the only player he feared.... look it up.
Broussard: “Hakeem beat baby Shaq in 95”
Also Broussard: “Shaq’s peak began in his rookie season”
contradicts himself 😆
exactly no such thing as baby shaq he was the best player on the dream team at the world championships in 1994
Shaq in 95 was nowhere near as dominant as he was during his threepeat.He put up the greatest finals stats by a center in history. What other center ever averaged 38points and 17rebs in the finals and then 36.5 points the next year, then 33.5 ?? I'm waiting
Thank you Nick!!!
Let's be honest as dominant as Shaq was the Center position was really shallow in the 2000s.
Meanwhile Olajuwon was CLEARLY the best Center when you had big men like Shaq, Ewing, Mutumbo, Robinson, Morning, Divac, Daugherty etc
The position got shallow because nobody wanted to guard Shaq…..
Shaq himself said that Hakeem is greatest center of all time
@@ITSPRIME2 Oh really THAT'S the reason?... lol
Literally all those guys you mentioned Shaq dominated, let's not act like shaq didn't play half his prime in the 90s, because he wasn't winning rings doesn't mean he wasn't the top 2 center alongside Hakeem in those years he averaged 27 points 11 rebounds on 58% from the field from 1992-1999, he lead the league in scoring and finished second another year so lets stop acting like Shaq wasn't dominate in the 90s
Every center you named i believe shaq also played lol. Then add YAO MING and DUNCAN!
From 1989 to 1993, over the span of 290 games Hakeem averaged 23 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and over 4 blocks per game. Think about that for a minute, 4.3 blocks per game for 4 years straight. Hakeem is the greatest center ever.
Not better than Kareem. Not close
@@ChrisBurnette68 I mean legacy wise no, but skill wise I’d say Hakeem is better.
@@ChrisBurnette68 KAREEMS LEGACY IS HE HAD OSCAR ROBERTSON FOR A RING AND MAGIC "TOP 5" JOHNSON AND JAMES "TOP 50" WORTHY FOR THE REST. DREAM WINS THE SAME OR MORE WITH THOSE PARTNERS DREAM IS THE 🐐 CENTER. STOP falling for narratives and learn to think for yourself. ✌🏼
@@IknowMoreThanYou I doubt they lose the tragic Johnson year if Hakeem is there.
@@tielaser 🎯
Bru contradicted himself. Head to head, hakeem swept shaq but brussard said shaq was a baby. Then he ends the argument saying that shaq was in his prime from his 2nd year...which means that shaq wasnt a baby but got beat by Hakeem at his peak. He neglected to include shaq had penny, dennis scott, horace grant, nick anderson. Hakeem had a rookie sam cassell, kenny smith, otis thorpe, vernon maxwell. Co'mon, shaq had way more help and got SWEPT
Meaning at that time dream was more seasoned and had more experience but shaq was definitely dominating from year two, in his 3rd year in those finals he averaged 28 out rebounded had more assists and blocks than dream
He's being dishonest...He can't make any money off Hakeem, Shaq is still marketable still to this day. And I've never understood why people thought Shaq peaked in L.A...That a much fatter, slower, lethargic version of what he was with the Lakers, was somehow a better version of himself then when he was with on the Magic..
@@johnmonster1001 All that and he got swept. Shaq averaged 1 more rebound, and 0.5 more blocks and 0.8 more assists. Hakeem scored 5 more ppg than Shaq (outscored him every game - even though Shaq was the regular season scoring champ) and in the entire Finals had 8 steals to Shaq's 1 steal. Shaq also had twice as many turnovers as Hakeem. Shaq barely squeezed by Hakeem in those categories but Hakeem destroyed him in the rest.
Then you also have to consider the intangible of Hakeem elevating the team around him to a higher degree than Shaq. The Rockets were 3-7 without Hakeem in 95 and 1-9 without him in 96, whereas the 96 Magic were 20-8 without Shaq.
Shaq is better lol
@@scoop2448 that’s the point it was shaq’s third season Hakeem had more experience at that time he was at his peak in skill and experience
I’ve always thought the dream was the most skilled big man ever. And Shaq the most dominate.
Couldnt say it better myself .
💯
how shaq more dominant than wilt? lol
for someone the most dominant youd think he’d have lead the league in rebounding at least once
In the history of the NBA you just cannot find a more skilled center than Hakeem. When people talk about Shaq they like to use the word dominant, but a better word is strong so you couldn't deny him the positions he wanted closer to the rim.
I like how for Shaq, taking teams to finals and losing is a plus, but for, Bron doing that is a negative
It’s never a plus losing in the finals until lebron started losing in the finals all the time that’s when that trend started 😂😂watch the video Shaq only lost in finals 2 times lebron den lost like 4 times 🤦🏾♂️
elgin baylor for the long time was a top 5 all time, because of all the finals, despite losing, jerry west, all time great, same story basically, it really is when bron started losing people started holding that against players
Probably because Shaq isn’t in the GOAT discussion. LeBron is, so the scrutiny is much more stringent
Taking teams to the finals is a plus for the "all time great" conversation.
