Shaquille O'Neal didn't hesitate when asked how he and Michael Jordan would fare with LeBron James in modern game

Shaquille O'Neal once had his say on how he and fellow basketball legend Michael Jordan would fare in the modern NBA.

Shaq represented six teams in the NBA throughout his career which spanned almost 20 years, playing for Orlando Magic, the LA Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics.

During his time on the court, the 52-year-old became NBA champion on four occasions during spells with the Lakers and the Heat, as well as being named the NBA Finals MVP three times.

Shaq is often hailed as among the greatest players ever to set foot on a basketball court, but many hold Jordan as the sport's GOAT.

Jordan has been retired for more than two decades but his extraordinary appeal lives on thanks to his career on the court, much of which was spent with the Chicago Bulls, then latterly with the Washington Wizards in the closing stages for the last two years.

The six-time NBA Champion enjoyed a memorable spell with the Bulls as he was named the MVP in the NBA Finals a total of six times.

He also made a foray into sportswear with his Nike Air Jordan trainers, as well as in Hollywood with the 1996 film Space Jam and was the focus of Emmy-winning documentary series The Last Dance in 2020 on streaming platform Netflix.

Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. (Image: Getty)

Both players have now been long retired but the question is often asked, as it is in any sport, about how players from past eras would fare in the modern day game.

But when that question was posed to Shaq, he was in no doubt that both he and Jordan would be the top two players in the modern NBA.

Speaking in 2020 on ESPN's 'Get Up', he said: "He [Jordan] would average 45 [points], and the league would be complaining about two players.

"They'd be like, Mike is too good. And the kid down in Orlando is too dominant. What are we going to do?"

Though he does not mention him by name, Shaq's view that he and Jordan would be the best two players in the NBA suggests they would both be better than LeBron James, who is still playing at the age of 40.

James is a four-time NBA champion and has represented the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and his current side the Los Angeles Lakers.

He has also been named the NBA Finals MVP on four occasions, and the NBA's overall MVP four times.