Former Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal took exception to being placed in the second tier amongst Lakers players who were ranked according to their impact on the franchise.
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While O’Neal didn’t explicitly note that LeBron James was ranked alongside him, the big man has commented before about Lakers owner Jeanie Buss leaving him off the team’s list of all-time players. That list included James among the top five.
All three of the players in the first tier were part of five NBA title teams for the Lakers, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson playing together during five title runs in the 1980s.
Of course, O’Neal played alongside the late Kobe Bryant when the Lakers won three titles. Bryant went on to lead the franchise to two additional championships after O’Neal and the Lakers parted ways.
O’Neal and James were ranked alongside franchise icon Jerry West. West only won one title as a player, but then played a key role as a team executive during additional title runs.
O’Neal’s legacy with the Lakers is a memorable one and serves as just one of the countless reasons why he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Yet, it’s clear that O’Neal is feeling slighted and wants to make sure that everyone knows his opinion on the matter.