But it's not a positive for the "greatest of all time" conversation.
You can lose 6 finals and still be a great player. This is why Jerry West, Wilt etc. are all called greats. But nobody calls them the greatest of all time.
It’s mostly Lebron haters looking for something to nitpick. Somehow, if he was 4-0 in the finals, and lost in the conference finals or sooner for the rest of his career, he’d have a better legacy. Makes 0 sense.
If I never saw either player play, heard their names, or anything, I’d believe that Hakeem was indeed the better of the two. Nick gave very solid points that Broussard really couldn’t counter.
Shaq was physically imposing and dominant, once his athleticism went, so did his game. Hakeem has more basketball skills and moves. More aptly a basketball player. Shaq was a size and athletic problem for other teams, he was soooo big and fast, but ….
The clearly better basketball player would be Hakeem
As a Laker fan who watched 95% of games televised during Shaq’s era, he was a super underrated passer, better than Hakeem. Hakeem actually had problems with double teams much more than Shaq
Excellent point and I’d still pick shaq over him but only because that size but dream is more skilled
Very true.
@jason what Thank you! I've always said that Shaqs greatest "skill" was his size and power, but you're born with that, it can't be taught nor is it a talent developed over time. 60% shooting percentage? I would think so, when his shot chart rarely extended beyond 2 ft from the basket. His only "move" was receiving a pass down low, whip his elbow into a defenders head and a dunk. Granted, he was always being double teamed and had to work like a bull to get his points, but from a footwork, variety of moves and defensive standpoint, you're talking Duncan and Hakeem.
PS...Shaq had great intangibles however in his personality, locker room charisma and ability to lead.
@@johnobrien5037 that was Shaq’s greatest asset but you’re shortchanging his game. It would be silly to expect/want/ask him to not use his size and strength, it was his greatest advantage. If you can dunk every time, you should. But he also did a great job with his footwork and technique, especially without the ball - something that Dwight Howard never learned the importance of. But he developed a solid jump hook with either hand, decent baseline fade-away, and again, he was a great passer. Better passer than Robinson or Hakeem, IMO. Not as good a defender as either, but when motivated he could be dominant on that end as well.
Clearly he’s not as skilled as those guys, they’re maybe the two most skilled centers of all time; at least until the modern era it’s hard to rate them against guys like Embiid where it’s just the norm for centers to have guard skills.
Shaq’s game was built around power, but he was great at getting guys to lean one way or the other and make a quick spin the other way. He always knew where the double was coming from, knew where his guys were at, and trusted them. He and Brian Shaw, especially, had incredible chemistry on lobs where the defender would brace himself to try and lean on Shaq and he’d just reverse it for an oop.
I’m sorry, but I’ve got Hakeem ahead of Duncan and Shaq. The footwork, shooting, athleticism, and defense. Just impeccable. The fact he was so big and could move like he did, simply magnificent. Waaay more skilled than Shaq.
Don’t be sorry Hakeem did way more with less he never had another allstar let alone a hall of famer to win with
Hakeem beat up on shaq head to head in the finals and had he been around for time Duncan’s dominating years he woulda annihilated Duncan to even shaq admits Hakeem was ahead of him and better than him.. I got Hakeem the best center ever
Get him one more allstar and hall of famer and he’s got 4 or 5 rings two
There's a reason they put his name on the DPOY Award.
@@michaelzeigler3733umm Clyde Drexler 🤔
@@Mr102185 in one ☝️ season and Clyde was past it look up his numbers 🤷🏻
@@michaelzeigler3733facts
Put 21-year old Kobe on the 1990 Rockets and I'm not sure Jordan has even 2 rings.
Facts
I’m not a Kobe stan but this is a great comment
Put Lebron in the West his whole career and I'm not even sure he has 1 ring.
@@Marlowe10100 What team in the west would he play with low IQ bum?
@@Marlowe10100 I mean, if he is on the Spurs or Lakers then he has more than he has now lmao.
But yeah if you put him on a poverty franchise in the West then of course he isn’t gonna win.
In their primes, I’d take Hakeem the Dream over Shaq as my center in a playoff series. Hakeem is among the best 2-way players and he has a better free throw percentage (71%) compared to Shaq’s (52%). Shaq’s biggest weakness is the fact he was such a bad free throw shooter that opposing teams would intentionally foul him at the end of close games.
Add in that Hakeem is *9th in total steals all-time* as a freaking true Center. He was never a liability on defence either, even in his moonlight year in Toronto when he averaged plus 2 steals & 2 blocks *per 36 minutes* at 39-40yrs old.
While teams could also counter Shaq by simply running him off the floor by pushing the pace constantly into 5v4’s. Especially post-2002 Fat Shaq who got so many stupid fouls, after guys consistently got by him for easy layups or dunks. He “peaked” by averaging 4.1 fouls a game in the 2004 playoffs, & having a horrid -31 total for the 5 game finals series.
