Shaquille O’Neal has made headlines once again with a bold opinion. During an interview with the New York Post, the four-time NBA champion was asked a question that sparked debate.
If he were a general manager and could select any player from any era with the first pick in a franchise-building exercise, who would he take?
Shaquille O’Neal Snubs Kobe Bryant to Pick LeBron James
“I’d probably go with [LeBron James] because Bron, and I know this is a Kobe [Bryant] comparison, Bron had it when he came in. It took Kobe two or three years to get it. Bron had it when he came in, so I’d probably go with Bron,” O’Neal said.
LeBron James walked into the NBA at 18 years old in 2003 and was immediately the best player on a Cleveland Cavaliers team that had won just 17 games the season before. He averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.5 rebounds as a teenager, won Rookie of the Year, and had the entire league talking about him from his very first game.
The “it” factor was never in question with James. It was obvious from day one.
Kobe Bryant’s trajectory was different. He was drafted 13th overall by Charlotte and immediately traded to the Lakers in 1996, at just 17 years old, making him one of the youngest players in league history. His first two seasons featured learning curves.
He came off the bench for most of his rookie year, averaging 7.6 points in just 15.5 minutes per game. The full version of Bryant, the player who would go on to win five championships and score 33,643 career points, took time to emerge.
O’Neal won three consecutive championships alongside Bryant from 2000 to 2002 and earned the Finals MVP on all three occasions. He shared a locker room with Bryant through some of the most dominant basketball of the era and knows exactly what he was capable of.
For him to still land on James speaks to how rare it was for a teenager to arrive in the league already equipped to carry a franchise.
O’Neal won one regular-season MVP in his career, in the 1999-2000 season, and finished with four championships, three Finals MVPs, 15 All-Star selections, and a Hall of Fame induction in 2016. His opinion on what separates great players from each other carries more weight than most.
And as far as he is concerned, James had something from the moment he walked through the door that even Bryant needed time to develop.
