In one of the episodes of "The Big Podcast with Shaq" the former four-time champion and fifteen-time All-Star, Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal, recently spoke regarding LeBron James and his place among the league, and none fear him like they did Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Shaq says he never heard a player say they feared LeBron James
"I've heard players say, including myself, 'I feared [Michael Jordan].' I've heard players in [Mario Chalmers's] generation say they feared Kobe. I've never really heard any player say they feared LeBron."
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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 13, 2024
The episode also featured two-time NBA champion, and former Miami Heat guard, Mario Chalmers. Shaq had mentioned via NBACentral, "I"ve heard players say, including myself, ‘I feared [Michael Jordan]." I"ve heard players in [Mario Chalmers"s] generation say they feared Kobe. I"ve never really heard any player say they feared LeBron."
To which Chalmers added, "I got killed for that. I didn’t think players really feared LeBron like they did Jordan and it’s not that you shouldn’t fear Bron I just think at the end of the day Bron has been through so much that he wanted to be liked."
He further continued, "It was kind of like I am going to do things now where people like me people, people respect ‘You [people] are always going to respect what he did’ but you actually like Bron and want to be a fan of Bron now so, I think that’s what that was."
Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were both known for their dominant approaches and had an individual presence on the court. Their assaults, backed up by extreme dedication and finesse, were considerable factors for which they were known.
However, on the other hand, LeBron’s approach has been different while leading his incredibly impressive career, in which he has reached several league records and broken them as well.
The four-time NBA champion, 20-time All-Star, 4-time MVP, is still going strong in his 21st season and has achieved a novel platform when considering longevity among the players.
