NBA on TNT (DR) / Lakers (DR)

Once again ambitious in this offseason, the Lakers’ leaders have already started to make some decisions. One of them would have been made without the involvement of LeBron James, something that Shaquille O’Neal still finds hard to believe.

Following the disappointments experienced during the season, the Lakers now have several months to get back on their feet.

They actually didn’t wait long after their first-round playoff elimination to fire Darvin Ham.

What followed was a period of a few weeks during which several candidate profiles for their coaching position were studied with patience and meticulousness.

In the end, it was JJ Redick who was chosen by the Angelino management, not without him being quickly brought closer to…

LeBron James. It must be said that given the proximity between the neo-coach and the King, many thought that the latter had had his say in this process.

 Something that Redick denied in person , even if Shaquille O’Neal was not convinced in his Big Podcast .

Shaq perplexed by denial about LeBron and the Lakers

Yeah right, I’m going to create a website called “CestDesC****ries.com”.

Everything goes through LeBron and I know that because when you’re in that leadership position, you know everything. I’ve been in that role for a long time and nothing has happened without my permission.

The only time something has happened without my knowledge is when they traded me.

Then Kobe took over and nothing happened without his permission.

So I know that everything that happens at the Lakers is discussed with LeBron and Rich Paul.

It’s very professional of JJ Redick to say that he hasn’t discussed it with him, but no one believes that!

With 19 seasons in the league under his belt, O’Neal obviously knows the workings of the system.

Regardless of what has been said in this case, Diesel remains convinced that LeBron had a say in the recruitment of Redick.

It therefore seems useful to recall that the former sniper and LBJ hosted a podcast together called “Mind The Game” for a few months, in which they talked about strategy and dissected certain performances of the Lakers.

The myth that the Chosen One has control over the decision-making of the franchises he plays for only reinforces this idea.

It must therefore be acknowledged that almost all the elements are there to think like Shaq.

However, this remains only a suspicion, especially since for the moment, the four-time MVP has yet to sign a contract and confirm his desire to stay in Los Angeles.

You don’t necessarily have to be a conspiracy theorist to think that LeBron James had a big influence on the Lakers’ hiring of JJ Redick. Shaquille O’Neal, for example, defends this point of view with conviction.