"I didn't say anything to LeBron, didn't have to, he had it all figured out at a very young age" - Throwback to Shaquille O'Neal's comments on a young LeBron James, in an excerpt from his book Shaq Uncut
Shaquille O'Neal joined LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009, in a bid to win championship No. 5. This isn't the first time O'Neal has found himself linking up with an elite talent. O'Neal has a lot of experience playing with younger superstars, including Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. O'Neal lauded James for how he handled himself as the face of the franchise during their time together.
After three-peating with the young Kobe and winning the Miami Heat her first championship with the 24-year-old Wade, Shaq started to bounce around the league towards the end of his career. His partnership with James earned the Cavs the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the conference semi-finals.
In an excerpt from his book "Shaq Uncut," Big Diesel recounted his experiences with Bryant, Wade and James, O'Neal went on to say that the way he was treated in the park
"By the time I got to Miami, I wasn't the CEO anymore. DWade was going to have to be the CEO because he was young and hitting his stride. My job was to be his top advisor. But I realized pretty quickly I could not treat him the way I had treated Kobe. You couldn't be too hard on DWade. He wasn't as tough as Kobe, wasn't the type to fight back and challenge you."
In James' case, O'Neal talked about how the level of intensity regularly eats at players.
"I always tell people in terms of being tough on young stars, I was a 10 with Kobe and a 4 with DWade and a 1 with LeBron. I didn't say anything to LeBron- didn't have to. He had it figured out at a very young age."
2009-10
25 year old LeBron James playing with a 37 year old Shaquille O’Neal (20 MPG)
29.7 PPG (3rd most of career)
7.3 RPG
8.6 APG (3rd most of career)
1.6 SPG
1.0 BPG
60.4 TS%
54.5 eFG%
31.1 PER (3rd best of career)
“LeBron and Shaq wouldn’t be a good duo in their primes.” https://t.co/QMx9R1eA2h
Every star that has played with LeBron has had high praise for him. The four-time champ is known to be a great team player, with the ability to make his teammates better, an exemplary attribute, especially as captain.
LeBron James has won four titles with three different franchises
Although the LeBron James-Shaquille O'Neal one-year partnership did not culminate in a championship, James is one of four players who have won championships with three different franchises. His 2020 championship run saw him and teammate Danny Green join the exclusive list, which featured John Sally and Robert Horry.
James' path to success has been one of the hardest in NBA history. His long-time friend and manager Rich Paul talked about how LeBron's path was just as hard, if not harder, than that of Michael Jordan. That comment has sparked reactions from several NBA pundits.
Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe believes LeBron had a harder time because he had to do everything in the shadow of Jordan. TV personality Max Kellerman, agreed with Paul because he believed LeBron was not as good as Jordan.
While the GOAT debate will continue for the foreseeable future, you cannot take anything from the greatness of both players. LeBron is currently in search of a fifth title, but the situation with things in the LA Lakers camp right now does not look promising.
The King is hyped to be back in Cleveland 👑
@KingJames | #NBAAllStar https://t.co/CGvwHISDgI
Meanwhile, LeBron James will make his 18th consecutive All-Star appearance later tonight in Cleveland. The four-time MVP has been selected as a captain for the fifth consecutive year and will since the NBA introduced the draft format.
Age has not held back James, who is having an outstanding individual campaign. He is averaging 29.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists while shooting 52.2% from the field.