Retired Spurs star Tim Duncan is not a ´big man´ – O´Neal

Now that San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan has retired, it is time for analysts and basketball minds to discuss his legacy and all-time ranking.

Past players and pundits have called five-time NBA champion Duncan one of the best big men to ever play the game, but Shaquille O’Neal said hold on a minute.

Hall of Famer and four-time NBA championship winner O’Neal feels Duncan is not a “big man” because he played mostly as a power forward.

O’Neal was asked about Duncan being ranked as a top five all-time player, and said his main problem was how they were labeling him.

“I only have one beef with how they’re throwing this around,” O’Neal said in his podcast ‘The Big Podcast With Shaq’.

“They’re saying he’s one of the greatest big men. Do you count power forwards as big men? Because I don’t.

“I was always taught that the big man was a center. I know we got new rules and they don’t have the center spot no more, but no.”

There was somewhat of a debate as to whether Duncan was a power forward or a center, although the consensus agrees he was a forward.

Eventually the top five discussion came back around, and O’Neal had a surprising list.

He likes to place smaller guys first and listed off names in this order: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.