If I get prime Shaq I'm taking that over anyone in NBA history ever. That 3 year reign of dominance is insane. MJ doesn't have a 3 year stretch as dominant as that.
@@devingilliam5601 no, mj had two 3 year stretches as dominant as that. leaving aside his utter dominance (without chips) of the late 80s.
@@laz0rama Shaq averages when the Lakers won 3 in a row were absolutely insane. He averaged 38ppg in the Finals in 2000. MJ hasn't even sniffed that. Shaq holds the title for most dominant player in the NBA for a reason and it is because of that 3 year run.
Hakeem did a lot more with less. His first trip to the Finals, he beat Magic/Kareem Lakers 4-1 in playoffs in ‘86 with a lesser team. But lost to the great ‘86 Celtics. He won 1st championship with no all-star teammate in ‘94. Lead Rockets in all statistical category. Won 2nd championship as the 6th seed. And sweeping Shaq’s Magic in Finals in ‘95.
Hakeem is the only player with 2 quadruple doubles, only player winning MVP DPOY FMVP in same season, best footwork of any player ever, best 2-way player ever. Skill wise the best center ever.
Broussard mentioned that Hakeem won those 2 rings when Jordan retired. Hakeem had a 5-1 record against 1st 3peat Bulls; Bulls couldn’t handle Hakeem.
Totally agree
Totally agree, even if the NBA stole his second quadruple double
Shaquille is accomplished
Completely agree
@@Chris87mdYour missing the point Hakeem did more with less he had a terrible team unlike Shaq
Hakeem is legitimately the 🐐 centre .
Nicks is ranking these guys based on who’s the better player not who has the greater legacy. Give Hakeem Phil jackson and Kobe for 4 years and nobody expects anything less than 4 rings so I understand and respect nicks ranking
That was my thought process. The dream and Kobe and I think you have a dynasty with multiple championships.
Shaq was great... not sure why as time goes on we try to point shave him. During that 3 peat, Shaq was the most dominant player ,imposing, I had seen.
Love hakeem...just seems Shaq gets point shaved for what he didn't do, but what he did do, he did it the best...never seen anyone like Shaq.
I do think hakeem was great though
@@sebastianslazyk4251 But Kobe wasn't that good during the 3 peat. Shaq averaged 38 17 on 60 % shooting against Indiana. I don't think Dream would have done that.
They don't win. If you listen to Nick, he said he thought peak Shaq (during the 3peat) was better than peak Jordan and LeBron. That's what the Lakers had in that threepeat. Hakeem is not that.
But hakeem is the All time leader in blocks, top 10 in steals, 2rings 2fmvp 2 dpoy 1mvp, Shaq doesn't have that defense, has 0dpoy and only 1 more fmvp, playing alongside Kobe and going against weaker centers... Hakeem dominated Robinson shaq and Ewing.... Hakeem was the only reason that team won... Shaq could sit or foul out and Kobe would take Over.... Hakeem has more assists rebound steals and blocks than shaq, has like 1600 less points he is 12th All time , lead the league in RPG 2x blocks 3x shaq never, hakeem 12x All NBA 9x All defense shaq 14x All NBA 3x All defense..........
Hakeem was better, my guy. He DOMINATED his contemporaries. Mutombo, Robinson, Malone, Eaton, Ewing and of course Shaq. He was one of the most skilled and versatile players of all time and carried a lackluster team to back-to-back championships. If you were to ask O'Neal he'd probably tell you he was better. Also, he is quite literally the best defensive player ever.
shaq dominated more so not sure why you used dominance as an argumeny
@@nehzei5625 I named all time great bigs that couldn't hold a candle against Hakeem. So, what were the great enters of the early 2000s Shaq was dominating?
Chris better go see how the bulls played against the Rockets. MJ didn't want to see DR34M
I do believe Hakeem wins those 2 rings cuz the Bulls lost Horace Grant and they literally had no answer for the Dream. Now no one had an answer for Jordan and the series would of went 7 but I think Hakeem gets them. I have the Dream in my top 5 all time. Number 1 big. To me he's better than Kareem cuz Kareem could only win with dominant guard play like most bigs. Hakeem won without a dominant guard.
@@juwilball Grant was on the Bulls in 94. They took the Knicks 7 games in the semis without Jordan and those same knicks lost to Rockets in 7 after being up 3-2. I grew up in Houston and life long Rockets fan and those were my favorite memories but if Jordan is on the 94 Bulls, they 4 peat. 95 without Grant, same result. They still lose to Orlando and Houston still sweeps them.
