“It’s Ridiculous to Do This to the Kid”: 18-Year-Old LeBron James Received Support From NBA Star Shaquille O’Neal After He Was Ruled Ineligible in High School

The 2003 NBA draft had seen a buzz like never before. That was because of an 18-year-old from Akron, Ohio who had appeared on the cover of SI. And that kid was none other than LeBron James, who was coming out of high school to play in the NBA. But just before he got drafted, James received some bad news that he was going to be suspended from his high school season. And even NBA great Shaquille O’Neal was livid at the decision and gave support to James at the time.

LeBron James was a media sensation when he was in high school. ESPN actually aired a couple of his games on their network. He even had dozens of endorsement opportunities and companies lining up for his signature.

But just before the draft, LeBron James had accepted a couple of jerseys from a clothing store. And according to the rules, he was suspended and deemed ineligible for the season. This was a highly controversial decision, and many voiced their anger towards it. And one of them was Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaq.

Shaquille O’Neal blasts authorities for suspending LeBron James

When Shaquille O’Neal heard of this he was livid. He had traveled to Akron to see James play. And he said, “It’s ridiculous to do this to the kid. Everybody’s capitalizing on him — and you guys try to persecute his character and take away his high school career over two jerseys?”

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”I think you need to investigate every hometown superstar and see what they’re getting. Give me a break. He ain’t the only guy taking free jerseys.”

According to the rules, high school kids could not use their fame and name to accept monetary rewards or money. And LeBron James did that when he accepted a couple of jerseys. And the association suspended him for the rest of the season and this meant he could not play in the last five games.

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But LeBron James later accepted the ruling and his suspension was later reduced to two games. He would help his high school win its third division title in four years. James received support from all over the NBA community, even his future teammate and Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal.