"What About The Guys That Played Against Kareem?" - Shannon Sharpe Believes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Is The Most ‘undervalued’ Player In NBA History

"What about the guys that played against Kareem?" - Shannon Sharpe believes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the most ‘undervalued’ player in NBA history originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Following the release of Bleacher Report's Top 100 players list, considerable controversy has emerged, with most focusing on the blatant disrespect Kobe Bryant has faced after being ranked outside of the Top 10 stars of all-time. Yet, while Shannon Sharpe acknowledges Kobe's legacy warrants greater recognition, his larger concern centers around the consistent omission of Kareem Abdul Jabbar from the GOAT debate.

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As a result of an episode of the 'Nightcap' show, Sharpe displayed great offense at the fact that, despite Kareem leading both Michael Jordan and LeBron James in several career achievements or statistical records, why isn't the seven-foot center given more significance as the NBA's GOAT?

Shannon Sharpe believes Kareem doesn't get his due

There is no denying Mike's credentials: a career average of 30.1 points per game, 10 scoring titles, and an unmatched 6-0 record in the NBA Finals. However, Kareem edges him in certain areas, winning six MVPs to Jordan's five. Even in terms of longevity, Abdul-jabbar remained productive in his 40s, averaging double digits in points even at the age of 42 to help the Lakers reach the championship round, unlike MJ, whose final year with the Washington Wizards was largely symbolic and uncompetitive.

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Comparisons with LBJ also tilt in Kareem's favor in multiple aspects. While it's true that 'King James' has surpassed Abdul-Jabbar in the most points scored and most All-Star nods, the latter has more MVP honors, NBA championships, All-Defensive Team nods, and more scoring titles than James.

This raised Sharpe's key question: If Jordan and LeBron are routinely seen as the frontrunners in the GOAT discussions, why is Kareem often relegated to the third spot—or ignored altogether?

"What about the guys that played against Kareem? Where are we gonna rank Kareem? I'm not saying Kobe should be 11," Sharpe said on his show. "You see, with Jordan, Jordan got No. 1, and the lowest seed rank was two or three. LeBron? The highest seed was two, and the lowest was maybe three. You can debate this till the cows come home, and I've said this, the guy who gets undervalued the most is Kareem Abdul Jabbar."

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Kareem deserves more recognition in the GOAT debate

It is impossible to overlook Kareem's impact early in his career. In just his second campaign, he won MVP and Finals MVP and led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first championship. While Magic Johnson is frequently viewed as the leader of the Showtime Lakers, Kareem's presence and consistent excellence anchored their five championships during the 1980s.

Abdul-Jabbar's contributions are undeniable from a statistical, historical, and cultural standpoint. This is precisely why Sharpe finds it puzzling that when MJ and LeBron are rightly credited for each of their achievement, Kareem's greatness is conveniently taken for granted and kept second to some of the other players.

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This could be the next big debate in the NBA world, especially when considering how he held the greatest record under his name in the league for almost four decades.

Related: "It makes me see that people don't have a very good perspective" - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on why not being mentioned in GOAT debate makes him cringe

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 27, 2025, where it first appeared.

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