"The focus was taken away from Alonzo" - Michael Jordan felt that Alonzo Mourning was more skilled than Shaquille O'Neal originally appeared on Basketball Network .
While Shaquille O'Neal , during his prime, had no real competition in terms of physical dominance and ability to control the paint, there was a time when another big man, Alonzo Mourning, was viewed as being on his level — or even better in terms of skillset.
Interestingly, it was none other than Michael Jordan who once believed young Mourning 's potential was overshadowed by the aura of young Shaq, going as far as to speculate that talent-wise, Mourning could have been better than O'Neal on the hardwood.
There was never a doubt that Shaq would be the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 draft class. He had just come off a dominant college campaign, averaging 24.1 points, 14 rebounds and a nation-leading 5.2 blocks per game for the Louisiana State University, earning a consensus All-American First Team nod.
Mourning, however, wasn't far behind. In his senior year at Georgetown, he posted 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game, also earning a consensus All-American First Team honor.
For Jordan, who knew firsthand what it felt like to be overshadowed in a loaded draft class, Mourning's raw talent stood out. Put simply, he believed the media frenzy surrounding O'Neal's larger-than-life persona pulled the spotlight away from the more technically sound Mourning.
"Alonzo Mourning is one of the underrated young players. I think Shaquille O'Neal; I'm not saying he's not going to be a great player. I'm just saying the focus was taken away from Alonzo Mourning," Jordan said in an interview with Larry King. "Certainly, I think he can just be as good (as O'Neal), because of his fundamental skills and I think he is a little bit ahead of Shaquille O'Neal."
"From a physical specimen ability, Shaquille is better than he is," Jordan admitted in the end.
During their rookie campaign in 1992-93, it looked like the NBA had welcomed its next great big man duo who would battle it out for supremacy for years. On one hand, Shaq averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game to earn the Rookie of the Year award and an All-Star nod; Mourning was once again an inch behind him, registering 21.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game; just missing out on the ROY award.
In the end, as O'Neal continued to rise, averaging 29.3 points in just his second season and leading the league in scoring, Mourning's production plateaued. Over the next two seasons, he couldn't crack 22 points per game mark.
Thus, the media narrative shifted firmly in favor of Shaq, who by his third season was already leading the league in scoring and had led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals.
Nevertheless, at least he had the support of the legendary MJ behind him when he started his career. And sometimes, that kind of belief and validation remains more important than the praise media gives out.
Although he was never as good as Shaq, Mourning was still a seven-time All-Star and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, which is something every player would sign up to before he enters the league.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
