Shaq Provides Context To LeBron’s Move On Instagram

Shaquille O’Neal played 19 seasons in the NBA and suited up for six different teams in the process. Though he’ll be best remembered for his days with the Los Angeles Lakers, O’Neal came to superstardom with the Orlando Magic and won an additional title with the neighboring Miami Heat. He even played for three different franchises in the final three years of his career. As LeBron James takes some heat for returning to Cleveland, Shaq provided some clever, self-deprecating context to that decision and the state of The King’s career.

Congrats to da king

You gotta love the The Big Aristotle. O’Neal and James were teammates for Cleveland during the latter’s most recent season there in 2010, and Shaq clearly still holds LeBron in high-esteem.

Though O’Neal’s efforts to ease the criticism of James are noble, he’s missing the biggest takeaway here – that LeBron is held to the exalted standards of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and even Kobe Bryant as opposed to his own. And for some people, that James has switched teams a second time already puts him behind that legendary trio and players like them in basketball’s historical pecking order.

That’s not fair, of course, but expectations for LeBron never have been. Kudos to O’Neal for his self-effacing support of James regardless.

What do you think of Shaq’s post?

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