NBA legend, Hall-of-Famer, and current TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal was surrounded with stars throughout his decorated career, many of whom were among the league’s household names.

There are four guys that stood out on that list: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Penny Hardaway.

It was natural to have him share memories and player comparisons on those four, and the Big Aristotle did just that in his recent talk with Heavy.com’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Though he was hesitant because comparisons usually get misconstrued, he made sure all three are well-complimented:

“Penny was a young Magic Johnson and I was a young Kareem. Kobe was a young Michael Jordan before he became Michael Jordan. And LeBron is both of them combined. And D-Wade was Kobe when he was coming into his own. I’ll just put it like that.”

Shaquille O’Neal

Let’s take a quick look at what he accomplished with each:

Early career with Hardaway

With Penny (1993-1996, 2007), he co-powered the much-beloved mid 90s iteration of the Orlando Magic. It led to a finals appearance in 1995 and the road included an ousting of the powerhouse Chicago Bulls and a recently returned Michael Jordan.

The three-peat

With Kobe (1996-2004), he went on to form one of the best duos in league history. They took home three NBA championships and four Western Conference titles from 2000 to 2004.

Passing the torch

With Wade (2004-2008), he transformed the upstart Miami Heat into serious title contenders. He had an MVP-caliber season in 2004-05 and helped stir the team to its first championship in 2006.

A veteran teammate for a rising NBA legend

With LeBron (2009-2010), he was a starter on the Cavs’ second-straight 60-plus win season. He was on a steep decline but his veteran presence and mentorship still made him a valuable addition to the roster.

Were Shaq’s comparisons accurate or is he just blowing smoke?

Some may deem the comparisons to be too cliché, but everyone did share a trait with either Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan.

Penny was a tall point guard with flashy passing skills, just like Magic.

Kobe was a scoring machine, just like young Jordan.

Wade was the ultimate shooting guard; just like Kobe.

And LeBron, whether his detractors can accept it or not, has the scoring ability that can rival anyone in NBA history, just like Kobe and Jordan.