Shaquille ONeal denounces critics of LeBron James’ NBA schedule: “I’m not complaining and not looking for excuses”

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Shaquille ONeal called LeBron James this week after the Los Angeles Lakers player criticized the NBA for starting the season too early, in his opinion causing a series of player injuries.

“When you live in a world where 40 million people have been laid off and I earn $ 200 million, you won’t be complaining about me,” ONeal, a former Lakers star, told CNBC Tuesday. “I would play back to back back to back.”

The normal NBA season ends in June and resumes in October, allowing four months of what James called ‘rim rest’, but due to last year’s coronavirus pandemic, the season has run out. ended in October and the 2020-21 season started two months later in December.

“They didn’t all want to listen to me about the start of the season. I knew exactly what was going to happen,” James wrote last month in a series of tweets. “I just wanted to protect the welfare of the players which is ultimately THE PRODUCT AND BENEFIT OF OUR GAME! These injuries aren’t just part of the game. It’s the lack of PURE.”

THE SEASON OF THE NOTION OF LEBRON JAMES OF THE NBA SWATS HAS SEEN AN INCREASE IN INJURIES: THE RATES WERE ABOUT THE SAME

He continued, “8, maybe 9 ALL-STARS have missed playoff games (most in league history). It’s the best time of the year for our league and our fans, but it Missing a ton of our favorite players. It’s crazy. If there’s one person who knows the body and how it works all year round, it’s ME! ”

Shaquille ONeal (right) lambasted LeBron James for his claim that the NBA started the 2020-21 season too early, leading to an increase in injuries.

ONeal told CNBC he wasn’t trying to ‘touch’ what James said, “but me personally, I’m not complaining and not making excuses because real people work their tails and all. what we need to do is practice two hours a day and then play a game for two hours at night and make a lot of money … So my thinking process is a little different. “

The NBA has disputed James’ claims.

LEBRON JAMES BLASTS NBA, BLAMES RISE IN INJURIES IN SHORT LEAGUE SEASON

NBA spokesman Mike Bass told The New York Times last month that injuries in the 2020-21 season were about the same as in 2019-20.

“Injury rates were practically the same this season as in 2019-2020, while entry-level and All-Star players have missed games with injuries at rates similar to the past three seasons,” he said. said Bass. “While injuries are a sad fact of our game, we recognize the tremendous sacrifices NBA players and teams have made to get through this pandemic.”

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The Lakers won the NBA championships last year but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last month for the 2020-21 season. James sprained his right ankle in March and has missed 27 games this season, according to USA Today.

Ryan Gaydos of Fox News contributed to this report.

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