In the 2000s, Shaquille O’Neal was the best basketball player on the planet. His game had evolved to the level where only the greatest of defenders could even hope to stand alongside O’Neal in the post. He was simply unstoppable. A force of nature.
By the 2010s, a different name had taken over as the best basketball player on the planet. The rise of LeBron James was inevitable but it surprisingly impacted the legendary 7ft 1″ center as well.
In his book Shaq Uncut, O’Neal talked in detail about LeBron. From their epic dance battle to their playoffs run together, Diesel’s account of the young King was extensive. Shaquille O’Neal even revealed how his one-season teammate’s rise to popularity among his children was a little too much to handle.
Shaquille O’Neal was jealous of LeBron’s popularity in his house
While talking about LeBron, Shaq claimed that his young sons loved the then-Cleveland Cavaliers superstar. He also drew a parallel between himself and James, suggesting the 6ft 9″ was as popular in the 2010s as O’Neal had been in the 2000s.
Shaq: “LeBron was a huge star. He was as big as I was in 2000 in LA when I was dominating the league. My kids are too young to remember any of that. My sons love LeBron more than they love me. I’m a little jealous about that. You get around LeBron and you realize he’s everything he appears to be. He’s a strong kid with a ton of confidence who works his ass off. He doesn’t quite have Kobe’s range yet, but I bet he will. He’s not going to stop until he wins multiple rings.”
In all fairness, Shaquille O’Neal was a shadow of his former self by the time LeBron was dominating with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He became all the more popular after his stint with the Redeem Team. Naturally, Shaq’s boys were drawn to him. In fact, Shareef O’Neal even credited King James for motivating him to pursue the sport.
Shareef O’Neal on if Shaq was his favorite player: “It was my dad for sure. My dad was my favorite player.” But admits LeBron James was his favorite player growing up.
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) June 21, 2022
LeBron James and Shaq played a season together
Not many know but Shaq actually played with LeBron James for a season. After his stint with Phoenix Suns ended, O’Neal headed to Cleveland for his second last season in the league.
The unexpected duo even made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in 2010. However, they lost to the Boston Celtics in 6 games. O’Neal and LeBron played in every playoff game but failed to overcome the unstoppable Celtics that year. So, O’Neal left Cleveland and moved to Boston to play his last NBA season with the Celtics. A move that certainly left a bad taste in some Lakers die-hard fans.
The post “My Sons Love LeBron James”: When Shaquille O’Neal was Jealous of 6ft 9″ Superstar’s Growing Popularity Despite Similarities appeared first on The SportsRush.
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