Shaquille O’Neal rarely minces his words, and his appearances on Inside the NBA usually carry a lot of that bluntness. However, this time, that trademark honesty came wrapped in something that almost sounded like protection. This time, the discussion centered on Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.

During tonight’s Inside the NBA segment, where the panel chose their All-Star reserves, James’ name, surprisingly, did not come up unanimously or as an automatic lock. Instead, only Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson had him as a reserve, with O’Neal and Charles Barkley going in different directions.

“He’s one of a few players that’s only been slowed down because of the age,” O’Neal explained. “I don’t want to see the King coming off the bench. I spared the King… Thank you, King, for what you have contributed to the game, but I do not want to see him coming off the bench.”

That framing said more than it might have sounded like on the surface. The open acknowledgment, that James, who has been a beacon of high-level performance in the past, has considerably slowed down due to age. O’Neal even hesitated to say whether James had been playing like an All-Star this year, despite his solid stats.

The conversation quickly grew tense, with Shaq openly saying that he didn’t wish to see James at All-Star weekend at all if he was coming off the bench when asked by Smith. O’Neal ended up with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Jamal Murray, Deni Avdija, Alperen Sengun, and Chet Holmgren as his reserves.

Barkley went in a similar direction, replacing Holmgren with Phoenix Suns star Dillon Brooks on his list, and openly campaigned for the forward to make it over James.

“We already had the starters, and I want to get some other guys coming off the bench some shine,” he said. “The one guy that I’m going to war for is Dillon Brooks.”

O’Neal and Barkley Highlight the Toughest Question: What to Do With LeBron James

LeBron James‘ 2025-26 season has not been a collapse by any means. He’s still producing at a high level, averaging 24.8 points, 6.9 assists, and 7.3 rebounds over the month of January, while commanding defensive attention and taking over stretches of games.

However, the dominance is no longer guaranteed, and his margin for error is far narrower. For perhaps the first time, his case as an All-Star relies as much on reputation as performance.

One of the few outspoken advocates for LeBron James has been his longtime friend and on-court rival, Draymond Green. Green has argued that if there is any ambiguity about James’ All-Star selection, the league should intervene the same way it did before—by granting a special spot reserved for generational icons, as it did for Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki.

Speaking from personal experience, Green pointed to the precedent already set by the NBA, framing James’ case as both logical and unavoidable given the circumstances.

“I played in an All Star game where the commish added Dirk and D Wade as like legends of the game and it’s their last one. It’s the same with LeBron. The games in LA. I know a lot of people are like ‘oh man he shouldn’t be an All Star’. Shut up. Yes he should. He’s been the face of the NBA for 20 years. Figure it out. There’s no world where LeBron James isn’t an All Star”

After all, the image of him starting the season late due to sciatica and struggling to start is still fresh in everyone’s mind. In his first 10 games of the season, James logged 18.6 points, 7.5 assists, and 5.8 rebounds; still solid, but far removed from the performance everyone expected.

That, combined with the broken 10-point streak, has led many to conclude that things are nearing an end.

That’s where O’Neal’s point comes in. To him, having James participate in a reduced role risks reframing his career narrative. Instead of highlighting his longevity, it would put a spotlight on his decline, and for Shaq, exclusion is kinder than the optics a selection would bring.