@@HailKingCeezer oh ok yea they 4 peat with Grant more than likely. I think they beat Orlando with an in basketball shape MJ but lose to Hakeem if Drexler isn't scared out his shoes lol
Shaq might have had better FG%, but they both drew a lot of fouls and Hakeem was better at converting those into points. I'd pick Hakeem, but mainly because I think his defense would translate better to today's switch everything D. Playing Shaq always made this Rockets fan nervous, though
Shaq was better and more efficient and getting the ball in the basket. Period
Shaq is 5th on his own list was hes recently changed because he knows all the young people will believe he's better than that! The Houston fans were never worried about Shaq they were worried about the Lakers, Kareem, and Seattle gave them fits ! I lived there from 79 to 06! Shaq had know skills! Ewing was a battle with Dream! We all laughed at Shaq!!! Like kobe said Know work ethic!!!
Take a moment to count the number of legends Hakeem dominated in his career and compare that to Shaq. Kareem, Parish, Eaton, Robinson, Ewing, Mutumbo, Mouring, Shaq, Smits, Bol, Sabonis, Divac, Bradley, Duncan, Moses, Campbell, etc for whoever else I'm forgetting.
Hakeem was a threat ALL the time. He played the entire floor. Shaq was only dangerous if he was in position and had many flaws that others exploited.
I'd pick Hakeem ahead of Shaq (who is an all time great) because:
1) Doesnt get in to foul trouble like Shaq
2)Is great from the Stripe unlike Shaq
3) Can legitimately defend all 5 positions - top 10 all time for Blocks AND steals
4) Is not a weakness on the perimeter either offensively or defensively
5) Hakeem has a good outside shot, even putting down 3's, which is something he could master if he played today
6) Was a much better team mate
7) Was much more coachable
8) Stronger mentally - you cant play mind games with him, unlike Shaq
9) He defends the whole court, doesn't just plug up the paint. Run down blocks/steals/deflections/stops were a fixture of his game. Shaq aint running back to defend a fast break. Are you kidding me?
10) Hakeem didn't take plays off like, Shaq took plays off.
Hakeem is dangerous ALL THE TIME, in EVERY SCENARIO. If you try put him on skates he'll pick your pocket or just swat you. Shaq was the man - but you only had to worry about him if he was in the paint, and he had SOOOOO many weaknesses that he could be taken advantage of.
this is an argument where both guys are right.. that's how good both of these players were...
Great point
I appreciate Nicks list. Whether you agree or not, you can tell this is a list with nuance and context. Great debate
I'd like to say if early 20s kobe played with Hakeem in the 90's, Jordan wouldn't have 6 rings. I know everyone is caught up in this bus driver stuff, but Shaq and Hakeem were not driving the same busses lol
Exactly!!
I agree, I could even argue that if you replaced Shaq with Hakeem ,Hakeem is winning more than 4 rings .
@@cezaryadamski8786 agreed If Hakeem was on that lakers team he would have won more than Shaq
The Dream deserves more respect PERIOD....All these "who's better" arguments are getting dry..Let's just appreciate greatness.
It's the off season and there's nothing else but Kyrie-KD-Nets drama.
@@syc2543 True but gotdamn it all the more reason to stop...Free Agency, Post Draft etc...I swear sports media gets lazier and lazier.
These are the top 1% of the entire NBA history. Of course there will always be arguments of who is better among greats, especially when both are same position. That doesn't mean we don't appreciate greatness. In fact, we appreciate their greatness hence this subject is discussed.
Hakeem was a better player than Shaq was. It's just that simple.
You know, when Shaq was winning his championships in LA, he didnt have to face Michael Jordan either. In fact, in order to start winning championships, he needed Michael Jordan's coach.
Micheal Jordan needed that coach to win championships to couldn’t win without him 😁✌🏽
@@nikkyblammon6814 it can go both ways. That coach only won when he had Michael, the greatest player of all time; and when he had shaq the most dominant player along with the second greatest shooting guard ever and the closest player to MJ.
@@MuhammedAKh exactly and Phil wasn't a championship coach until Jordan helped make him one. No one said phil was a great coach until after they started winning. Shaq and olajuwon are both amazing but I think olajuwon was better . Shaq gets more credit than he deserves for his finals dominance. His competition was weak in the finals so he killed them but most of his western conference finals he was great obviously but not nearly as dominant because the competition for him in the west was much better
@@MrAntwun Yeah people didnt start calling Phil a great coach until the 72 win season in 1996
Shaq needed a lot of things to win titles. He needed to go to the Lakers. He needed all the great centers of the nineties to start to retire. He needed Kobe and Wade
Bru, you contradicted yourself here. Was Shaq “just a baby” or “at his peak” during the 95 finals vs Hakeem? You said both in this video. Either Hakeem beat Shaq at his peak, or Shaq’s peak wasn’t that long. You have to pick one, both can not be true.
He said in the podcast Shaq was peak from 2000 to 2004
This is my problem with Broussard. He does this all the time.
Skip Bayless is master of contradictions. And thats why I can't watch him speak about sports.
Shaq was at the start of his peak during those finals but he still wasn’t at his absolute best at those times either.
Idk what's so complicated Shaq was just entering his true prime at that point but he was still just a baby. Players can be young and enter their prime and still be inexperienced and mentally not mature enough which will show which did
@@Gods_Gift401 agreed
Hakeems best teammate was an old Drexler and they immediately won the championship and the year before he had no all star and still won the championship. Shaq had a prime wade and prime Kobe.
