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Shaquille O’Neal had some major words of warning for his former Lakers amid a miserable season that seems to get worse every night.
In the middle of an appearance on CNBC, O’Neal took a break from discussing cryptocurrency to talk about the Lakers, who have struggled to a 27-33 record in LeBron James’ fourth season in Los Angeles.
“If you trade LeBron, you’ll never win again,” O’Neal said. “You have to make a decision. If you put LeBron around the right guys, they are definitely going to win. I think whoever put the team together needs to step up and try and fix it.”
James, 37, said last week that he wants to play for the Lakers “as long as I can play.” But the fact that it’s even a point of speculation shows how far Los Angeles has fallen two seasons removed from an NBA championship.
Los Angeles is coming off back-to-back losses to the Clippers and Pelicans and has lost five of its last six dating back to before the All-Star break. The Pelicans defeat was one of the low points of the season, as the Lakers lost by nearly 30 on their home floor, players verbally feuded with fans and James left the court early.
The whole season has been a disappointment. Anthony Davis, their other superstar, has missed significant time with injury and may miss the remainder of the season. Russell Westbrook, acquired in the offseason, has struggled and was the subject of trade rumors around the time of the deadline.
Shaq hasn’t been with the team in nearly two decades, but still covers many of the Lakers’ games as an analyst on TNT. He clearly believes in LeBron – who, has continued to play at a superstar level despite the turmoil surrounding him – but it remains to be seen how much the team can win with the current setup.
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