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Three weeks after announcing his exit from the Lakers, LeBron James still hasn’t made up his mind on where he wants to play next in what will be his historic 24th NBA season. Whatever team he chooses will likely be the team he retires with, as James is entering his age 42 campaign and won’t get many more chances to compete for a title.
As the Summer of LeBron drags on, his Decision 2.0 will come down to one simple thing, according to Lakers great (and former Cavaliers teammate) Shaquille O’Neal.
“Knowing LeBron, he’s going to go somewhere he can win another ring,” Shaq said in a recent interview with Extra. “Miami, Golden State, maybe even Philly. What we realize toward the ends of our careers, once we’re done we can never play again. You never wanna retire and say, ‘I shoulda did this, I shoulda done that.’ He still has two, three years I think.
“... A lot of these haters call it ring-chasing. But yeah, you’re supposed to be chasing rings, because if you chase rings and you accomplish getting rings, that’s what we call greatness. Those who haven’t achieved greatness call it ring-chasing because they haven’t achieved greatness.”
Regarding James’s departure from L.A., the Lakers legend seemed to suggest that the franchise had moved on from the aging star already, and that it was a fairly clean break.
“Listen, in the business of basketball, the franchise is always going to do what’s best for them,” continued Shaq. “They wanted to go a bit younger, and everybody knows when LeBron is on the team he pretty much has control of who, what, how, when. So they wanted to part ways.”
Shaq added that he “wouldn’t mind” seeing James return home to the Cavaliers, as many fans are surmising he’ll do to bring his illustrious career full circle.
“Start it in Cleveland, end it in Cleveland. That’ll be a historical way to close the chapter of your career,” he said.
Revisiting Shaquille O’Neal’s NBA career after dominant Lakers run
As Shaq mentioned, James’s decision will likely come down to a select handful of suitors: the Cavaliers, Heat, 76ers, Warriors and Timberwolves. James has a feasible shot to contend for a title on any of these organizations, as his agent Rich Paul broke down earlier this month, with a few sleeper teams also potentially in the mix as well.
Like Shaq, James’s longest single NBA stint came with the Lakers (they both gave eight years to the franchise). Unlike Shaq, who was 31 years old when he left L.A., James’s playing career is nearing its anticipatory end following his split with L.A. If ring-chasing is truly James’s first priority (Paul has since said that money isn’t), then he’ll have to pick his next team very carefully to maximize that opportunity.
Shaq won three straight titles with the Lakers from 1999 to ‘01 but ultimately requested a trade after the ‘03 season due to a variety of factors. There were rumored reports of tension and ego clashes with Kobe Bryant, with the Lakers more willing to move forward with the younger Bryant as their sole franchise-building star (not unlike the Lakers dubbing Luka Dončić as the new face of the organization.)
But Shaq made clear that for him, it was about the money.
“The reason I got traded, it wasn’t about me and Kobe beef. It was because they [the Lakers] wanted me to take less money. I’m not doing that,” Shaq said in a 2021 interview with All The Smoke. “I just should’ve been like [to Bryant], ‘Alright, I raise you enough. It’s your team now.’ I know what I’m gonna do. I’m still gonna do my 28 [points] 10 [rebounds]. I was like, ‘Nah, I want $150 [million].’
“If I had to do it all again, I probably would’ve had a meeting with the family. ‘Want me to take less money, take a lesser role, stay here or you still want me to be Shaq?’ It’s that ego. The ego still got me what I want, I still went to Miami, Pat [Riley] took care of me and I still won one [NBA championship]. But I would’ve liked to have stayed there [with the Lakers] the rest of my career.”
Acquiescing to his trade request, the Lakers shipped Shaq out to Miami, where the star center won his fourth and final ring in his second season with the Heat. He then played sparingly for a few more teams before a persistent Achilles injury led to his retirement in 2011.
“What a career for Shaq Diesel!! The most dominating force to ever play the game. Great person to be around as well. Comedy all the time!!” James tweeted after news of Shaq’s retirement broke.
Chances are Shaq will be ready to return the favor—in due time, after James makes up his mind about his next NBA team and vies for his fifth championship this upcoming season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Where Shaq Believes LeBron James Should Sign Next, 22 Years After His Own Lakers Departure.
