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Shaquille O’Neal reacts to Jeanie Buss leaving him off her all-time Lakers list, says LeBron has only been there short time

Published by

Peter Dewey

May 5, 2021 5:17 pm

Los Angeles Lakers president Jeanie Buss didn’t include Shaquille O’Neal on her list of the five most important players in Lakers history.

O’Neal, who played for the Lakers from the 1996-97 season through the 2003-04 campaign, reacted to Buss’ decision to leave him off the list.

It’s hard to write the Lakers’ history without O’Neal, as he won three consecutive titles during his run with the franchise.

However, it’s nice to see that O’Neal isn’t taking Buss’ list to heart.

During his Hall of Fame career, O’Neal made 15 All-Star teams and was a three-time NBA Finals MVP.

He and the late Kobe Bryant created an absolute dynasty in Los Angeles during their time together, and O’Neal should always be remembered fondly by Lakers fans.

After LeBron James led the Lakers to their first title since 2010 during the 2019-20 season, it is understandable why Buss values his importance to the franchise.

If James continues to help the Lakers achieve more success, it will become clearer why he made Buss’ list over O’Neal.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.