LeBron James leaving the Los Angeles Lakers and heading to the Philadelphia 76ers re-opened plenty of discourse around the fandom’s support of the surefire Hall of Famer and all-time great. The national conversation has been about whether or not Lakers fans supported James enough during his eight years with the franchise.
It was reminiscent of Shaquille O’Neal, another all-timer who left the Lakers franchise after eight seasons as the team moved forward with a younger superstar. So O’Neal felt uniquely able to chime in on the debate, where he took the side of those saying that James wasn’t as well-liked as other Lakers greats.
“Well they didn’t love me, they loved Kobe,” O’Neal said in a SiruisXM interview. “They didn’t love me, and listen. This is what we call B.O.B., the business of basketball. When you’re like me, when I’m in charge, I’m a difficult man to deal with. Everything has to be done my way, and sometimes, people don’t agree with that. So when they get you up out of there, I can kind of understand both sides.”
The average Lakers fan would likely say that they both like and appreciate what O’Neal and James helped do for the franchise. O’Neal, in particular, was universally loved until his falling out with Bryant that led to his departure from the organization.
O’Neal chose the Lakers in 1996, well after the Showtime era had ended, and worked to help usher in a new era of Laker greatness. He proceeded to be the leading figure on a team that won three consecutive titles and went to four NBA Finals in five years.
James chose the Lakers when they were at their worst point in franchise history, coming off of five consecutive seasons without making the playoffs. He delivered a title to L.A. in his second season, and restored the franchise to former glory.
While both had relatively unceremonious exits given what they accomplished, nobody can deny the positive impact that they had on the franchise.
LeBron James felt Lakers were ready to move on
The initial reporting surrounding James’ exit from the Lakers was that James decided it was time to move on and find a new team. However, more detailed reporting suggests that both sides were laying the groundwork for an exit. People close to James reportedly believed that the Lakers were never serious about bringing him back, and never made any real offers to secure his services.
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