Los Angeles Lakers great claims Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t best big man he played with

Former Los Angeles Lakers great Robert Horry has played with some of the best big men of all time during his career and he believes there is one that stands above the rest, but surprisingly it is not Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal.

To many NBA fans, Robert Horry is known as “Big Shot Bob.” He earned that nickname over a memorable 16-year career where he was able to consistently nail pivotal shots in some of the biggest moments. While he may not have been the best player on his teams, he was still a major part of championship squads for the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs.

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During his tenures with those three teams, he had the good fortune of being able to play with three of the greatest big men in NBA history: Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Tim Duncan. Picking who is the best of the three is very subjective, even for Horry.

However, many might assume that he would feel Los Angeles Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal would be his preferred option since they won three championships together. But that assumption would be wrong.

During a recent appearance on “Showtime Basketball,” Robert Horry spoke about being able to play with three legends of the game, and when he was asked by one of the hosts which were the best, he had no problem explaining why Olajuwon was a truly special player.

“[Hakeem Olajuwon] is going to be number one by far. Nobody wants to talk about it. You have these guys who are quiet. ‘Dream,’ he’s a really quiet guy. You can’t get him to do much or say much. So we kind of veer away from him. We don’t talk about him.

“But for me, if you look at what he put together; defensive player of the year, MVP in one season, and all-time leading shot blocker. You look at his history and what he’s done for the game, and how he started in the game. This dude didn’t play basketball growing up. … His body of work is just incredible.”

– Robert Horry

• Hakeem Olajuwon stats (Career): 21.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 3.1 BPG

Horry played his first four seasons in the NBA with Hakeem Olajuwon on the Rockets. During those years the team won two championships, including a four-game sweep of the Orlando Magic and Shaquille O’Neal in 1995.