‘Real honour’
“Shaq is an incredible ballplayer and a four-time NBA champion,” James said in a statement sent to The Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I have a lot of respect for him and his game. It will be a real honour to play with Shaq.”
The Cavaliers will be O’Neal’s fifth team in his 17-year career, and his fourth since 2004. He has been partners with some of the best perimeter players of the era, including Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade and Penny Hardaway. Now O’Neal will wind down his career next to one of the most talented players in NBA history.
In Cleveland, James is known as the Chosen One and his fans as “witnesses.” O’Neal will now be the most significant face in the crowd, the Big Witness.