4-time NBA champion and 3-time Finals MVP Shaquille O'Neal has recently talked about LeBron James and who he believes the King shares similarities with. Shaq played with LeBron during the 2009-2010 season, and has been good friends with James for many years, so he has an excellent idea of who he believes to be similar to LeBron.
Who does LeBron compare to?
According to Shaquille O'Neal himself, LeBron James is "a mixture of Michael (Jordan), Shaq (O'Neal) and Magic (Johnson)." Three of the greatest players all meshed into one player, which sounds like something out of NBA 2k.
Shaq went into detail when explaining his choices:
"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."
Shaq makes a valid point, although most people would agree that LBJ relates mostly to Magic rather than MJ or O'Neal. Magic Johnson was a unique player, and in his day he was the only player the fans had ever seen before that could be 6 foot 9 and run the ball up the court, facilitate and pass to teammates the way he could. But that's also a special skill that King James possesses.
Both Magic and Bron' can rebound the ball at a high level, which along with their passing allows them to be a triple double threat every night. But it's LeBron's scoring and defensive ability that separates him from Magic.
This scoring and defense can be seen in a player like Michael Jordan, who, like LeBron, was arguably the most athletic player in the league in his time.
Both LBJ and MJ could score in bunches, and have led the league in points per game, while both have also made the All-NBA defensive teams on several occasions. LeBron recently passed Jordan for first place in the NBA playoffs all time scoring list.
And finally, the size and strength of LeBron James can be somewhat seen in a player like Shaquille O'Neal.
While Shaq more or less used his size and strength, LeBron also uses his speed and athleticism to be an unstoppable fast break force. This is in contrast to Shaq, who was just a half court player who would catch the ball in the post and completely bully his opponent in the paint.
Shaq compliments LeBron James
The Lakers legend also recently spoke more about LeBron James, and gave him props for moving into the top position on the NBA postseason all time scoring leaderboard. O'Neal also wishes James the best in his goal to chase the ghost of Michael Jordan, with sights on being labeled 'the greatest of all time'. Shaq said:
"He's always been a joy to watch... he passed Jordan for the leading playoff scorer in history, which I thought was hard to do.
Now, once you get one or two (championships), you just try to add them on before your time is up. He has three? Hopefully he can get four this year."
The Diesel is certainly cheering on King James during his 8th overall NBA Finals this year against Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. He is rooting for his good friend and former teammate. If the King can pull it off with the help of his team and defeat the Warriors, he will have as many NBA championships as Shaquille himself. A great accomplishment for 'The Kid from Akron'.
