The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 392 - 198 Completely Falling Out_3

Chapter 392: Chapter 198 Completely Falling Out_3

He didn’t know that Shaquille O’Neal, equally infuriated by the news, had smashed his phone: "LeBron, after all the good things I said about you! And now, at a time like this, you want to throw me under the bus!"

"The Shark" believed that Bill Simmons wrote the article with a clear intention to make him the scapegoat. And the ultimate benefactor, Shaquille could guess even with his surgically repaired toe:

Naturally, it was LeBron James!

The next morning, the two irate men met in the locker room.

As soon as Shaquille O’Neal saw him sit down in front of his own locker, he immediately asked, "LeBron, the team is on a four-game losing streak, shouldn’t you say something?"

LeBron frowned, "What?"

Especially since he didn’t understand how someone so lazy on the court could be so righteous. —If you ask LeBron why he so easily believed Bill Simmons’ analysis, just look at Shaquille O’Neal’s performance in those four games, with a high of only 18 points and a low of merely 12 points, a stark contrast to his 40 points against the Mavericks.

And now with the team losing, it was LeBron James who faced even greater scrutiny.

Bill Simmons’ article seemed more reasonable the more he read it.

When Shaquille O’Neal saw LeBron had the intention to retort, he could no longer contain his anger, standing up abruptly and pointing at LeBron: "Just because you came back, we went from a four-game winning streak to four consecutive losses. Don’t you think you should say something in front of the media? Whether as a player or the leader of this team, you disrupted our team chemistry, shouldn’t you say something?"

The fox’s tail is finally showing, huh?

LeBron was even more convinced. He snorted, "You know exactly what you did, Shaq!"

After speaking, he prepared to leave the locker room.

Hm...

"King" never stands below the wall, even when facing women, he always mocks under the guise of congratulating. With such a terrible atmosphere in the locker room, coupled with Shaquille once having shoved him, it was natural for him to leave quickly.

However, Shaquille O’Neal blocked him with an agility he had never seen before, his usually slick smiling face now completely stern: "LeBron, clarify what you mean by that?"

"What needed to be said has been said. Let me pass, Shaq!" LeBron didn’t engage.

Shaquille laughed, "You’re just a softie, LeBron. As a leader, you’re afraid to take responsibility and only want to bask in the spotlight. And you’re the ’Chosen One?’ I wonder how much money your team stuffed to ’Sports Illustrated!’"

LeBron was thoroughly infuriated, "You should know what respect is, Shaq!"

"Respect you? Why should I respect you?" Shaquille retorted, "Without you, the Cavaliers had a four-game winning streak. Now with you, the Cavaliers suffer a four-game losing streak. I asked you to assume the responsibility you should in front of the media, you don’t even have the guts, but you expect me to respect you? You will never compare to Su Wan, LeBron. The Cavaliers giving up Wan for you was the stupidest thing this team has ever done!"

LeBron’s chest heaved violently, each of Shaquille’s words stabbing his heart like a knife.

His fists were already clenched, but he...

Dared not strike!

The two men just stood there, confronting each other, when suddenly the locker room door was pushed open. Danny Ferri appeared; he glanced at Shaquille, then at LeBron, and finally said, "LeBron, come here for a sec!"

He then stepped out first.

This time, Shaquille didn’t stop LeBron.

Whatever the case, with the locker room door open, he couldn’t act out; Shaquille O’Neal still understood that much.

But after this confrontation, he was certain, only one of him or LeBron James could survive.

"Danny, tell me, what do I have to do for you to be willing to trade Shaq, or..." LeBron paused, but as his gaze met Danny Ferri’s, he couldn’t say what followed after "or."

Some words just can’t be spoken.

When Danny Ferri heard LeBron say "or," his heart skipped, but seeing LeBron fall silent, his expression gradually eased: "The free agent market has closed, so you’re destined to be teammates this season. I can assure you, you’ll only work together this season, but if you want better teammates, you must make Shaq valuable."

"Besides..."

"Prepare yourself mentally. After Shaq is traded, you’ll inevitably face criticism, LeBron. You know, even with current public opinion, Cleveland will still steadfastly see you as the future of this team. But you need to seriously consider how you’ll interact with your teammates from now on!"

Danny Ferri said this and suddenly sighed.

Now he somewhat regretted, having hastily traded Ricky Davis back then.

LeBron should have learned how to interact with his teammates in the locker room by himself.

Rather than repeatedly causing conflicts with teammates like now.