Last Updated on July 18, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake
Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan are two of the most dominant big men ever to play basketball. Tim Duncan spent his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs. Shaquille O’Neal played for a total of six teams in his career.
Tim Duncan:
Position and Playing Style: Duncan was a power forward and was a finesse player who arguably had more skill than any other frontcourt player in NBA history, helped by his incredible off the backboard shooting ability around the key. Duncan was a very efficient post player and could shoot from the post as well as anybody.
Career Achievements: Duncan played for the San Antonio Spurs for his entrie career. Duncan was drafted in 1996 and the Spurs never let him leave until he retired in 2016. Duncan was a 15-time NBA All-Star and won five NBA championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014). He won the Finals MVP 3 times during those championship runs (1999, 2003, 2005) and was also a 2-time MVP during the regular season (2002, 2003).
Impact: Duncan was the critical piece to the Spurs dynasty that won five NBA titles between 1999–2005. It is arguable if the Spurs could have made the playofs during any of those seasons without him due to the playing style of Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili, the other two players that made up the Spurs big 3.
Shaquille O’Neal:
Position and Playing Style: O’Neal was a center and is known as the most dominent player in NBA history in part because of his size. O’Neal was known as a large man and would be marketed as an extrmeley large basketball player. O’Nael was great at using his size to his advantage and often would overpower his competitors.
Career Achievements: O’Nael started his career playing for the Orlando Magic. He left the Magic for the Lakers when he felt their contract offer was insuffiient. O’Neal won four NBA championships (2000, 2001, 2002 with the Lakers, and 2006 with the Heat). O’Neal was a 15-time NBA All-Star. He won Finals MVP 3 of the 4 championships.
Impact: O’Neal was dominent when he played for the Lakers and helped Kobe win championships. O’Neal was also critical to the Heat’s championship in 2006 when he paired up with a young Dwyane Wade.
Tim Duncan Career Stats
| SEASON | TM | GP | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | FT% | 3P% | TS% |
| 1997-98 | SAS | 82 | 39.1 | 21.1 | 11.9 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 54.9 | 66.2 | 0.0 | 57.7 |
| 1998-99 | SAS | 50 | 39.3 | 21.7 | 11.4 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 49.5 | 69.0 | 14.3 | 54.1 |
| 1999-00 | SAS | 74 | 38.9 | 23.2 | 12.4 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 49.0 | 76.1 | 9.1 | 55.5 |
| 2000-01 | SAS | 82 | 38.7 | 22.2 | 12.2 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 49.9 | 61.8 | 25.9 | 53.6 |
| 2001-02 | SAS | 82 | 40.6 | 25.5 | 12.7 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 50.8 | 79.9 | 10.0 | 57.6 |
| 2002-03 | SAS | 81 | 39.3 | 23.3 | 12.9 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 51.3 | 71.0 | 27.3 | 56.4 |
| 2003-04 | SAS | 69 | 36.6 | 22.3 | 12.4 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 50.1 | 59.9 | 16.7 | 53.4 |
| 2004-05 | SAS | 66 | 33.4 | 20.3 | 11.1 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 49.6 | 67.0 | 33.3 | 54.0 |
| 2005-06 | SAS | 80 | 34.8 | 18.6 | 11.0 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 48.4 | 62.9 | 40.0 | 52.3 |
| 2006-07 | SAS | 80 | 34.1 | 20.0 | 10.6 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 54.6 | 63.7 | 11.1 | 57.9 |
| 2007-08 | SAS | 78 | 34.0 | 19.3 | 11.3 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 49.7 | 73.0 | 0.0 | 54.6 |
| 2008-09 | SAS | 75 | 33.7 | 19.3 | 10.7 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 50.4 | 69.2 | 0.0 | 54.9 |
| 2009-10 | SAS | 78 | 31.3 | 17.9 | 10.1 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 51.8 | 72.5 | 18.2 | 56.0 |
| 2010-11 | SAS | 76 | 28.4 | 13.4 | 8.9 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 50.0 | 71.6 | 0.0 | 53.7 |
| 2011-12 | SAS | 58 | 28.2 | 15.4 | 9.0 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 49.2 | 69.5 | 0.0 | 53.1 |
| 2012-13 | SAS | 69 | 30.1 | 17.8 | 9.9 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 50.2 | 81.7 | 28.6 | 55.4 |
| 2013-14 | SAS | 74 | 29.2 | 15.1 | 9.7 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 49.0 | 73.1 | 0.0 | 53.5 |
| 2014-15 | SAS | 77 | 28.9 | 13.9 | 9.1 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 51.2 | 74.0 | 28.6 | 56.0 |
| 2015-16 | SAS | 61 | 25.2 | 8.6 | 7.3 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 48.8 | 70.2 | 0.0 | 52.3 |
| REGULAR | 1,392 | 34.0 | 19.0 | 10.8 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 50.6 | 69.6 | 17.9 | 55.1 | |
| PLAYOFFS |
Shaquille O’Neal Career Stats
| SEASON | TM | GP | MPG | PPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | FT% | 3P% |
| 1992-93 | ORL | 81 | 37.9 | 23.4 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 3.5 | .562 | .592 | 0.0 |
| 1993-94 | ORL | 81 | 39.8 | 29.3 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 2.9 | .599 | .554 | 0.0 |
| 1994-95 | ORL | 79 | 37.0 | 29.3 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 2.4 | .583 | .533 | 0.0 |
| 1995-96 | ORL | 54 | 36.0 | 26.6 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 2.1 | .573 | .487 | 50.0 |
| 1996-97 | LAL | 51 | 38.1 | 26.2 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.9 | .557 | .484 | 0.0 |
| 1997-98 | LAL | 60 | 36.3 | 28.3 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 2.4 | .584 | .527 | |
| 1998-99 | LAL | 49 | 34.8 | 26.3 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | .576 | .540 | 0.0 |
| 1999-00 | LAL | 79 | 40.0 | 29.7 | 3.8 | 0.5 | 3.0 | .574 | .524 | 0.0 |
| 2000-01 | LAL | 74 | 39.5 | 28.7 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 2.8 | .572 | .513 | 0.0 |
| 2001-02 | LAL | 67 | 36.1 | 27.2 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 2.0 | .579 | .555 | 0.0 |
| 2002-03 | LAL | 67 | 37.8 | 27.5 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 2.4 | .574 | .622 | |
| 2003-04 | LAL | 67 | 36.8 | 21.5 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 2.5 | .584 | .490 | |
| 2004-05 | MIA | 73 | 34.1 | 22.9 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 2.3 | .601 | .461 | |
| 2005-06 | MIA | 59 | 30.6 | 20.0 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 1.8 | .600 | .469 | |
| 2006-07 | MIA | 40 | 28.4 | 17.3 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 1.4 | .591 | .422 | |
| 2007-08 | MIA | 33 | 28.6 | 14.2 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.6 | .581 | .503 | |
| 2007-08 | PHX | 28 | 28.7 | 12.9 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.2 | .611 | .494 | |
| 2007-08 | TOT | 61 | 28.7 | 13.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1.4 | .593 | .513 | |
| 2008-09 | PHX | 75 | 30.0 | 17.8 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.4 | .609 | .595 | 0.0 |
| 2009-10 | CLE | 53 | 23.4 | 12.0 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 1.2 | .566 | .496 | 0.0 |
| 2010-11 | BOS | 37 | 20.3 | 9.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.1 | .667 | .557 | |
| Regular | 1,207 | 34.7 | 23.7 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 2.3 | .582 | .527 | 4.5 | |
| Playoffs | 216 | 37.5 | 24.3 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 2.1 | .563 | .504 |