LeBron James’ ex-teammate adds fresh perspective to Shaquille O’Neal’s “fear” claims

LeBron James' former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Channing Frye offered an interesting perspective to Shaquille O'Neal's claims that NBA players do not fear the All-time NBA scoring leader.

On "The Big Podcast with Shaq," which featured Frye, O'Neal pointed out that he's never heard any player say that they fear LeBron. Frye argued that James is not feared due to his likeability.

"I didn't think players really feared LeBron like they did Jordan," Frye said.

"It's not that you shouldn't fear LeBron, I just think, at the end of the day, Bron has been through so much that he wanted to be liked," Frye continued. "You actually like Bron and want to be a fan of Bron now so, I think that's what that was."

Channing Frye further reinforced his perspective citing that it's not the players that fear LeBron James but the organizations and coaches. He added that James' playing style is different and his consistency in his 21-year-long career in the league as a top player has fizzed out the fear element.

"You know who fears LeBron James? Organizations, coaches... Jordan and Kobe and even Shaq were feared because of the rules and you had to play them mostly one on one and so they would embarass you.

"Bron's game is not like that, Bron's game is cerebral, it's like winning. So, no he is gonna give you a 50, 14 and 13, but like it's not the same.

"I'm pretty sure there are players that do fear him in game 7s. The Lakers this year, LeBron is almost 40 years old, and nobody wants to be number one and play the Lakers in the first round so, to me, that might have been reasonable a couple of years ago, but now, no, a guy getting that many points is still being feared, I disagree with that."

LeBron James may have the longest tenure in the NBA as a player

At 39 years old, LeBron James is currently the oldest player in the league and is still a force to reckon with. He is currently in his 21st year in the league and will join Vince Carter as the longest-serving players in the league at 22 years.

James is not showing many signs of slowing down, averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 52.7% from the field and 40.3% from beyond the arc this season.

The four-time NBA champion is also rumored to be eyeing an extension that would possibly extend his career to age 42. He holds an option to opt out of the final year of his current deal for 2024–25 with the Lakers, worth $51.4 million, and seek a fresh deal for a maximum of a three-year contract.

If LeBron James chooses to do so, he would arguably play in the league for a total of 24 years, making him the sole player in NBA history to ever play that long.