Shaquille O’Neal can be counted on to be candid, and candid he was when he admitted to being jealous of LeBron James surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the leading scorer in NBA history.
“I say it all the time,” Shaq said on I Am Athlete. “It was professional jealousy at that moment. I wish that was me. I know what I would have done. ‘Me, I’m the greatest.'”
He further added: “I know Bron. He’s very nice, very humble, corporate guy. So I’m proud of that. … But, I like hearing the (GOAT) conversations.”
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The former Lakers legend’s comments came on the back of former NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones asking him if James was his GOAT while adding for good measure that he indeed felt the veteran was one. While Shaq did ensure he didn’t make his choice, he explained that he liked conversations that would turn into debates — the GOAT talk being one of them.
The big man was one of the more prolific scorers in the NBA and is still on the list of the Top 10 scorers in league history. Shaq ended his decorated career with 28596 points and is in eighth place below Wilt Chamberlain. Perhaps, a longer stint would have seen him finish a lot higher.
Shaquille O’Neal Shares His Thoughts On Who He Feared Most, And It Wasn’t LeBron James
Quite recently, LeBron James‘ former Miami Heat teammate Mario Chalmers stirred up a massive controversy by saying players didn’t fear the Lakers superstar, and that turned into a hot topic of conversation on social media for a few days.
And in related news, Shaq, Vernon Maxwell, and Stephen A. Smith shared their views on the fear factor. The center leaned more toward the argument of players fearing Jordan.
“Nobody was scared of LeBron. They respect him but don’t fear him… I was terrified of MJ. Just watching him out there, I was terrified.”
James may not be the most feared one, but what opponents will know is discounting him at any point in time. The 38-year-old is still going strong in his 20th year in the league, with his sights trained on another NBA championship.
Only time will tell if James can indeed lead the Lakers to the promised land this season. And should he achieve that milestone, there’s surely more professional jealousy and massive mutual respect from Shaq coming his way.
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