Regardless of LeBron James' greatness and accomplishments, countless Los Angeles Lakers fans didn't want him to join the team. They felt like their love for Kobe Bryantmade it impossible to cheer for James as well.
James wasn't unanimously welcome at Southern California. He never faced the Lakers in the NBA Finals or played for the Boston Celtics or anything like that, but they just wanted nothing to do with him.
Fast forward to today, and it's a whole different story. LeBron has worked his way to L.A.'s heart, leaving it all on the court and putting the team on his shoulders despite being in his 20th season already.
Shaq Says LeBron James Deserves A Statue Outside Of Crypto.com Arena
That's why Shaquille O'Neal believes James has done enough merits already to have his very own statue outside of the Lakers' arena. He compared the bubble ring in Orlando with Tim Duncan's ring in the shortened season, which doesn't really add up:
"He did win a championship with the Lakers," Shaq said . "A lot of people say that don’t count and if you can’t count his then you can’t count Mr. Tim Duncan’s bubble championship. That’s right, I said it! If you gonna count Tim Duncan's bubble championship, you have to count LeBron's."
Shaq just took an uncalled-for shot at Tim Duncan, who won five rings and multiple titles with the same organization. It's a comparison that simply makes no sense, even if you're a diehard LeBron James fan.
Don't get me wrong, James has been spectacular for the Lakers, but the team has mostly sucked since his arrival. And we're talking about the winningest franchise in NBA history, so winning 'just' one ring isn't gonna cut it.
James is perhaps the greatest player to play for the franchise and that 'bubble ring' is as valid as any other, but 95% of his accomplishments came before he joined the organization. So, he's not even the best small forward in Lakers history, at least not yet.
Of course, this isn't a shot to LeBron or to say that winning a ring is nothing. But it's the Los Angeles Lakers we're talking about here, and the standards should be higher, even for a player like him.