Shaquille O'Neal gives fascinating response after being asked if Kevin Durant belongs in the GOAT debate alongside Michael Jordan

Shaquille O'Neal has given an interesting opinion on where Kevin Durant stands in the often-debated NBA greatest of all time (GOAT) discussion.

The veteran Phoenix Suns forward, who is about to begin his 18th season in the NBA, boasts an admirable array of accolades, including one Most Valuable Player award, two NBA titles and two Finals MVPs.

Speaking on his podcast, The Big Podcast with Shaquille O'Neal, the former Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat centre raised the subject of whether Durant should be considered alongside the likes of Michael Jordan as one of the NBA's all-time greats.

O'Neal's guest, Lou Williams, a former shooting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers and a three-time Sixth Man of the Year award winner, argued Durant's case to be considered among the game's best.

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"Kevin Durant is a transcendent talent, bro," Williams said. "We've never seen anybody like KD. The timing was bad when he went to Golden State. I think any other year in his career he'd go there, it's not looked at as that particular thing."

Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016 to join the Golden State Warriors, who were the reigning NBA champions at the time, as a free agent.

The move teamed up the 2014 NBA MVP with fellow superstar Steph Curry. The Warriors went on to win two championships in Durant's three years with the team before he departed to sign for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.

Durant's switch to the Warriors drew criticism from some quarters, with many observers feeling the 6ft 11ins forward chose an easy path to titles.

Durant is one of four NBA stars on the list. Image: Alamy

Yet the 14-time All-Star and four-time scoring champion's reputation as arguably the greatest and most natural scorer of all time is undeniable.

O'Neal believes that earns the current Suns star a place of his own in any GOAT discussion.

"I think he has his own special category, like me," O'Neal said. "I'm not in the GOAT conversation, but I am one of two of the most dominant players ever. So he's one of two of the most prolific, dominant scorers ever."