Shaquille O'Neal on LeBron: 'Nobody was ever scared of him' — Skip & Shannon | NBA | UNDISPUTED

Well there's really nothing to defend because I don't agree with Shaq, how does a guy get to ten finals and almost two decades, but no one fears him? They called him Lebron, so the Toronto Raptors n

ever

feared Lebron James. That's what Shaq is trying to tell us. that was with your boy demar derozan like his but he said no one would include demar derozan no one would include kyle lowry no one would include

ever

yone he said no one didn't say well this guy wasn't afraid of him but this boy, he said no one, therefore he would include, what did you nickname those teams, baby dinosaur, baby diamonds?

Yeah, how about I give you another one in 2007? Lebron James took the Cleveland Cavaliers, a very shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers, and beat the Detroit Pistons and ended his career hey Shaq, little information for you that the Detroit Pistons beat you in the finals and ended your career in their LA . You don't think they were afraid of him and guess what happened in the summer of 2007. The Boston Celtics went and traded for Kevin. garnett and ray allen then why did they make that move if the boston celtics didn't fear him they wouldn't have made that move how about another one when I come a little more for one more reason for shaq because apparently history is not a good topic for shaq no why the hell did the golden state warriors load their contingency and get on a plane and bother kevin garnett in hamptons if no one was afraid of him that's why they put together the super team they keep talking about

lebron

but boston brought together three greats long before they went to Miami.

Why, because they feared him, did they see a 22-year-old young man lead a team to the final that had no reason to protect him until the final, whether it was the east, the west, the north or the south, did that and the city ​​of boston says you know what the way we're built we can't do anything with it kevin garnett he says you know what they've put me down for too long. I'm not going anywhere in Minnesota okay let's do this ray allen let's do this but no one was afraid of him and they still asked why no one is afraid of him he didn't offer an explanation everything he said they don't fear they respect him but they don't Don't be afraid I can get it I need you give me an explanation why because he wasn't a jerk to people like some of the others because he didn't give people his butt to kiss because he's friendly, he shakes the guy's hand, hey.

You need some of that bro call me cuz he ain't standoffish is one of the reasons they ain't afraid of him I'm a bear I totally disagree with Shaq he keeps talking about Giannis coming down the hill he jumps what You say? Everyone has someone. drove the basketball to the hoop harder or harder than a

lebron

james shaq where have you been for the last 18 years lebron james was doing what giannis is currently doing for the last 19 years and somehow shaq forgot how interesting it is um, I get it, Shaq is very loyal to the Lakers and the Lakers underperformed because it seemed like every time it was good, they were going to change things, they were going to change their veteran baseball club, they could do this x and z and I don't know. got. fact and I know Shaq is very disappointed with the way the season turned out, I understand it because I feel like it's the same with the Broncos when things aren't going well I say hey I'm upset but this notion that no one was afraid of LeBron.

I don't think that's true because Golden State builds teams. Didn't anyone put together a team to beat Milwaukee? Golden State didn't put together a team to beat the Cavaliers. That's why they didn't get Kevin Durant. That's why kg and Ray Allen teamed up with Paul Pierce for LeBron, but no one feared him. In other words, I'm trying to figure out how this guy is going to become the leading scorer of all time and no one is afraid of him. Nothing, I don't agree with Shaq, that's Shaq's opinion, but I just offered examples of why Shaq is wrong in this situation.

You finished? I am because I'm about to start just for the record, just to get some perspective. I have a lot of respect for Shaquille. Neal, the basketball player I rank third on my all-time list. I'm talking about all times. Obviously I got Jordan first, Magic second, and Shaq third. Shaq was as feared as any basketball player he had ever tied down. right, because in those three years, those three Pete years with Kobe in Los Angeles, from the beginning he was such a destructive offensive force and I can pitch defensively too, but especially on offense, he was so destructive that you couldn't referee it, it was somewhere between football. and basketball and I'm not sure where the line was drawn because it was so hard to judge whether it was a foul or a correct charge and yet everyone who tied them up in the other locker room was afraid they were going to have to go out and deal with that guy because he was so big and so strong and he was so nasty that he was what I call a cold blooded killer so he was magical and then at the highest level obviously so was michael jeffrey jordan cold blooded killers.