And prime lebron lol
@@morty215fightclubbringyour7 I didn't count that because Shaq was old as dirt just like I didn't count Charles Barkley with Hakeem cause they were older than dirt 😂.
The first year wasn't prime kobe doe. Kobe was still an all star. Clyde wasn't an all star anymore but was still pretty Good.
@@juwilball Kobe at that age was already vastly more talented than any player Hakeem ever played with Drexler was nice for sure but older and Kobe would've cooked him even at his young age. Look at those playoffs yeah Shaq dominated the finals because the teams they played has no center but look at Kobe's stats in the conference finals.
@@winssports4830 Lol Shaq dominated the DPOY in Mutombo so chill with the no center. Kobe definitely was more talented and better but not by much at that point. Clyde averaged 20, 7 and 5 assist and Kobe averaged 22, 6 and 5. Kobe had supestar games but the consistency wasn't there yet. Like a Jason Tatum
Hakeem was much better than O'Neal period. Shaquille couldn't ✋ handle Hakeem by his own admission. The Rockets had the Bulls number during the regular season. Broussard needs to watch the interview of MJ talking about the Dream. MJ flatly admitted that the Bulls had no answer for the "Big Afrikan".
If you’re gonna compare baby Shaq to peak of his powers Hakeem, you might as well compare 2000 Shaq to 2000 Hakeem.
“Hakeem and I are the same player the only difference is he’s 6’9 and I’m 6’6”
-Michael Jordan, 1996
MJ bulls would’ve beat Hakeem
Shaq own every center of the era besides Hakeem but also Shaq in 2000 to 2006 was unstoppable
Because there wasn't a prime-Hakeem to stop him
@@luv2ruck770 but he didn't play Shaq in he's prime either
2006 is pushing it my guy
2006 he won a championship with wade
@@debking3064 He self-admittedly is a roleplayer during that 06 ring, Dwade had one of the best finals performances ever
Man why is broussards argument all about random stuff like “number of seasons averaging 26+ ppg” and “how far you went the one year you built a superteam.” Absolutely terribly arguments
I'd take Hakeem over Shaq.
Hakeem #9 all time steals, and only Center to do so, is incredible. And head and shoulders above anyone in Blocks, is just absolute greatness. I have him slightly ahead of Shaq. Sorry Brou..
Shaq couldn't stay on the court at the end of games because of his very poor free-throw shooting I think that's a factor that wasn't mentioned
Exactly. Shaq wouldn't touch the ball in the closing seconds of any game he's ever played in
@@jdankerdake yeah but you aren't taking dream out of the game coz dream knew how to finish
5:57 Shaq shot 58% for his career because he mainly dunked the ball 😂. He was nowhere near skilled as Hakeem. Nick clearly won this debate. Hands down. The Dream is the best center ever in the NBA
Yes!! Hakeem won 2 titles as the bus driver while beating all the best bigs of his generation: Shaq, David Robinson, and Pat Ewing.
Brou is talking non-sense.
Not to mention he also took out his generation's greatest power forwards as well in both Malone & Barkley. And he beat them both in back to back years.
He embarrassed David Robinson in the playoffs when he got robbed of the mvp
These two have great chemistry debating each other. Love them both.
Hakeem was a player you could definitely thrust and rely on in the clutch to close and in big tough moments than Shaq, that is absolutely true Shaq was never that type of player. Shaq absolutely dominated but Kobe was the go to guy down the stretch to close at the end of games and Kobe was the go to guy in very tough moments, particularly in the playoffs.
Overall when I looked at it Hakeem was almost flawless and for Shaq his biggest flaw was his free throw shooting and staying in shape. I mean there was times Shaq was in great shape but there was times where was not in great shape.
Hakeem won it all in 1994 without a star or superstar even though MJ retired, it was still very impressive. Hakeem was a one man wrecking crew throughout his career overall even though his teams were not winning so many championships.
The rockets won two chips Jordan was only retired for one of those chips don't forget that
@@Gods_Gift401 as right as you are it was cuz he’d been back for two weeks who am I kidding we all watched the doc
@@alexlawrence6440 they werent even in the same conference, and hakeem has a winning record over jordan unlike the names of the bigs bru mentions. jirdans absence or presence wouldnt have mattered
@@youraverage90sguys7 fs fs not saying they the bulls would’ve won those years anyways
I agree about Hakeem and I think that overall he's more skilled than Shaq. He also had to carry more than Shaq and was more valuable to his team then Shaq was. Shaq was blessed to play with Penny, Kobe, D Wade and Lebron . So its a hard one for me because Shaq was more dominant. I think Hakeem should be higher , much better defender , almost same amount of accolades , 2 x Rebound Champ and 3 x Blocks champ to Shaqs 2 x scoring.
