LeBron James has been around for 19 seasons now, becoming one of the greatest players to set foot on an NBA court. The King has earned his stripes after defying the odds, beating incredible rivals on his way to glory, showing his maturity since he was very young.
Right now he’s a veteran, trying to win his second championship with the Lakers in three years. However, things aren’t going well for the Purple and Gold. Bron is the only good thing for them this season, but that’s not good for a team with so many veterans on the roster.
At age 37, LeBron keeps showing his talents on the court, taking the reins of the team when nobody else shows up. This has been common for the player this season, but LeBron is not strange in this situation. Ever since he was young, James had to carry teams to compete, and people noticed he had it together even at a young age.
Shaquille O’Neal spent the last part of his career with The King in Cleveland, and he instantly noticed that Bron was different from the other superstars he played with before. In his book, “Shaq Uncut: My Story,” O’Neal compares LBJ to Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, explaining the differences between the three legends.
“I always tell people in terms of being tough on the young stars, I was a 10 with Kobe and a 4 with DWade and a 1 with LeBron. I didn’t say anything to LeBron—didn’t have to. He had it figured out at a very young age,” Shaq wrote.
He also talked about the different approaches he has for Wade and Kobe, revealing that he wasn’t so harsh with Flash, which wasn’t the case with the Black Mamba.
“DWade was a good listener. I wasn’t in his face like with Kobe. Instead of getting on him, I’d say, “Hey, dawg, maybe you should try this,” Shaq wrote.
O’Neal won titles with Kobe and Wade, but he couldn’t help Bron return to the Finals in Cleveland. Still, he saw that James would get there eventually given his mentality. Flash forward, he has made it to 10 NBA Finals, winning four of them.
He shared touches with incredible players that helped him a lot. James is now one of the two best players in NBA history after living so many good things wherever he went. Shaq knew it and let the player develop on his own. If you ask me, the results are excellent.
