Shaquille O’Neal wouldn’t be mad if Lakers gave LeBron James statue: ‘He did what he was supposed to do as a Laker’

During an interview with NBA reporter Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal said he wouldn’t be mad if the Los Angeles Lakers gave LeBron James a statue. 

O’Neal, who won three championships with the Lakers, told Robinson that LeBron “did what he was supposed to do as a Laker.”

“LeBron broke the (scoring) record, and he did it as a Laker,” O’Neal said. “Would I oppose him having a statue in Los Angeles? No, I wouldn’t. If they want to give him a statue, I’d be fine with that. He’s a great player, with great ability, and he did what he was supposed to do as a Laker.”

LeBron joined the Lakers in 2018. He guided the franchise to the 2020 championship against the Miami Heat at the Walt Disney World bubble. 

A four-time champion, LeBron became the leading scorer in NBA history in 2023 with the Lakers, passing Los Angeles legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“But the thing about the Lakers is, their fans are real greedy,” O’Neal said. “Okay, you got us this bubble championship, but when are you going to get us another? It’s always that.”

LeBron has appeared in 412 games with the Lakers. He’s averaging 26.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks. 

A future Hall of Famer, LeBron has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Miami Heat and Lakers. He has career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks. 

LeBron is first in NBA history in points, fourth in assists, sixth in steals, second in field goals, seventh in 3-point field goals, fifth in triple-doubles, seventh in points per game and third in player efficiency rating.

LeBron is the only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in points and assists, the only player to win three Finals MVPs with three different teams, the only player with 40,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 career assists and the only player to score 50,000 points combining the regular season and playoffs.