When the NBA released its 75th Anniversary team last fall, a handful of outlets ranked legendary big man Shaquille O'Neal as one of the top-15 players of all-time. The high praise for O'Neal is justified -- he was a generational talent that dominated inside the paint for 20 years. And with a 7-foot-1, 325-pound frame, his atypical combination of size and strength made him an inexorable force.
O'Neal won his fourth and final championship as a member of the Miami Heat, back in 2006. During three-plus seasons with the franchise, the Hall of Famer averaged 19.6 points with 9.1 rebounds, and produced similar numbers across 40 total playoff games. O'Neal was the last true center to win MVP and be the centerpiece of a title team, and one of his old Heat teammates places him on a pedestal.
"He's one of the greatest teammates I've ever had," former NBA guard Jason Williams told The DA Show on Wednesday. "I was fortunate enough to play a long career and had nothing but great teammates. But he in particular stands out, because of his larger than life size. He's like a big kid. I explain to people that, what you see on TV is what you really get with the big fella. He's just so genuine, soft-spoken, soft-hearted. One of the best dudes you'd ever meet...
"I felt sorry for guys who tried to guard him, one-on-one. Usually when other teams sent a double-team, it was a smaller guy, a guard, coming from the top and going down. He just kept on going through his move like that guy wasn't even there. He's the most dominant guy to ever play the game. He made the league change rules for defensive assignments, and things like that."
From 1993-2011, O'Neal averaged a formidable double-double of 24.3 points and 11.6 rebounds, and his 28,596 career points rank eighth in league history. During his fourth season, he was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary team. O'Neal was so dangerous near the basket, the NBA allowed zone defenses to return in 2001-02, and the "Hack-a-Shaq" tactics from opponents grew.
The entire hoops conversation between Williams and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The DA Show on Twitter @DAonCBS and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.