Shaq: LeBron James Never Listened to Mike Brown in Cleveland

You’re never going to believe this, but excerpts from Shaquille O’Neal’s new book pack even more titilating stories from his various stops around the NBA. The latest involves head coach Mike Brown and his former superstar forward LeBron James during their Cleveland Cavaliers days. From Hoopsworld: “O’Neal also talks about his experience in Cleveland, when the franchise was desperately trying to keep LeBron James happy. He writes that James received special treatment from Mike Brown, and wonders if Brown will have similar problems with Bryant in Los Angeles: ‘LeBron was a huge star. He was as big as I was in 2000 in L.A. when I was dominating the league. … Our coach, Mike Brown, was a nice guy, but he had to live on edge because nobody was supposed to be confrontational with LeBron. Nobody wanted him to leave Cleveland, so he was allowed to do whatever he wanted to do. I remember one day in a film session LeBron didn’t get back on defense after a missed shot. Mike Brown didn’t say anything about it. He went to the next clip and it was Mo Williams not getting back and Mike was saying, ‘Yo, Mo, we can’t have that. You’ve got to hustle a little more.’ So Delonte West is sitting there and he’s seen enough and he stands up and says, ‘Hold up, now. You can’t be pussyfooting around like that. Everyone has to be accountable for what they do, not just some us.’ Mike Brown said, ‘I know, Delonte. I know.’ Mike knew Delonte was right. … I’m not sure if Kobe is going to listen to Mike Brown. LeBron never really did. Here’s what we do know: Kobe will definitely be in charge.’ O’Neal also looks back on how his lone season with James came to an end, with a disappointing showing against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He draws comparisons between that series and James’ performance against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals: ‘There’s no question in Game 5 LeBron was kind of out of it. … I always believed he could turn it on at any moment, but for some reason he didn’t. Not against the Celtics in 2010 and not against the Mavericks in 2011. It was weird. It’s one thing to be a passer, but you are supposed to be the One. I’m watching him play against Dallas, and they’re swinging the ball and they get him a perfect open look – and he’s kicking it to Mario Chalmers. Makes no sense. I told people, ‘It’s like Michael Jordan told me. Before you succeed, you must first fail.'”