Since LeBron James has left the Lakers, reports have surfaced that indicate a part of the reason why the 41-year-old exited in free agency was that he felt disrespected by the franchise and its fanbase.
Consequently, the Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal has come out in James’ defense, saying he doesn’t deserve the criticism he gets. Moreover, in his recent appearance for an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, O’Neal even empathized with James, saying he knew how it felt not to be loved by the Lakers’ fans.
“They didn’t love me, they loved Kobe… This is what we call the B.O.B brother, the business of basketball,” O’Neal said.
“You know when I’m in charge, I’m a difficult man to deal with. The thing has to be done my way, and sometimes people don’t agree with that. So when they get you out of there, it’s like ha-ha! So I can kind of understand what was said.”
O’Neal is essentially comparing his situation of leaving the franchise to a younger star and searching for better opportunities elsewhere to that of LeBron James. The legend suggests that just like LeBron James handed the Lakers’ torch to Luka Doncic, O’Neal has experienced something similar when he did that with Kobe Bryant.
Shaquille O’Neal won three championships with the Lakers, and he was the Finals MVP each time he did. And some might argue that it is natural for the Lakers fans to love Kobe Bryant more, since he was loyal to the franchise and won five championships (two more than O’Neal).
However, that doesn’t mean they do not love Shaquille O’Neal. So many fans flooded the comments section and revealed that they were heartbroken to see O’Neal leave and eventually wear their rivals, the Celtics’ green, before he retired.
Therefore, fans feel his actions have justified them feeling a certain way about him. But then again, that does not mean they did not love him when he was there.
And that situation is different than LeBron James’ situation because Doncic has not been with him throughout his time with the Lakers, so it was never about choosing one superstar for the fans but rather about who is the next face of the team when James leaves.
Let’s also look at the statistical differences in their careers with the Lakers, as both spent eight seasons with the team.
Shaquille O’Neal averaged 27.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists across 636 games played for the Lakers in the regular season and playoffs combined. He won three NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, and one regular season MVP award during his time in LA.
Meanwhile, James averaged 25.9 points, 7.9 assists, and 7.8 rebounds in 542 games played (including the regular season and the playoffs). He won only one championship, where he was the Finals MVP. Thus showing a drastic difference in the contributions of both players to the franchise.
But it also shows the standard that the Lakers fans have set for the franchise. If they didn’t love O’Neal for doing as much as he did, LeBron James may have never truly gained their respect.
Shaquille O’Neal Predicts LeBron James Will Retire With 53,000 Career Points
The Lakers legend also spoke about the gravity of what LeBron James is doing while recording the latest episode of the ‘Big Podcast’ where he made a bold prediction about James’ career.
“I think everybody’s overall not seeing what LeBron is really doing… So, think about it. So, when I was playing, and I had 2,000 points, and you look up at that 38,000 from Kareem. You’re like, “Damn.”
“Bron got 45,000 points right now. That man is going to end up with 53,000 points. This s–t is never going to be broken again, ever. Your a– is going to be dead. I’m going to be dead. We’re all going to be dead.”
“And the only guy that’s going to get close to us is when they change the game in 2096 where they have four pointers and five pointers and half-court shots work 20 points. That man is gonna have 53,000,” O’Neal concluded.
Let’s break down LeBron James’ current statistics after the 2025-26 season to better understand what O’Neal is trying to say. Ending year 23 in the league, James currently has 43,440 points in just the regular season. If you combine that with the playoffs, he has 51,961 points.
If O’Neal is predicting the regular season totals, James would need about 9,560 points over the next two seasons. Which is impossible. But for career totals including the playoffs, he only needs 1,039 points to cross that benchmark over the next two or more seasons.
In my opinion, James will easily cross that benchmark and could be looking at 54,000 or more points in his career as well. It remains to be seen what role James plays in their offense to estimate when the 41-year-old will fulfill this prediction.