During the big games and the big moments, I put Shaq on top of Kareem and a lot of people think I'm crazy because Kareem was as talented as he looks, seven feet two inches tall, which is why he's the all-time . leading scorer, but there was something about Shaq that if you give me the all-time hypothetical matchup between Shaq and Kareem, I just think Shaq destroys Kareem because it would be too physical and, in a good way, too petty for Kareem. but everyone keeps saying that, but I saw Shaq several times against Akeem Elijah One and King wiped the floor with him, he didn't wipe the floor.

Did you see the finals? I saw the titles. Okay, you're coming back. to orlando yes, it was him, it wasn't

shaquille

o'

neal

, he was, but he didn't wipe the floor with him, go check the numbers, go check the team that I saw very closely, but that's what you say, who Win the final, whoever wins the final. mvp that means they are better players that's the app that's what you use to say kd was better than lebron well 4-0 now let's go back to what he said and it's funny to me that he started by saying and you know, lebron is my guy, that was the first line in this quote and the second line is gin, i read that no one was ever afraid of lebron, right, and he didn't even put a question mark in it, he just said, like he was saying. a fitting fact for me, for me,

shaquille

o'

neal

just captured the essence of what i thought and said on national tv about lebron james from my days on cold pizza from 2004 to 2007 on espn2, so i've been on this for a long time.

For a long time and then suddenly out of nowhere, the guy who was the third best of all time personified my biggest problem with Lebron versus Jordan for the goat debate. You have Lebron. I just said it's nonsense. I even to debate it I've had Jordan since the beginning you say well it's just what's your cup of tea what's your flavor or do you love Lebron do you love Jordan well for me I can't even go there because it's not even close between those two for what shaq said at the end everyone respected lebron's talent because how could they not?

He has the five best talents of all time, the one, the two best, he is

undisputed

, he is an

undisputed

talent and he is the best basketball driver of all time. I'm telling you because he's 692, what are we going to get? I don't know 60 or 70. And he's ambidextrous because he was born left-handed and he plays right-handed, so he's got it all right and you can't stop that from happening. the hoop, but are you afraid of it? I say no because deep down you know and I know that at his core, Michael Jordan was the coldest blooded killer that ever tied them up and to your point, in the end, that guy is a good guy and I.

Congratulate him for that, I think deep down he wants everyone to love him and that's why you know he wants you to love him because he hugs everyone after the game rivals, rival coaches popovich, so we use because he's not an idiot, we support him. con, okay, I'm not holding it against you, we're talking about competing at the highest level, a level where you've competed and you know there's something at that level deep in the darkest part of your psyche, you say , oh god, I have to deal with this guy and they're not thinking about that guy because at the end of the games he doesn't always show up as the strongest and the baddest and the meaning is that no one always shows up, but he still was.

So did Golden. The state fears him, so why would Golden State go out and recruit openly? Big question. I'm glad you mentioned that. It's because his best player has less clutch than him. It's because of what happened to Steph Curry in games five, six and seven of those. In the finals, he simply shrank even more than he was. I can beat you to death with the numbers, but look at games five, six and seven, and two of them were at Steph's house, two of them and he just shrank more and more. and smaller, he had more turnovers than assists in those three games and shot just as poorly.

This is the best shooter of all time. Look at the numbers. Watch Game 7 at his home in Oracle. Look how bad the six was. six teams, in other words, Golden State felt like the two-time MVP the last time they won, the only guy to win it unanimously, didn't they fear that he wasn't going to be able to do what he had to do to win? that gay that's right so someone was afraid of him well I don't know if it's not fear it's just that we're not good enough we're not good enough well they had them three why can't it be with michael we're just not good enough, Why does he have to be fair to Michael?

But we're just not good enough with Lebron. Fear with Michael Howe. You said they were afraid they were afraid of Michael. Well, you know it and I know it. He's fine, he's the weirdest player. Who ever tied him up? Which bad boy made him angry with fear. Yes, my goodness, there was a whole book written called Sam Smith's Jordan Rules. They actually had to make rules to stop this guy because he was like interplanetary. It was like a. Being an alien I can write a book and by the way the rules allowed them to play nothing but football because the rule was to hit him in the tail so I can write a book called Brady Rules and how the best way to neutralize Tom Brady .

