In 2010, LeBron James was nearing the end of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Seven years in the league, James till-then had failed to win his first championship ring in 2007, and yet again, missed another chance to reach the Finals in 2010. Despite having the league’s best record, the Cavs were defeated 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Boston Celtics.
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Alongside LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal had also thought he could win the fifth ring of his career with LeBron James. However, Shaq was extremely disappointed when this never happened. Following the tantalizing loss, Shaq exited the Cleveland Cavaliers and even contemplated retiring from the game. He detailed his thoughts following this incident in his auto-biography, Shaq Uncut.
Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James played together at the Cavs for just one season. Before this, LeBron had one Finals appearance in 2007, where the San Antonio Spurs swept the Cavs in four games. Despite having the big man on his team, LeBron and the Cavs failed to reach the Finals in 2010.
Shaquille O’Neal faced extreme guilt and contemplated retirement after losing ECSF against Boston Celtics
The Cleveland Cavaliers, which consisted of Shaq and LeBron’s star powers, were overwhelmed by the Celtics in the Second Round of the 2010 Play-Offs. The Cavs lost 4-2 against Paul Pierce’s Celtics, in a toughly contested series that stretched till Game 6. Despite having Shaq and LeBron, the Cavs had failed to reach the Conference and the NBA Finals.
Shaquille O’Neal was heartbroken by not being able to help his team go past such a hurdle. A winner of four rings himself, Shaq also actively pursued a fifth ring, to be one up against his contemporaries, such as Kobe Bryant. Shaq believed he could have helped the Cavs further. But seemed like the Cavs’ front-office weren’t much on board with this idea. Detailing this feeling in his autobiography, Shaq had even considered retirement with such heavy guilt.
“When I left Cleveland in 2010 I wished LeBron luck in free agency, but I had no idea where he’d land. I never heard from him again once I left town. I wished I had more of a chance to help the Cavaliers win. I feel like I could have made a difference, but not everyone in Cleveland was on board with that theory. I kept my mouth shut and packed my things and went home. I even seriously thought about retiring.”
Shaq soon entered free agency and signed for the Boston Celtics in 2010. He retired the following season in 2011, after having won 4 championship rings, 3 Finals MVPs, and a regular season MVP.
Following his departure from the Cavs, Shaq’s communication with LeBron James also dwindled. The very season Shaq left, LeBron also joined Miami Heat, where he won two consecutive championships.
Kevin Garnett revealed how the Celtics once broke LeBron James
Kevin Garnett had quite a fruitful experience playing against LeBron James. In 2010, Garnett and the Celtics had successfully beaten the Cavs and was out to do the same in 2012 as well. However, the Heat somehow came back through in the series and defeated the Celtics 4-3.
Garnett believed that the Celtics and he had no fear for LeBron’s prowess. They would rather go all out and exert pressure on King James. However, James roared back in the 2012 ECF after a Game 5 loss at the TD Garden. He dropped a 45 against the Celtics, exerting his revenge for the 2010 loss.
