Shaquille O’Neal’s statement about the ‘4 rings’ in the hypothetical pair of Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady

undoubtedly Shaquille O’Neal is one of the biggest and most influential players in NBA history. He won a total of four championships, was a Fifteen-time All-Star, 2000 NBA MVP and 1993 Rookie of the Year to name a few.

He did everything, but if things had been a little different, he might have done more. Most recently, O’Neal boldly said yes if he had was paired with Allen Iverson and Tracy McGradyhe would win four championships in addition to both, according to Sports on Prime.

“If you and (Allen Iverson) teamed up, how many championships (would you win)?” Shaq: “Four…I could have had four with him. I could have had four with (Tracy McGrady).”

“If you and (Allen Iverson) teamed up, how many championships (would you win)?”

Shaq: “Four…I could have had four with him. I could have had four with (Tracy McGrady).”

(via @SportsonPrime)pic.twitter.com/r5htzIRNMf

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 22, 2025

Obviously, every basketball player knows about O’Neal and his better halves. In the 1990s, he and Penny Hardaway turned the Orlando Magic into one of the most popular teams of the decade. however, they had a fight when O’Neal left for the Lakers in 1996. While there, O’Neal was paired with a brash high school sensation named Kobe Bryant.

Although they led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships (2000-2002), the bad blood between them boiled over. Years later, O’Neill reconciled with both of them.

What could have been another NBA dynasty

At the same time, O’Neal was on the rise, as were Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady. In 1996, Iverson was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, just as O’Neal’s star was rising in Los Angeles. Along the way, Iverson became a sensation with his hip-hop-infused style and sensibility that endeared him to many while others hated him.

In 2001, the 76ers met the Lakers in the NBA Finals. The Lakers defeated Philly in five games. If Iverson and Shaq, in the prime of their careers, had teamed up, they could have won several titles. Shaq’s explosiveness and Iverson’s electrifying style would be hard to stop.

In contrast, McGrady joined the NBA in 1997 when he was drafted by the Toronto Raptors. If he and Shaq teamed up, a case could be made that they could have won a few rings. Shaq’s dominance, combined with McGrady’s Kobe-like talent, sounds like a great pairing.

But all we can ask is what could have been?