Shaquille O’Neal has been a legendary character for almost all his life. The unbound success has given him the right to speak his mind when he sees fit. And when he speaks, people usually listen. One of the most-watched TV personalities in the NBA community, Shaq had some unpopular opinions on LeBron James. In fact, he claimed that Kobe Bryant was better than the current Lakers star.
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Shaq is one of the greatest players to ever don the gold and purple. While LeBron James is greatness personified, O’Neal is not any less.
As a senior player, and at the time of the release of his book Shaq Uncut, a more successful player, Diesel’s opinion on LeBron is valuable. Especially because Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were on terrible terms when Shaq wrote his biography. So, his praise for Black Mamba is all the more authentic.
Shaquille O’Neal ranked Kobe Bryant over LeBron James
Before Kobe’s tragic demise, the debate for the top 3 players still included him in the conversation. Many pundits and players often ranked Kobe over LBJ. Shaq was the same.
In his book, though Shaquille O’Neal clearly praised LeBron, he acknowledged Kobe as a better player. While discussing Dwyane Wade and LeBron’s strength, he gravitated toward a comparison of those two with Mamba.
Shaq: ” LeBron is more of an “opportunity” CEO. He’s not afraid to take the last shot, but he won’t hesitate to pass it to an open Mike Miller, either. So where do those two guys measure up against Kobe? Kobe is a scientific dawg. He works out every day, practices every day. Most of the other stars are just dawgs, not scientific dawgs. Me, I’m a freak-of-nature dawg because of my size. LeBron could be a scientific dawg like Kobe, but he’s got a lot going on like I did, so that’s preventing him from being one. Kobe will always have the edge because of his range and his killer instinct. LeBron has the killer instinct, but he can’t shoot like Kobe can.”
Shaq’s words are proving right about King James
LeBron James last won a championship during the NBA bubble. This marked the 4th title of his career, still one less than Bryant.
With Lakers’ current season quickly becoming the worst in franchise history, LeBron is losing the window to win another ring. Despite how well he has persevered, there is no denying that he is aging.
In just two years, Bron will be 40. So, even if he does win a championship then, it would hardly be from the front. In that sense, Mamba has perhaps already established himself as the better player. Maybe, his hunger to win was just all that more than LeBron’s.
