“James Harden won’t win a title if he doesn’t sacrifice”: Shaquille O’Neal explains why Rockets are yet to make the Finals with the Beard

Shaquille O’Neal says that Houston Rockets James Harden needs to sacrifice and share the ball more if he wants to win a championship.

With all the James Harden trade rumors still circulating around, one thing should be pointed out: Harden has requested trades to teams that can reasonably contend for a championship.

Many NBA fans claim that the 2018 MVP isn’t focused on winning any longer and is satisfied with his own brand of “Harden-ball”. However, that is simply just not the case. Harden is still very much determined to win a title while still in his prime.

On the subject of big men, @SHAQ said his top 5 bigs in NBA history (in order) are:

1) Kareem
2) Russell
3) Wilt
4) Shaq
5) Hakeem

Any complaints? https://t.co/j4C9PGgRqX

— Bryant McFadden (@BMac_SportsTalk) January 3, 2021

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Shaq recently appeared on the All Things Covered podcast and delved deep into a variety of topics. Something which came up was how James Harden can effectively compete for a title.

Shaq says James Harden needs to stop playing iso and get his teammates more involved

James Harden has made a name for himself in this league as being one of the best isolation players on offense, perhaps second only to Kyrie Irving. His flurry of dribbles leading into a step-back 3 is virtually unguardable.

Though Harden may fill up the stat sheet on a nightly basis, Shaq believes this isn’t the way James can claim his first championship. Shaq drew comparisons to his time with Kobe and how he had to sacrifice during crunch time for the Lakers to win more.

The Lakers legend then said, “You could be the best player in the world, but you still got to sacrifice. If you got guys not touching the ball and not being in rhythm when it comes to crunch time, they’re never going to be ready.”

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The other side of the coin to this is that Harden has deferred to Chris Paul and Eric Gordon over the years when needed. It is in the team’s best interests to have the ball in his hands, as he’s a great playmaker as well. Harden playing at the triple threat position is possibly the most potent offense in today’s NBA.