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“I’m Not Impressed By 38 Y/o LeBron James”: Shaquille O’Neal Admits His Jealousy Over Lakers Star’s Longevity

Advait Jajodia
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“I'm Not Impressed By 38 Y/o LeBron James”: Shaquille O'Neal Admits His Jealousy Over Lakers Star's Longevity

Having gone from being 13th in their conference to advancing to the Western Conference Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers made a spectacular turnaround of their season. While Anthony Davis had a phenomenal postseason run, LeBron James at age 38 was as sensational as expected. Having played with a torn foot tendon, that would probably require surgery, King James went on to record 24.5/9.9/6.5 in 38.7 MPG during the playoff run. While several fans and former stars are left in awe, Shaquille O’Neal is revealed to be jealous of his former teammate.

Shaq played in the NBA for 19 seasons. Over the course of his illustrious career, O’Neal managed to win all of the NBA’s most coveted accolades. A dominant big man all his life, Diesel’s career was stifled by a horrific Achilles injury.

An injury from which he never entirely healed and one that would go on to force him to retire at the age of 38. Pretty understandable why O’Neal would be jealous of LBJ’s longevity.

“I’m Not Impressed By 38 Y/o LeBron James”: Shaquille O’Neal

On the recent episode of “The Big Podcast with Shaq”, the former Los Angeles Lakers legend was asked whether or not he was impressed by Bron’s recent playoff outing. Surprisingly, the Big Aristotle would go on to deny being impressed only because he was envious. Disclosing that he would wish to be the league’s all-time leading scorer, Shaq further said:

“No, I’m not. I’m jealous… I’d love to be playing and be the #1 leading scorer in the league, why not?

I’m jealous, I wish I was able to do that. Not impressed, he’s LeBron. No, I’m not impressed, I’ve seen him do this for 20 years.”

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Entering Year 21, it’s surreal that James remains to be one of the best players in the league. While the 4-time MVP claims to be a top 40 player in the league (better than 90% of players), his dominance is still off the charts.

Even though he has started to show signs of his decline, the 6-foot-9 forward is still one of the most feared superstars in the league who could go off for a 40-point outing whenever required.

Is LeBron going to retire?

After the conclusion of the Lakers-Nuggets series, Bron’s comments regarding a potential retirement had everyone concerned.

While several fans have their own theory about his comments, most supporters are speculating that the 4-time NBA champ would love to take a year off and join the team that would sign his eldest son.

However, more recent reports suggest that the 19-time All-Star will suit up for the 2023-2024 season and fulfill his contract.

Irrespective, we sure do hope that LeBron and Bronny do become the first-ever father-son duo to share the NBA hardwood.

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

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Advait Jajodia, a seasoned NBA journalist, has had a passion for the game for over a decade. His journey from admiring Kobe Bryant's precision to being in awe of Stephen Curry's long-range mastery instilled a profound understanding of basketball. With a background as a two-time National-level player, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 21-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 3,350+ articles.

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