I don't think there's a book you can write there, absolutely that's what you do: you get pressure in the middle and you force it out of his place. Okay, can you understand? Oh, he's gotten better and better at getting rid of the ball. What did you do, what did you do, what did you do, what did you do in the book, uh Jordan, what does it say get to him before he takes off from the ground? Well, yeah, I mean, or hit him while he's in the air. He's okay all of a sudden when he's most vulnerable, but.

See, this is what you're trying to get wrong. What you do is I give you examples. One thing I don't do is make mistakes. I give you examples of teams that teamed up to beat him, but you said it was because they felt like they couldn't. It was pretty good, but Jordan, oh, because they feared it, why did they team up? Because they just weren't good enough, but then what happened once they got Kevin Durant? Suddenly, the fear factor was gone. the other way around, thanks, so they feared him, that's why they went and got kd, they just knew they weren't good enough, they just weren't good enough and then what happened in game one in 2018 at Oracle, what happened to him him. the hottest shooting night he's ever had in the finals game and it all comes down to the last shot.

He says, "I've got this on Steph. I've got to turn Steph on. I've got a 17-foot jump shot, just a good one and us." You're down and I don't want to accept it. I'm going to let George Hill take over. All I'm saying is what you did. See, now all of a sudden Lebron freaked out instead of saying no. well the 17 17 18 golden state warriors are ranked as one of the top five teams in nba finals history lebron james no other player on that list is a hall of famer they had four that night and now lebron james is

scared

instead of They're just not good enough and what they do is when Jordan lost well, his teams weren't good enough to beat the big three.

The big three Celtics, his teams weren't good enough to beat the bad boy Pistons. but as soon as he took advantage, they feared him, they feared him with Lebron James, they were afraid of what Larry Bird said after the first game, when Jordan was still just a baby coming off a broken leg. Remember what he said. That was God disguised as Michael. jordan, okay, larry bird doesn't say that about anyone, how can you be afraid of someone and that guy has never taken a game from you in two series? michael jordan has never won a game, those celtics were possibly the greatest team of all time, but you can make a case, but if you're afraid of someone you should say oh hey, we can't do this, they swept it in both series, yeah , but they feared him because he scored 63 in the first game, so teams don't feel that Lebron Lebron is going down. averaging 35 13 and nine but no one was afraid of him because he lost look even they could but look that's what I don't give

skip

is what you're doing is you're saying if lebron wins it's because they were just the other team it wasn't good enough if jordan win it's because they were afraid of him you can't do it you and shaq are doing exactly the same thing it always comes down to the fact that in the end if he's close you know that if he has the ball his hands he's not a gimmethe ball and get out of my way closer he has never been that is not his strength his strength is his literal strength but not his psychological strength that is not what he does best no, he is a guy who passes first, okay and The point is that it takes away the fear factor because Jordan was: give me the damn ball and get out of my way, that's where you strike fear into the hearts of Europe, you said magic with one shot, absolutely, it doesn't look like it, it doesn't act like it , but deep down I know and I know, a cold-blooded murderer.

You remember the shot he gave and I'm thinking it was 85 or what not 87. The baby hooked the baby's hook. I think he was a baby. He was sitting in front. You work your magic. looking to pass the ball and they they and then they blocked kareem and then he had to take it on himself what happened I saw it, I saw it happen, I saw it unfold live okay and he said if that's what I have to do . I'll do this and he made it up as I went along. I'm not sure he's ever practiced a shot in his life.

No problem. He does a baby skyhook. Yes. It's going to Baby Junior Kareem to win the game. Yes. And that's coming out. Tragic Johnson when he retired and failed down the stretch was 84 true, but I'm saying you have to write that off well, well, he did, yeah, and that's why the HBO series right now is called winning time because that was his quote that was the first one of magic it's just different because in the end all I know is that I will give you the statistic one more time since LeBron entered the league no one has missed more decisive field goals it's late and the field goals closed he's missed a hundred and three of those which is 22 ahead of russ and dwyane wade in that category no one has missed more mitch missed later and close or what you call clutch three point shots sorry except us, russ has a few more than lebron does and no one has missed more late, close free throws than that guy and it's 17 and it's like that, what happened last year in lebron's last first round playoff series in cleveland , you know, and I know what happened, they're upstairs. two games to one in that very good it was not a great team but it was a very good team yes, it was a champion team yes, that team won 60 something, a team won 65 games how many teams in the history of the NBA have won 65 games? and we say they weren't very good, okay, I'm not saying that, but I can't say they were great.

