Key Takeaways
- Shaquille O’Neal says LeBron James' decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers was "super unexpected," believing the "easy choice" would have been finishing his career back in Cleveland.
- Draymond Green wasn't shocked by the move, saying he'd heard it was in the works and arguing LeBron avoided the Warriors because of their Finals history and the backlash he'd face for teaming up with Steph Curry.
- LeBron ultimately signed a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option in Philadelphia, framing it as the "last" major decision of his career.
Shaquille O’Neal has weighed in on LeBron James' decision to take his talents to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Old Man and the Three podcast, Big Shaq said that the news was "super unexpected" as he thought Bron would opt to close out his career where he started it: Cleveland.
"Knowing Bron, knowing how he thinks, knowing how his crew thinks, the easy choice would have been Cleveland," Shaq said around the 10:40 mark of the video below. "Started there, came back, won a championship. I already got a big-ass 40,000-foot crib here. My family's here. Might as well end it here."
He then went on to discuss Bron's other options: "Then I said, 'He might surprise us and go play with Steph Curry and Draymond in Golden State. Him and Draymond are really good friends.' And then I said, 'No, he might go to Miami with Giannis, blah blah blah.'"
"Those were my only three choices," he continued. "I didn't even know Philly was in the picture. Actually, when I when I saw it on the Gram, I had to make sure it wasn't cap."
Many people have commented on Bron's move to Philly, with a lot of them surprised by his decision. However, Warriors star Draymond Green wasn't that surprised.
"I wasn't blindsided because I know a few people that know a few people," he said on an episode of The Draymond Green show. "And I knew the stuff was in the works. So I wasn't quite blindsided. However, I didn't know exactly when the announcement would come. I didn't know exactly how the announcement would come."
Green believes LeBron, who previously won a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers, didn't join the Warriors due to two reasons, with the first being history. Cleveland and Golden State met in four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018, including LeBron and Cleveland's infamous 3-1 comeback in 2016, and Green doesn't think that weight ever lifted.
Beyond history, Green's second reason he thinks LeBron decline teaming up with Steph Curry and co. comes down to the court of public opinion.
"We live in a day and age where everybody who doesn't have anything to say has something to say," he said. "And so, he's gonna get crushed if he comes to the Warriors, 'Ahh man, you went to team up with Steph, you had to go to them.'"
Green added that legacy attacks have become routine in today's media environment, and said he believes the prospect of that backlash "played a big role in the Warriors not landing LeBron."
LeBron James ultimately landed with the 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option, framing the move as his "last" decision.