Nick is a way better analyst than anyone else on this show. He deserves a mvp vote and his own show.
hakeem was considered the best player in the world when MJ retired for 2 years
We don’t ever talk enough about defense and it’s impact in stardom
MJ chose to go play baseball that doesn’t devalue what Hakeem did
Hakeem is better than Shaq. Matter of fact, you can argue Hakeem is the best center ever. But I personally still have Kareem number 1. Hakeem’s skill, and his all around game (especially defensively) just makes him one of the best all around players ever.
Imagine Hakeem had a teammate as good as Kobe or peak Wade
Hakeem had Drexler, Barkley, Pippen. He had help.
Man…..listen!!!
@@austinclark007 yeah but a old Scottie, Clyde and Barkley
In his 2nd Ring he had Clyde averaged 21ppg that year. But he didn’t have a DWade or a Kobe
@@austinclark007 he had them when they were washed. Drexler was old, and only had one left in the tank. And he was dry during the season and only showed up during the playoffs that year, check the tapes. Remember dude said peak!!! Drexler Drexler and them was far from they peak..
Hakeem was a 6'10" undersized center in the most 7-footer center-dominant era with the best centers in NBA history. Take that in. Jordan and Hakeem are the best 2-way players in NBA history.
While I do think we need to respect how just how dominant of a defender he was, I think Shaq’s 4 rings, 3 finals mvps and 6 finals appearances are enough to put him over Dream. But it’s close. I’m pretty sure I remember Shaq always saying he’s the best he ever played
I think there’s a debate, I’d go Hakeem, but using rings or finals appearances when one guy played with Penny, Kobe, and D-Wade, meanwhile one guy player with… Kenny Smith needs to be added for context.
@@KleinpeterHank Drexler and Ralph Sampson were some huge bums.
@@christopherwilliams2351 Ok I was being a bit harsh with Hakeem’s teammates. Yes Ralph Sampson was great but it didn’t last long, and when it did they got to a finals and lost to a top5 team ever. Clyde was still great but he had lost a few steps from the early 90s.
How do you say he only had Kenny Smith but discount Clyde and Ralph?
@@jonshaqqir4575 Again, I focused too much on the ‘94 season. Yes Sampson and Drexler were great players and I should’ve clarified better. Although I still would take a Kobe or D-Wade or even Penny at that stage in their careers compared to Sampson and Drexler.
Hakeem is the only player to go back to back on teams where he was the only all star on both teams. That 95 team is the only 6 seed to win a championship.
wait, so broussard says Shaq was young, but then says Shaq's first few years were his most dominant...make it make sense lol
I think he meant Statically, but I see what you saying lol
If Broussard is gonna say Shaqs peak started his first year in the league, then he can't dismiss Hakeem beating him at his peak in the Finals
Disagree with me if you want but I do have Hakeem Olajuwon in front of Shaq and I do not regret having him ahead of him also he didn't have a player called Kobe Bryant as the second best player
Yeah but we can't knock kobe for playing with shaq and then use it against Shaq. If Shaq carried kobe like people say then you can't use that against him
@@sean24833 only unintelligent people say shaq carried Kobe!! Please tell me your not one of them?
@@thelordisgoodallthetime2956 im definitely not one of them that's why I said people say that not me
@@sean24833 nobody is knocking Shaq for playing with Kobe....but Shaq had someone that he could depend on while Hakeem basically had you and me which is why it's impressive
@@kingcort8073only for first championship. Drexler was there in 95. And they were struggling before he got there which is why they were the 6th seed.
Houston is a small tv market so most people didn’t see Olajuwon regularly like Ewing or Shaq
Chris's face whenever Nick has a great point is absolutely hilarious to me I have to be real. It looks like he's using every ounce of brain power for reasons to say No, but then whatever is said just does not hold at all. I love that. Then he goes on with very specific nonsense like he missed everything Nick said😂😂
He's a clown
Even Shaq said that Hakeem was better than him. The Dream was the best 2-way Center ever touching a basketball.
You can't both argue that Hakeem only beat Shaq because he was a "baby" and that also Shaq was dominate his whole career. Fact is Hakeem trounced Shaq and Hakeem was 32 at the time. At 32 Shaq was good still but he wasn't best player on a championship team good.
Exactly bru kinda contradicted himself
i wouldnt say trounced hakeem averaged about 11 more shots per game with only a 4 point scoring differential a game with shaq having more rebounds, assists and blocks per game.
EVEN SHAQ ADMITTED TO THE GREATNESS OF HAKEEM IN A DOCUMENTARY.
Even Shaq got Hakeem above him.
Horry said Hakeem by far I take his word for it
Hakeem was a baby when he dominated one of the greatest teams in the history of basketball Los Angeles Lakers dominating them in every aspect he could do what he wanted any time he wanted
What different did it make he lost in the finals so where's the rings?? The Lakers won five rings in the 80s how many did Hakeem win in the 80s?? Exactly ZERO!!!
