Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick sat down with NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal on his “The Big Podcast with Shaq” on Sunday to discuss Redick’s coaching style and why both despise the LeBron James GOAT debate.
Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick said what makes LeBron James great is his longevity
When asked about LeBron’s greatness, JJ shook his head, refusing to compare him to Michael Jordan.
“I have refused. People say, ‘You said this in 2017 when you played against him.’ I was playing against him, of course I said he was the best player ever. I refuse to get into the GOAT debate. I don’t care. They didn’t play against each other [Jordan and LeBron James]. I don’t care. What makes him great is the fact that he’s done it now for 21 years at the highest level.”
However, Redick did praise LeBron for his impressive career stats:
“OK, one guy averaged 35 a year. LeBron’s never averaged 35 a year. Guess what, he’s averaged 25 a year for 20 straight years. No one’s had more than 15 of those years. He’s a scorer. But, again, it looks differently. He plays differently. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.”
LeBron showed terrific leadership in Cleveland, according to Shaq
Note that Shaq and LeBron only played together for one season with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009-2010. But their on-court chemistry was enough for Shaq to say that LeBron ran the Cavs “so smoothly.”
“I’m such a dominate personality, like I’m the guy who no matter what team I’m going to, this is my team. When I got there [Cleveland], he just ran it so perfectly: the way he treated the guys; the way he treated the organization; the way he was coached; the way he looked out for guys — I didn’t even have to do nothing.”
Shaq despises NBA GOAT debate because fans list Michael Jordan and LeBron James but not Kobe Byrant
More importantly, Shaq isn’t fond of the LeBron James GOAT debate because debaters oftentimes mention Michael Jordan while excluding Kobe Bryant from the conversation:
“The only thing I don’t like about the conversation is that they don’t put my boy’s name in it [Kobe Bryant]… That’s like saying, ‘What are the best luxury cars out there, Lexus or a Beamer?’ You’ve got to put the Mercedes in there, too.”
Redick nodded in agreement, stating:
“Look, I think it’s fair to say there are different tiers of greatness. I think it’s fair to say, ‘who’s on your Mount Rushmore? Who’s your four greatest? Who’s your five greatest. And who’s your ten greatest’… We’re nitpicking. By the way, a lot of times we’re comparing eras, we’re comparing different rules.”
Redick believes Jordan’s era diluted the regular season
On the GOAT topic, JJ Redick also hinted that Jordan played in a watered-down league with the Chicago Bulls, which is the same argument that LeBron’s critics use against him.
“Everyone talks about the context of this era… The Dallas Mavericks were added as the 23rd team in 1981. Michael Jordan was drafted. During his heyday, six teams were added to the NBA. There were 90 players added to the NBA. Does that not water-down the regular season to a degree?”
There were 27 NBA teams when Jordan and the Bulls completed their first three-peat in the ’90s.
Then ahead of the 1995-96 season, the league established its first Canadian teams since the 1946-47 Toronto Huskies, as the Toronto Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies made their debuts as the NBA’s 28th and 29th franchises.
Nonetheless, LeBron has played most of his career in a 30-team league.
