Top 10 Most Influential Basketball Players Over the Past Decade

                                                   5. Shaquille O'Neal

Shaq daddy is always good for a quote, or four, but his dominance on the court has been nothing short of spectacular. His success with the Lakers, where he won three championships, made him one of the greatest players in NBA history.

In a league dominated by swingmen like his former teammates Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, the Big Aristotle managed to be the biggest of them all to start the 21st century. He also went on to win a championship with the Miami Heat.

While he's certainly been slowed down by injuries and age, Shaq is still a presence in the post on both ends of the court. He's one of the greatest passing centers this league has seen and his play defensively has been an understated factor in his teams' tremendous success over the past ten years. He's changed the way the game of basketball is officiated and he's changed the way his opponents play. At one point, the only way to stop him was to foul him. Now that's power!

Much like Nowitzki, people are always looking for the next Shaq. Dwight Howard might be the closest thing we've seen to date. Someone could have mentioned that to the Knicks before they sold the farm for Eddy Curry.

                                                         4. Kobe Bryant

There has been some uncertainty since the days of Michael Jordan about who the best player in the NBA really was. A case could be made for O'Neal or Duncan, or perhaps even LeBron James. However, when it comes down to the final second of a game, there isn't another player you would rather have taking that shot than Bryant. The most impressive thing is that he's equally impressive on both ends of the court.                         

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