"I wish that was me"- Shaquille O'Neal says he was very jealous of LeBron James when he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has never been one to shy away from sharing his honest opinions. Such was the case on a recent episode of the “I Am Athlete” podcast, when an NBA GOAT discussion broke out.
The discussion started when former NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones said that O’Neal asked him if LA Lakers star forward LeBron James was the GOAT. Jones concurred that James was the GOAT and then asked O’Neal who he believes is the greatest. However, the latter did not want to make a choice.
“I don’t know,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal was then jokingly called out by host Brandon Marshall for not giving an honest answer regarding his opinion of James. He responded by explaining the jealousy he felt towards James after he broke LA Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record earlier this season.
“I say it all the time. It was professional jealousy at that moment. I wish that was me. I know what I would have done. ‘Me, I’m the greatest,’” O’Neal said.
“I know Bron. He’s very nice, very humble, corporate guy. So I’m proud of that. … But, I like hearing the (GOAT) conversations.”
The discussion starts at the 18:02 mark below:
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Shaquille O’Neal on whether LeBron James is a 'dog'
Shaquille O’Neal was later asked about the notion that LeBron James doesn’t have a competitive 'dog' mentality like Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan had. O’Neal then attempted to debunk that argument by pointing out that James has more points than players like Jordan who are considered dogs.
“I saw something today that said Mike did more in less time, but I like to take it in street terms,” O’Neal said.
“If a dog got 15,000 points and Bron’s got 20,000 points, you tell me if he’s a dog or not.
“Let’s go street for a second. Pacman got 19 bodies. And another cat who we don’t think is hard, he’s got 25 bodies. Is he a killer also? Or is Pacman more of a killer because he got 19. But, he’s got 25 bodies.”
O’Neal concluded by reiterating that he just likes to have in-depth conversations. However, he doesn’t want to choose between James and Jordan.
“I like asking deep questions, and I know them both. It would be unfair for me to say he’s the GOAT. I just wish I was in that position. I really wish I was in that position,” O’Neal said.
LeBron James has an NBA record 38,469 points in over 20 seasons. Jordan is fifth in all-time scoring with 32,292 points over 15 seasons. Meanwhile, O’Neal is eighth with 28,596 points over 19 seasons.
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