In one of the great moments in “Diner,” a movie filled with them, the guys are debating the relative merits of Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis. Eddie (Steve Guttenberg) asks: “When you’re making out, which do you prefer, Sinatra or Mathis?” Boogie (Mickey Rourke) replies: “I like Presley.”
Which brings us to Shaquille O’Neal.
Asked in an interview with antennamag.com to choose between former teammates Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, Shaq goes with … Julius Erving. His answer:
“They’re different. LeBron is more of an all-around player. ‘Hey, this guy’s open, let me kick it to him.’ Kobe is more of, ‘Oh, we’re down six? I’m going to shoot it three times and get us six points.’ But they’re both great players. It’s a matter of opinion. To me, Dr. J was the greatest player ever. But I ask other people, they say Jordan, some say Kobe, some people say LeBron. It’s always going to be a matter of opinion.”
A few other answers from the former dominating big man turned TV commentator:
*On his movie accompaniments: “I gotta have popcorn, I gotta have a Cherry Slurpee and a Diet Coke because I’m on a diet.”
*On Googling himself: “I have Google Alerts, so every time my name comes up, I always see it.” (Oh, yeah? Hi, Shaq!)
*On what happens when you die: “Hopefully, my wish is to have one of those big mausoleums, on the inside, it would be stadium seating, and as soon as you close the door, all my highlights would come on and the door locks, so you have to watch 20 minutes of who I was.”
