Kerr takes Shaq’s Steph GOAT argument step further with bold take originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steve Kerr fully supports Shaquille O’Neal’s comments demanding that Warriors superstar Steph Curry be considered one of the NBA’s all-time greats.
Of course, O’Neal offered high praise to Curry during Tuesday’s NBA on TNT halftime show before Golden State ultimately earned a 114-102 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Kerr caught wind of O’Neal’s comments on Wednesday during a radio interview with 95.7 The Game’s “Willard and Dibs.”
And, spoiler alert: the 11-year Warriors coach appreciated what O’Neal had to say about the face of Golden State’s franchise.
“I think he’s dead on because Steph is the most unique superstar of all time,” Kerr said of O’Neal’s comments to Mark Willard and Dan Dibley. “He broke barriers, he changed the game. And what he does, really to this day, is unique to himself. I just can’t even imagine anybody doing the stuff he does.
“It’s different; the way he impacts the game is different. When you have these conversations about ‘Who’s the greatest ever?’ you automatically go to these genetic marvels; you know, LeBron and Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain and whoever else. Steph doesn’t fit that normal mold. I love that Shaq is bringing that up because, from a skills standpoint, it’s not even close. [Curry] is the greatest ever from a skills standpoint.”
“As the supreme leader of the big man alliance, I demand you fans to start putting Steph Curry in that greatest of all time conversation,” O’Neal said on Tuesday night. “Just start putting him in the conversation. There’s [Michael Jordan], there’s Kobe [Bryant], there’s LeBron [James]. Start putting Steph in that conversation. I demand it.”
Kerr believes O’Neal hit the nail on the head.
Curry, at a slender 6-foot-2, completely reinvented basketball and has won four NBA championships, reached 11 All-Star games and taken home two MVPs – all with the Warriors – because of that fact. Kerr and Shaq believe it’s time the “Chef” is regarded as one of the greatest cooks in a world-renowned kitchen.
O’Neal acknowledged it’s a fair distinction that most people think of Jordan and James when discussing the GOAT conversation, given their respective careers, giant frames and impacts on the game. But O’Neal also highlighted Curry’s outstanding-but-overlooked résumé.
“I played against Mike, played with Kobe, played against and with LeBron. They’re all great,” O’Neal continued on Tuesday. “But at some point, we’re going to have to put Steph Curry in that category. I’m not saying he is [the GOAT], but let’s just have the conversation. I like all the internet talk and the barbershop talk, but I ain’t never seen nothing like that before, and nobody has. And how many [rings] he got? One, two, three, four, against LeBron. I demand that people start putting my guy in that conversation, period.”
Kerr appreciated O’Neal putting Curry’s name in the equation, not out of pity, but because of the facts. Having coached Curry for 11 years, it’s about time Kerr sees his prized player receive the respect he deserves.
“These arguments are always fun,” Kerr said. “You can’t reach any conclusion, because it’s all just art, not science. I like what Shaq said, I agree with him.”