Weird defense of calling a grown man a baby when he loses
Hakeem beat more legends in the playoffs than Shaq ever did, not even close
Love Shaq but Hakeem s Center/Big man era was far more competitive
They're both in my top 10.
Hakeem is my favorite center ever and I’ve been going to 40+ games yearly since 1987 in great seats.
I always say if Hakeem switched careers/organizations/coaches/teammates/GMs with
Russell
Wilt
Kareem
Shaq
Duncan
He’d have as many or more titles then them and if they were in his situation they’d all have 0-2 rings max!
Many ppl don’t know 94/95 playoff runs Hakeem had #1 most made FG ever and #5 most!
His first 11 years in playoffs (107 games) he averaged
28
12
3
2spg
4 bpg
53 FG%
Hakeem was also 11-5 head to head vs MJ 84-85 to 94-95. He would of def won 95 finals vs Bulls had they made although in 94 they prob lose as Bulls still had Horace Grant and Rockets no Clyde yet but it would of been close.
PS
Shaq literally said Hakeem was GOAT big man in mid 90s interview!
Hakeem is the ONLY player, in the same season, to win MVP FMVP and DPOTY. The Knicks, with a much lesser Ewing at center, gave the Bulls a run in the playoffs. And the Rockets always did well against the Bulls in the regular season.
Hakeem was 5-1 vs MJ during the Bulls first 3-peat. Yes it was during regular season but no one had that kind of success vs Chicago.
That cough, nick 🫣
When Hakeem is on the floor he is a the best player on both sides of the floor
I love the argument that Shaq lead the Lakers to 3 straight championships yet he had a Man next to him named Kobe Bryant who in some peoples eyes is the GOAT, Olajuwon had Drexler for one year but the first year most people couldn’t name his second best player on the team because none were superstars ! Bad argument!
And by the time Clyde got to Houston he was rather old. Prime Clyde was in Portland.
If Hakeem had Clyde Drexler was young and Sampson never got injured he would have one more titles
🤨Chris is tripping, Hakeem recorded a quadruple double twice, who does that. And Shaq was a baby but still got swept and embarrassed
Nick should’ve brought up the quadruple doubles
No he didn't he like 3 other players has only 1 quadruple double, him along with Nate Thurmond, Alvin Robertson and David Robinson all have 1
Shaq was a POTENTIAL liability at times. Dream was also more dedicated.
A rare W for Nick Wright
Born/raised Houstonian. Clutch City years were my favorite basketball memories. Hakeem is my GOAT center. I have to be realistic and admit Hakeem would only have 1 ring in 95 if MJ didn't retire. Bulls took the Knicks to 7 games in the semis without MJ. Grant was still there. Knicks had Rockets down in the series and lost in a close 7. I think it could have been MJ's only 7 game Finals series but realistically i think Bulls win. In 95, they had no size. Grant joined Orlando. Same results. Hakeem sweeps the team Bulls lose to and gets his ring. So Hakeem 1 ring. MJ 7 with a 4 peat and a 3 peat. I also believe SA would have taken the Bulls to 7 in 99 as well but i got a rested short lockout season Bulls winning in 99 too so in my heart, i believe MJ should have 2x 4 peats, but history is what it is. Someone had to win in 94 and 95 and it was only the Houston Rockets.
coming from a lifelong houstonian, your Htown card/membership has been revoked.
@@Gh-jo1sr Nah man i'm just realistic. We overblow our regular season record against the Bulls just like we overrated Mad Max on MJ. The argument is Bulls had no one to stop Hakeem, and we had Mad Max on Jordan. Jordan is 11w 6L's and avg over 30ppg 50% against Maxwells 13ppg 40% in 17 career matchups. You can be a die hard but also be realistic.
@joceja23 Agreed but Rockets/Knicks extremely similarly built rosters. Bulls took them 7 without MJ. Pretty easy to envision a fully seasoned MJ putting the Bulls over the top.
@joceja23 2 Way superstar C: Hakeem/Ewing
Bruising defensive/rebounding PF: Thrope/Oak
6'10 Long versatile SF: Horry/Smith
Mean 2 way streaky SG's: Max/Starks
Smart low turnover 3pt specialist PG: Smith/Harper
6th Man: Cassell/Mason
2 former player Head Coaches from same era of NBA tough no non sense leaders.
Extremely closely matched.
@joceja23 You're taking the comp too literal. The roster is built like minded inside-out with Rockets being more offensive minded and knicks being more defensive minded/dirty. It's not to say Ewing and Hakeem are exact players etc. Ewing was wrecking old man Cartwright and Luc too. Thorpe's giant hands helped him finish inside better than Oak, but Oak was a better rebounder and defender and Thrope peaked higher as a scorer(all star in sac) but wasn't scoring much more than Oak during that season and beyond. Oak was also much better FT shooter. I dont think its a stretch to envision the Knicks Bulls matchup being a preview of how the Rockets Bulls matchup could have gone.
