Former Miami Heat superstar LeBron James has proven himself to be one of the top NBA players. However, Shaquille O’Neal, a former Heat teammate, believes that players in today’s NBA do not have the same level of fear towards LeBron as they did towards previous NBA legends. Shaquille O’Neal expressed his opinion that players in today’s NBA do not fear LeBron the same way they feared other NBA legends who came before him.
O’Neal shared his thoughts while speaking with former Heat teammate Mario Chalmers on O’Neal’s podcast, “The Big Podcast.”
“I’ve heard players say, including myself, ‘I feared [Jordan].’ I’ve heard players in [Chalmers’] generation say they feared Kobe. I’ve never really heard any player say they feared LeBron,” O’Neal said, as reported by the X account “NBACentral.” This statement was reported by the X account “NBACentral.”
O’Neal also added that James was seen as “too nice” which was used against him compared to some of the other NBA legends he mentioned. James and O’Neal were teammates for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2009-10 season and then became rivals the following season when James joined the Heat and O’Neal joined the Celtics.
Despite the perception of being a nice guy, LeBron has achieved four titles, a feat not many players have accomplished.
O’Neal was part of the Heat from 2004 to 2008, contributing to their first title in 2006. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Udonis Haslem Believes Chris Bosh's Role Was More Important Than LeBron James
O’Neal is not the only former Heat player who has been critical of LeBron. Udonis Haslem also expressed his belief that Chris Bosh was more crucial to the Heat’s success during his time with them than James. Chris Bosh was considered to be more essential to the Heat’s success. while he was with them than James.
“Everybody thinks that our most important player was Bron. Our most important player, not our best player, but our most important player was (Bosh),” Haslem said on the March 5 episode of “The OGs.” Haslem shared these thoughts on the March 5 episode of “The OGs.” He emphasized that Bosh was the most crucial player for the team because if LeBron was sidelined, they could rely on Dwyane Wade to some extent, but they couldn't replicate what Bosh brought to the team.
Apart from Bosh, the talented big men on those Heat teams included Joel Anthony, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Chris Andersen, Ronny Turiaf, and Greg Oden
Norris Cole Supports Udonis Haslem's View
Norris Cole, another former Heat player, agrees with Haslem's perspective on LeBron. He expressed this on the March 7 episode of “Gil’s Arena.” March 7 episode of “Gil’s Arena” Cole explained why he, too, believes Bosh played a more valuable role.
“We had nobody else like [Bosh]. If Bron went out… Nobody is Bron, but D-Wade can put on a clinic and put 35, 40 up, get eight assists for a couple series if we needed him too. If [Bosh] was out for too long, we had nobody else like him to create those mismatches.”
Cole acknowledged that James was the best player for the Heat during that period. However, he credited Bosh for providing something unique that no other player on the team could.
“Bron was our best player, but without [Bosh], we don’t win those championships because he’s the only one like him on our team. No one else was 6’9, 6’10, who could pick and pop, who could pick and roll short, who could isolate, who could guard different positions, who could lead our small-ball lineup. We had nobody else like that. We just didn’t.”
