Only a handful of names in NBA history have managed to strike fear into the hearts of opponents. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant immediately come to mind. But another legend claims that LeBron James’ name never seems to feature in such discussions.

Shaquille O’Neal claims that people never actually feared LeBron the way they did Kobe and Michael. Shaq said,

“I’ve heard players say, including myself, ‘I fear [Michael Jordan].’ I’ve heard players in [Mario Chalmers’] generation say they feared Kobe. I’ve never really heard any player say they feared LeBron.”

One particular fan did not react kindly to his take. O’Shea Jackson Jr., son of the hip-hop legend, Ice Cube decided to use a single term to describe just how feared LeBron was around the league. Referring to James’ matchups with the Toronto Raptors in his second Cavaliers stint, Jackson simply tweeted:

“They called the f**king city Lebronto. Lmfaooooo.”

Jackson’s tweet does not diminish Kobe and Michael’s legacies in the slightest. All the actor wishes to do is see LeBron given the same amount of respect as the other two, something Shaq’s original statement did not do.

As for LeBronto, that was a real thing. In his 4 year return to his beloved Cavs, LeBron faced Toronto in every single post-season. And in every single series matchup, the Cavs came out victors. The nail in the coffin was the 2018 series when the Raptors were 1st in the East.

Led by COTY Dwane Casey, the Raptors had hope against the Cavs for what seemed like the first time in forever. A bonus was that the Cavs were severely weakened by Kyrie Irving’s departure and the fatigue of playing all 7 games against the Pacers in the first round.

But similar results followed. The Cavaliers beat the Raptors in 4 games, their only sweep of that postseason. LeBron averaged 34 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 11.3 assists over the 4 games, and the name LeBronto became a permanent fixture.

Raptors’ talisman DeMar DeRozan even discussed how damaging it was to his confidence to play and lose to LeBron for four straight years. While on Paul George’s podcast, the duo traded stories of how LeBron was the reason they were traded from their respective teams (the Raptors traded DeRozan to the Spurs after the 2018 playoffs, and the Pacers traded George to OKC after the 2017 playoffs).

even Norman Powell, who was part of the 2018 Raptors described how mentally difficult it was playing LeBron James in the East.

Now, as dominating and commanding as James was, fans still have a notion that he just didn’t strike the same amount of fear as MJ or Kobe did. But despite that conception, it does and should not take away from the fact that LBJ was just as scary as the two legends.

With a taller frame and wider wingspan when compared to Bryant and MJ, James was able to take over the offense with ease. But his defensive presence, along with the court vision and basketball IQ, may even give him a slight edge over the two. Not to mention his successful effort in redefining the term longevity.

So, does Bron strike the same amount of terror as the two iconic guards did? Well, we’ll leave that for you to ponder upon.