Not only was his prowess on the court and his media image questioned, but even his relationships with his teammates were under scrutiny. —— You must understand, although last year LeBron faced quite a bit of criticism for defending bullying behaviors, there were also voices defending him, arguing that it wasn't all LeBron's fault when such incidents occurred. After all, such vices in NBA locker rooms are truly tough to manage.
Managing one meant inevitably offending another.
But this time, even those voices that had defended LeBron in the past were now silent.
Over the course of Shaquille O'Neal's 15-year career thus far, he had only ever clashed with Kobe. And everyone knew how immature Kobe was back then; most people took Shaquille's side.
And Shaquille acted like a true team leader, often protecting his younger teammates.
