One man who would be at centre for many is former Orlando and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal who, incidentally, has just unveiled his own list in an interview with The Times-Picayune of New Orleans.

O'Neal's selection will raise eyebrows, for he has overlooked his former teammate Kobe Bryant, whom he recently rated the greatest Laker of all time, and other superstars such as Larry Bird, LeBron James and Tim Duncan. Here's what the four-time champion O'Neal had to say.

"Bill Russell won 11 championships. Charles Barkley is my guy, but I like Karl Malone. Then there's the guy who made me who I am – Dr. J [Julius Erving]. I've got Michael [Jordan] at the two. Then, I'm going to go with the big guard with Magic Johnson at the one," he said.

"But I see a problem with answering these questions. A lot of people get their feelings hurt. Then some of you guys [reporters] be trying to start trouble, like Shaq leaving Kobe [Bryant] off.

"Then it's Shaq and Kobe. But that's my top five for playing reasons and what they did. Russell doesn't have high [statistical] numbers, but with 11 championships nobody is beating that."

O'Neal was also asked his thoughts on the increasing use of "small-ball" line-ups and spreading the floor for three-point shooters, as opposed to the days when the offence often ran through a centre or forward in the low post.

"I don't have a problem saying that the big man part of the game is soft and I'm probably the blame for that. [TNT studio analyst] Kenny Smith made a good point. He said that a lot of the players that come in the league are products of their own environment," O'Neal said.

"When I was in high school watching Patrick Ewing, [Charles] Oakley and those guys bang, that's how I played because I knew if I ever make this level, I would have to play like that. Now they got guys like Dirk [Nowitzki] doing what he do with jump shots and that's what kids are watching now. If a kid is a small frame guy, he's going to look at similar people.

"There are not really guys coming up big like me. But there are a lot of Anthony Davis', lot of Dirk's, Manu Ginobili's and James Harden's, so you have to look at who you like. Most of the guys that came in after me are the thin, frail guys that step out and shoot."

Do you agree with Shaq's starting five? Have your say here.