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Lakers to Retire Shaqs #34

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  • Lakers to Retire Shaqs #34

    On April 2, during halftime of the Lakers' game against the Dallas Mavericks, O'Neal will get his No. 34 retired.

    O'Neal retired last June after a 19-year career. In the eight seasons he spent in Los Angeles from 1996-2004, the Lakers made the Finals four times, winning three championships, and O'Neal led the league in scoring while being named regular-season MVP in 1999-2000.

    O'Neal will be the ninth player in Lakers franchise history to have his jersey retired, joining Wilt Chamberlain (No. 13), Elgin Baylor (No. 22), Gail Goodrich (No. 25), Johnson (No. 32), Abdul-Jabbar (No. 33), James Worthy (No. 42), West (No. 44) and Wilkes (No. 52).

    The relationship between O'Neal and the Lakers soured before he was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. O'Neal butted heads with Kobe Bryant and publicly demanded a lucrative extension that never was offered. Time, however, has healed those wounds.

    "Shaq had a long and amazing career, with a huge impact both on and off the court," Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss said in a statement when O'Neal retired. "His contributions were significant to the entire NBA, but we specifically appreciate what he did with and what he meant to the Lakers during his eight years with us. We have three championships that we wouldn't have won without him, and we will forever be grateful for his significant contributions to those teams."

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    Very classy of them to be so quick about it.

  • #2
    I wonder if they retire both 8 and 24 for Kobe.

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    • #3
      I think Shaq's jersey deserves to be hung in the rafters.. he was pretty dominant when he played in LA even though it was for just a short span.

      The timing is pretty interesting though..

      Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the reason why LA is doing this so early is to help convince Howard to re-sign after the year?

      It's especially interesting that they are going to do the ceremony during a Dallas game, and near the end of the regular season. Dallas will have cap space to help lure Howard in case he wants to go there as a free agent. Kupchak can tell Howard that once he retires he could have his jersey hung from the rafters as well.

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      • #4
        Shaq is one of the greatests Lakers of all time. His play transcends his frequent bouts of verbal diaheria after leaving. I am glad that the game is being placed before any personal junk.

        Magic, Shaq, then Kobe. That's my rankings. If Shaq could have shot even 80% from the line he would have been the most dominate player of all-time.

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        • #5
          Apollo wrote: View Post
          Shaq is one of the greatests Lakers of all time. His play transcends his frequent bouts of verbal diaheria after leaving. I am glad that the game is being placed before any personal junk.

          Magic, Shaq, then Kobe. That's my rankings. If Shaq could have shot even 80% from the line he would have been the most dominate player of all-time.
          I'd probably put Kareem ahead of Shaq but behind Magic on that list.

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