Shaquille O’Neal carved his name in NBA history as a cornerstone of the league’s most storied franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers. Diesel donned the purple and gold for eight years, leading the squad to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002.
The Lakers have had some of the greatest players in history. O’Neal is unquestionably one of them. However, he couldn’t help but admit that he wasn’t as great as some of the team’s other icons.
On this day in 1996, the Los Angeles Lakers signed free agent Shaquille O'Neal to a 7-year, $120M contract.
In eight seasons in L.A., O'Neal averaged 27.0/11.8/3.1 in the regular season, 27.7/13.4/3.0 in the postseason, won three NBA titles, and won three Finals MVP Awards. pic.twitter.com/UyOkHV3Y1m
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) July 18, 2022
Shaq shared a picture of 6 of the greatest Lakers of all time a few days ago. The photo includes himself, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James. O’Neal questioned whether his Lakers resume would stand up to these other legends as he wrote in the caption “Might have to kick myself off this list right here.”
Might have to kick myself off this list right here pic.twitter.com/yEoYKmbTmG
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) July 19, 2022
While many fans were upset that Shaq was not giving himself enough credit, he recently touched on the subject on his podcast “The Big Podcast”. When asked about the reason why he would kick himself off this list, Shaq said, “I don’t know what people look at but I look at status. So let’s talk about rings first. So Kareem has 6. Kobe has 5. Magic has 5. So there are 3 players right there. LeBron has 4 and Wilt only has 2.”
“But now let’s go to points. So the first 3 I said…you can’t get rid of. LeBron’s got more points than me and Wilt’s got more points than me. MVPs? Wilt has more MVPs, Lebron has more MVPs. That’s why I take myself out,” he added.
While Shaquille O’Neal offered a brief overview for his omission from this list, Anthony “Spice” Adams took issue with his reasons. “You bugging, you trippin’,” the NFL veteran said.
Is Shaquille O’Neal not a top-5 Laker ever?
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most humble basketball players of all time. He recognizes his greatness, but he also recognizes his place among the greats. While Shaq deserves respect for his humility, it should not be overlooked how phenomenal he was on the hardwood.
He was one of the most dominating players in the painted area. Several individuals fell victim to his brute power as he terrorized his opponents nightly. His stature, however, is deceiving since he was exceedingly nimble and quick.
The 15-time all-star took home 3 scoring crowns, 1 NBA MVP, and 3 Finals MVPs. His career statistics of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks are remarkable and cement his place among the all-time greats.
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It doesn’t matter whether Shaq considers himself a top-5 Laker or not, true basketball fans know how dominant the 7-footer was. Shaquille O’Neal hung his jersey in 2011; however, he continues to make waves off the court as a successful NBA analyst, businessman, and DJ.
The post Shaquille O’Neal, Who Won 3 NBA Titles With Lakers, Ranks 5 History Makers From LA Above Himself appeared first on EssentiallySports.
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