I don't think they're better than the Bird Celtics, but no, no, no. no, no, but jump, you realize they had an MVP, okay, but what I mean is he's up two games to one. He played that Friday night. I sat in my apartment in New York staring at him in awe on Friday night at the Boston Garden. He destroyed them. They go up two games to one and suddenly I'm thinking, well here we go and you know what happened in games four, five and six, but you realize Kyrie got the c, now Kevin Durant was up 2-0. but kyrie got hurt and james harden was a shell of himself he loses 4-3 you said he was fine you made excuses for the injuries he's up 2-1 minus k minus uh kyrie minus kevin love and you say lebron retired for what not kevin durant By default, he was up 2-0, 2-0 is better than 2-1, okay, but we're talking about him right now, we're talking about what Shaq said about him, but the shack knows those Celtics knew he had retired, he just went under.

They killed him, he couldn't handle the pressure, there was too much pressure on him and you could say, well, he didn't have enough supporting actors. Well, is he that guy or not? In the end, in those situations, he's not that guy, so in 80. So in 80, in 85 and 86, Jordan was that guy or not, because I don't want to hear you use the excuse that the Celtics were one of the best teams of all time, either Jordan was or he wasn't that guy. I answered the question: Was Jordan that guy or not? Great Celtics team. I just need you to answer the question below.

You see when Lebron loses. He's not that guy. It's never about the team being better than it was, but when Michael loses the team. He better be or he's not the guy, have you ever seen a more epic flame put out by a superstar than LeBron in the 2011 fight? That's the first round and once again they go up two games to one. LeBron goes back to his hotel and he's writing a list of "I'll tell him and tell him he was at the top of the list" and what happened in games four, five and six, just in time, the chosen one became in the freezer and again Shaq knows it. that and that's why he says no I'm sorry I can't go there because there's no fear factor in other words what you see is you take a case where someone fails and you use it.

To paint the entire creation of man, I only gave you two in a row in those two years, but he jumps, you keep saying that, but they had to go get Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Would you believe paul pierce face to face with lebron james? the Celtics did that, so what happened when Lebron James didn't get two players equivalent to Garnett and reality is what happened? Well, it happened in 2014. Lebron goes one-on-one home in Miami against my Spurs and you know what happened, nothing happened because he just disappeared. in back to back games at home and in game 5 they were eliminated in san antonio and lost the finals by a record margin in the finals that's on their resume and that's why shaq says who but who is who is afraid of that but ability but you but Look, yesterday you were just praising Duncan Parker Ginobili Kawhi, now you turn it around and pretend that Lebron was James was playing with the San Antonio Spurs the other night, they lost four to one.

Oh, it's still good and they were really good. Let me ask you a question. Who was better, the Detroit Piston or the uh Hold on the Detroit Pistons, is one of two teams to win an NBA championship and doesn't have a top 75 player? They beat Shaq, the Detroit Pistol, so let me ask you a question or were they there. The 75 best players on that San Antonio Spurs team Was there a 75 best player on that Dallas Mavericks scene? Shaq lost an NBA Finals to a team that didn't have a top-75 player, so I guess Detroit wasn't afraid to be timid.

I guess they didn't and they didn't fear Kobe because they lost 401, you know, and I know Shaq and Kobe were figuring out what they had to do, I lost, Detroit didn't win, the Lakers, you see what you do every time someone loses. what do you have to skin you in the game you play they were falling apart I'm just telling you the truth everyone will tell you wait they were unreal they started fighting early they win because who's the team my team your team then? This goes back four or five years, but it didn't stop them from winning championships.

Nobody said anything about what was falling apart until they lost and it was because they were falling apart. Stop this, thanks for watching, you can subscribe here to get the latest. from the show and be sure to check out more of the best clips from undisputed or check out some other segments from our other shows on fs1