Contrary to what Orlando Magic rookie RJ Hampton recently said, Shaquille O'Neal revealed he was also talked down in the latter part of his career just like Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
After the Lakers' shocking first-round exit in the 2021 playoffs, several critics and haters mocked LeBron and his legacy. After all, it was the first time in his career that James suffered a first-round blow in the playoffs. As such, many critics point out he isn't as great as he might want to think.
Hampton then took to social media to express his confusion on what he called the LeBron slander, noting how the likes of Shaq, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tim Duncan did not receive that much hate when they were in their respective 18th season.
I don’t get the LeBron slander… man is in his 18th season , nobody talked down on Kobe, Shaq , Dirk, Tim Duncan when they were in their 18th season 🤷🏽♂️
— RJ (@RjHampton14) June 5, 2021
Shaquille O'Neal, however, responded to the young gun and shared the harsh reality he faced and LeBron James is currently facing with the Lakers. According to Shaq, it was no different during his time.
“Actually, they talked down on me, comes with the territory and just like lebron our legacy is in forever mode #Lebronisthegreatest,” Shaq wrote in the comments of an IG post highlighting Hampton's comment, via Alex Kennedy of Basketball News.
James has been the face of the league over the past number of years and considering the way he's dominated, he's always bound to have his fair share of haters and detractors. As O'Neal emphasized, it's part of reaching such territory.
Sure enough, the criticisms will do nothing to James' legacy as an NBA player. His legacy as one of, if not the greatest player of all time, is all but cemented and nothing can ever change that.
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