It’s not often that Stephen A. Smith comes to LeBron James‘ defense, but he did just that when Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal appeared on The Stephen A. Smith Show. O’Neal is among those who have defended LeBron James this offseason, but he is putting high expectations on him and his Philadelphia 76ers.
“It’s championship or bust for LeBron and Jaylen [Brown],” O’Neal said.
Smith questioned why it wouldn’t be acceptable for the new-look 76ers to win in Year 2, as James has signed a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option for the second year. He then pointed out that O’Neal won the championship in his second season with the Miami Heat in 2006.
“I don’t have excuses,” O’Neal said. “But just let me give you one excuse. That’s because I had a thigh bruise and I was taking shots and we lost that Game 7. I was not 100% healthy. If I was 100% healthy, I would have gave you two in a row, ’cause you know I was on a mission. I got in shape. I lost 60 lbs. I was 325. I was on a mission. I had [Dwyane Wade] and the boys rolling.
“We would have won that first year,” O’Neal continued. “I’m telling you, if we’d have beat Detroit, we would end up playing San Antonio. We would have beat them… That’s my excuse. It didn’t happen. You’re right. But guess what? It was championship or bust for me, too. I didn’t get a championship. You think I was out partying that summer? No.”
O’Neal’s Heat had lost in seven games to the Detroit Pistons in the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals. They’d beat the Pistons in six games in the rematch on that very same stage the following year and went on to win the championship.
Smith responded to all this by pointing out O’Neal was only in his early 30s at the time and was still dominating. He believes the 41-year-old James cannot be held to the same standard.
“Yes, we can,” O’Neal said. “Because you know why? ‘Cause he’s LeBron James. Either one, two, or three in many people’s eyes. One, two, or three in many people’s eyes. And guess what? The Philadelphia fans don’t care about his age… And then, LeBron’s not doing it by himself, which makes it even.
“We still got Joel Embiid,” O’Neal continued. “I remember two or three years ago, [Charles Barkley] and I was saying he’s the best big man in the league… Is he going to be hungry and try to get that back? That’s my question. Jaylen Brown been disrespected in Boston after having a great year… They just got rid of him. He got something to prove.
“VJ [Edgecombe] got something to prove, and Tyrese Maxey got something to prove,” O’Neal added. “If they can pull it together, if certain guys can make certain sacrifices during certain parts of the game, it’s going to be ugly. And then LeBron don’t have to do much. LeBron could do what he’s always doing, getting people involved.”
You would imagine that James, who averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks per game in 2025-26, would assume that playmaker role with the 76ers. The 22-time All-Star has come to Philadelphia because he wants to win another championship, and he’s going to do whatever it takes to win.
O’Neal had questions here about Joel Embiid, but he later went on to make a bold prediction. The 54-year-old thinks Embiid is going to pass Nikola Jokic and become the best big man in the NBA next season. That would certainly help the 76ers’ chances of winning the championship.
O’Neal does feel sorry for Tyrese Maxey, though, following James and Jaylen Brown’s arrival. He thinks with these two on the team and Embiid potentially being healthy, Maxey might have to take a backseat.
Well, everyone is going to have to sacrifice to an extent. The 76ers might have the best starting five in the NBA on paper, but there is just one basketball. There are definitely going to be growing pains, and don’t be surprised if they have a bit of a slow start.
