Throughout history, LeBron James has been one of the most controversial players in the league. Some have praised him, some have tried to take him down. Surprisingly, it still happens up to this day.
That’s why it’s not unusual to see current and former legends of the game step up and defend The King from the unfair criticism. That was the case in 2017 when Shaquille O’Neal gave him the ultimate compliment:
“He’s a mixture of Michael [Jordan], Shaq and Magic [Johnson],” O’Neal said, as quoted by Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “Shaq, because he’s bigger and stronger than everybody. Michael because he can score whenever he feels like it. And Magic because he does a great job getting everybody else involved. He’s been like that his whole career. Even in high school. I knew he was a special guy in high school.”
If someone can talk about those players, then that’s definitely Shaq. He faced Michael Jordan when he was with the Orlando Magic, also faced Magic Johnson and got to know him on another level as a Lakers legend, and shared the locker room with LeBron during his time in Cleveland.
Perhaps, the craziest part of that statement is the fact that, four years later, every single thing Shaq said is even more evident nowadays.
At 36 years old and after 18 seasons in the league, LeBron James continues to impress and rank among the best players in the world. He was even a legit MVP candidate before suffering that high-ankle injury.
It was clear that James was a special talent ever since his days at St. Vincent-St. Mary high school and it’s fair to say that he has surpassed every single expectation after being the most hyped prospect in the history of the Association.
