Throughout the 2025-26 season, there were many rumors about whether LeBron James would stay with the Los Angeles Lakers or leave and even whether the franchise wanted him back. Of course, the Lakers were ultimately informed hours before the NBA’s official start of free agency on June 30 that he was leaving, and he ended up signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in late July.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of hard feelings among Lakers fans when it comes to James’ departure. One could wonder if the organization could’ve handled things better to get the future Hall of Famer to stick around on the same type of veteran minimum contract he signed with Philly, but perhaps he simply felt the circumstances in L.A. necessitated him moving on.
In an exclusive interview with Heavy Sports, Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal called those circumstances “the business of basketball.
“No, it’s what we call the business of basketball,” O’Neal told Heavy on Lakers. “When you get older, and you’re still playing at a high level, you’re still trying to demand high money; sometimes as a franchise you have to say, ‘Do I want to pay this guy this much money for the next two years, or do I wanna go get younger?’ I knew when they brought in Luka Doncic, they were looking to start over.”
O’Neal has been there and done that. During the 2003-04 season, he demanded a huge contract extension, but that year, he showed definite signs of decline, and after L.A. lost in the NBA Finals to the Detroit Pistons, he asked for a trade and was sent to the Miami Heat. Kobe Bryant instantly became the team’s unquestioned centerpiece, and after a few rough years of rebuilding, it resumed its dynasty and won two more championships for a total of five with Bryant.
There is a line of thinking that the Lakers didn’t appreciate James enough or show him how much they appreciated him. But once they acquired Luka Doncic in February 2025, many saw the writing on the wall as far as James’ future with the team, especially since Doncic was just 25 years of age at the time, and James is now 41.
O’Neal feels the Lakers could thrive without James, as some felt his presence complicated matters on offense as a third ball-dominant player alongside Doncic and Austin Reaves.
“LeBron was the ultimate ball controller. He always made the right play, but he had to have the ball in his hands most of the time to hit Luka or hit Austin Reaves,” O’Neal admitted. “If they play the Golden State style of basketball, up and down, and the ball is just really moving, I think it could definitely benefit the team … Luka is also a ball controller, but when he has the ball, he’s looking to score, and so is Austin … I think it will be similar.”
During the last few years before the acquisition of Doncic, the franchise was in a strange position where it seemed to be straddling the line between wanting to “win now” and maintaining future flexibility to reload once James left. But now, it is firmly living in the present and immediate future.
It has assembled the foundation of what could turn into a championship team within a few years. With newcomers such as Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Matisse Thybulle, the Lakers have a roster that is not only younger, more athletic and more well-rounded offensively but also one that makes more sense as far as complementing Doncic.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Shaquille O’Neal on LeBron leaving: ‘The business of basketball’
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
