The legendary NBA center, Shaquille O’Neal, caused stormy reactions among basketball fans after he said that if he had the first draft pick of all time as a general manager, he would choose LeBron James before Kobe Bryant.
In an interview with the “New York Post”, O’Neal explained that his decision was not based on the total career of the two greats, but on the impression they left immediately after arriving in the NBA.
Although he won three consecutive championship titles with Kobe in the jersey of the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 to 2002, he believes that Lebron has shown top quality since his first professional season.
“Lebron was ready right away”
“I would probably pick Lebron. I know this is going to be compared to Kobe, but Lebron had everything when he got into the league. It took Kobe two or three years to get to that level,” O’Neal said.
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James arrived in the NBA in 2003 as the first pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers and already in his debut season averaged more than 20 points per game, while Bryant, after arriving in 1996, spent several seasons in the role of a young player who gradually built his status as a star.
A debate that never ends
O’Neal’s words reopened one of the most common debates among basketball fans – who is the bigger player, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.
Today, James is the best scorer in the history of the NBA, a four-time champion and winner of four MVP awards, while Bryant won five championships during his twenty-year career and became one of the biggest icons of the Lakers.
It is interesting that James himself recently stated that he would not choose any player ahead of him in the imaginary draft, adding that Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and other greats would probably say the same.
Regardless of the differences of opinion, O’Neal’s choice once again showed how comparisons of the greatest basketball players of all time are still the topic that evokes the most emotions among fans.
