Shaquille O’Neal’s Comparison With Wilt Chamberlain Is Shut Down Disrespectfully: “It’s Like Comparing Me With Clark Gable, In This Case, I’m Clark Gable And He Is Me.”
Any fan of the NBA who has looked through any of the game’s statistics has seen Wilt Chamberlain, who has accomplished some of the most absurd things in history. As the only player to ever score 100 points in a game, Chamberlain is regarded as one of the best centers in history. After 14 years in the NBA, Wilt announced his retirement in 1973. When he retired, he held the record for the most points scored in the NBA until Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shattered it a few years later. Before his sudden death in October 1999, Wilt was a titan of the game, and his judgment was highly valued.
Fans frequently pondered how Shaquille O’Neal, who had become one of the league’s top centers, would perform on the court against Wilt. When questioned about Shaq, Chamberlain was highly contemptuous of the player, saying the only similarity between them is that they are both bad free throw shooters, during an appearance on “Conan.” He then used the renowned actor Clark Gable as an example in his next statement.
Yes, both of us have horrible shooting fouls. However, Shaquille and I are likened to Clark Gable. Here, he is me and I am Clark Gable.” One of the most well-known Hollywood performers of the 1930s was Clark Gable, who starred in the classic film “Gone With the Wind.” After his NBA career ended, Wilt tried his hand at acting, appearing in films such as “Conan the Destroyer.” His comparison was intended to convey the idea that Shaq was to Wilt what Gable was to Gable in terms of basketball. Taking into account what Shaq would go on to do, that is a pretty insulting comparison. Wilt was not present to see Shaq’s four-time championship run and some of the most outstanding seasons in NBA history.
