Ben Simmons has been compared to LeBron James long before he ever stepped on an NBA floor—the two are business partners, and James has taken the rookie under his wing.
Shaquille O’Neal is adding to the hype surrounding the top pick in this summer’s draft; the Hall of Fame center says Simmons has the skillset of a “LeBron-like player.”
Shaq compared @BenSimmons25 to @KingJames. https://t.co/iUI0BWSqbl
— Jessica Camerato (@JCameratoCSN) September 13, 2016
O’Neal and Simmons are both LSU products—Shaq believes the 6-foot-10 do-it-all forward sets himself apart with his basketball smarts.
Per CSN Philly:
“I don’t know all of them, but I know my guy’s going to be pretty good, Ben Simmons,” O’Neal said last week in Springfield, Mass. […] O’Neal said he has paid attention to only the top two picks, Simmons and Brandon Ingram. He got to know Simmons’ game before he was drafted by the Sixers when Simmons attended his alma mater, LSU.
“He’s a LeBron-type player,” O’Neal said. “What I mean by that, LeBron does a nice job of making everybody else around him better — passing the ball, doing the small things — and Ben is that type of player.”
Simmons will be a centerpiece of the Sixers system this season. He brings intangibles, versatility and a basketball IQ that is already beyond his years. […] “When it comes to other aspects of the game, he’s very, very intelligent,” O’Neal said. “He plays the game very well.”