Shaq never played against a Dominant center in finals
Bro if ppl realize if hakeem actually had another star in his prime, Jordan might not be the goat hakeem was carrying the rockets w a decent team but didn’t have another 2nd superstar or even star
EXACTLY, Jordan had another Dream Team member (Pippen) from since 1988 and Hakeem didn’t get Drexler until 1995
EXACTLY, Jordan had another Dream Team member (Pippen) from since 1988 and Hakeem didn’t get Drexler until 1995
Hakeem not only beat Shaq before also he processes more skill than Shaq such as the deadly baseline turn around jump shot. Oh Hakeem can shoot free throws too lol
Brou had wilt out of his top 10, with all due respect, I don't wanna hear how he ranks nba players. Taking something away from Dream because MJ wasn't there, yet Shaq won 2 rings with arguably the 2nd best player in the world on his team.
It’s top 50 of the last 50 years. Does not include wilt or Russell etc.
@@jdot3334 Brou wasn't doing top 50 of the last 50, he doesn't have Wilt in his all time top 10
@@xcwilliams7980 yea that’s my b I get what your saying
Wilt is not top 10. Brou is correct on that one. Wilt barely showed up in the playoffs and only cared about regular season stats. Brou highlighted the facts about his poor playoff games.
@@heels4lifx no
There's nothing that Shaq does better than Hakeem now give Hakeem Kobe and D.Wade
Hakeem could beat you in many many ways. Shaq was just power!! And power is great but Hakeem defensively and offensively was better.
This is a myth. Shaq’s power was his biggest advantage but he complimented it with great footwork, vision, passing, and surprisingly good touch in close. Obviously he’s going to use his power, but whereas someone like Dwight Howard would catch the ball then start trying to power through guys, Shaq would use his power and leverage and IQ to get great position, set up counter-moves, etc.
Love how the only real arguments people make for Shaq over Hakeem is that “Well Jordan wasn’t playing when Hakeem got his rings”. Meanwhile Shaq had a guy who is higher than him on the list in his prime and when Shaq got to the finals with the Magic Jordan wasn’t himself.
Shaq literally had to wait for Jordan to retire to win a ring
the dream is the best!!
PREACH NICK!!! HAKEEMMM
Broussard started the argument by stating that Shaq wasn't in his peak during the finals against Hakeem. And he ended the argument by stating that Shaq was in his peak since year 1.
So either he had a long peak and Hakeem dominated him, or he didn't.
Not wat he said all at all. Nick tried to argue Hakeem’s was great for 10 years straight while Shaq was only dominate for 3 seasons. From 94-2003 Shaq was 28, 12 & 2.5 blocks on 58%. He was an all star 6 times before or after that time period, & won another ring AFTER that time period. The only way Shaqs prime lasted 3 years if ur comparing himself to himself. Which nick didn’t do the same when he said Hakeem’s peak lasted 10 seasons.
@@LakeShow-2481 Nick said Shaq's 3 best years are better than Hakeem's but every other year Hakeem was better.
I usually agree with Chris but not this time.
Hakeem > Shaq
Hakeem is overall better player but Shaq was the most dominant big i believe, but let's not forget that Shaq had Kobe who provided play making and also scoring, Jordan had Pippen he didn't beat bigs on his own i hope when analysts give their opinion should always be with some perspective
And didn't Shaq have Penny Hardaway.
Nick is too smart for his own good. And honestly Chris did all the work for him. Went on that entire soliloquy just to end up saying that the only thing Shaq supposedly had over Hakeem was scoring. And even if he does it’s not by much. And Hakeem has everything else over Shaq. I love Shaq, he was truly unstoppable. But I’m sorry, Hakeem was better
Shaq has agreed himself that he is the 4th best center ever behind Russell, Wilt and Hakeem.
Shaq was more dominant. Hakeem was more talented. Tough to compare. Also, Kings got hosed in 2002 against LA. Shouldn’t have been a 3 peat.
Shaq has 28,596 pts Hakeem has 26,946 wow what a big difference when hear these guys say he was a much better scorer than Hakeem pls people in RUclips do your own research these guys lies ALOT to promote someone they like
Hakeem dominated all the great big men of his era. Arguably the best all around player in the history of the league.
You don't know basketball Scottie Pippin is the best all around player ever
Shaq was the scariest force ever close to the basket. However, his glaring free-throw weakness allowed for hack-a-shaq, which started in 1997. So I'd give it to Hakeem - pure skill, speed, athleticism, heart, and smarts all combined in a 7-footer. Hakeem could guard in today's NBA. The big version of Shaq would be benched for not guarding high pick-and-rolls out by the 3-point line.
Funny thing is, Hakeem wasn't even a 7 ft monster, he was listed as 6'10" and he's the all time blocks leader (#2 isn't even close)
Even though Dream was more versatile I gotta go w Shaq over him, way more dominant.
Explain
@@takeiteze3168 no explanation needed if you actually watched the games. Other than 1995 finals, Shaq dominated Dream everytime when he was with the Lakers. ‘96-03’
You must have not watched that Series