Shaq names the one NBA star who ‘could beat Michael Jordan in 1v1’ but didn’t fulfil their true potential

Shaquille O’Neal described him as the best player to have never won an NBA championship.

Shaquille O’Neal has named the ONE NBA star who ‘could beat Michael Jordan in a 1 vs. 1’ but didn’t fulfil their true potential.

O’Neal played with and against some of the best players of his era when he plied his trade in the NBA.

During his storied career, he turned out for the likes of Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.

He won four NBA championships, winning three of his titles with the Lakers.

O’Neal won his third NBA championship in the 2000/01 season and was named MVP following his stellar performances in the Lakers’ 4-1 series win over Philadelphia 76ers.

The 76ers boasted Allen Iverson in their ranks, with the player making just one NBA finals in his distinguished career.

Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson during game four of the 2001 NBA finals. Image: Getty

And ‘Shaq’ hailed Iverson, who is widely regarded as one of the game’s best scorers, as the ‘greatest player to have never won a championship’.

When asked to name the most talented player he has ever seen who didn’t go on to fulfil their potential, he told SPORTbible: “Allen Iverson. He’s great. He made it to the finals once and they lost it to us. He’s probably the greatest player to have never won a championship.”

O’Neal’s comments on Iverson echo Jordan’s sentiments as the Bulls icon called him the hardest opponent to play against in a 1 vs. 1, with the late, great Kobe Bryant also having a similar view on the player dubbed as ‘The Answer’.

“The hardest opponent for me to play against? In terms of 1-on-1? Small guys… Allen Iverson,” he said.

“He could beat me on the perimeter, but I could take him in the post,” Jordan added. “He’s a heck of a good player. He’s a young talent. He is gonna continue to get better once he learns how to play the game on a much higher scale.

“Right now, he’s doing a lot on physical ability. He’s good, he’s quick. That’s a challenge for me to go out to him and his stature. He’s so quick and small. But it’s a challenge. I won’t back away.”

Iverson played 14 seasons in the NBA, playing for the likes of Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons as well as the aforementioned 76ers.

Despite never winning an NBA championship, the shooting guard and point guard was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.