• Jeanie Buss left Shaquille O’Neal off her list of the five most important Lakers of all time
• O’Neal was shocked and used Fadeaway World’s graphic to express his disbelief
• Buss explained her decision to snub Shaq from her list
Shaquille O’Neal played eight seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers and helped the organization win three NBA Championships.
Despite that, team owner Jeanie Buss snubbed him from the list of the five most important Lakers of all time. Buss explained her decision in an exclusive interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.
“Yeah, I fell into that trap,” Buss said. “I was reminded when my dad had to face questions like that with ‘Who’s your favorite player?’ His answer was, ‘Well, I’ll give you my starting five. At point guard: Magic Johnson. At shooting guard: Magic Johnson. At small forward: Magic Johnson. At power forward: Magic Johnson. At center: Magic Johnson.'”
She then explained that the list was according to her and was by no means an attempt to diminish what O’Neal did for the Lakers.
“He knew how to answer a question like that,” Buss continued. “What I remind people that ask about it is I took the question as, ‘Who are the five most important Lakers to me’ in my career and in preparing me for sitting in this seat. That’s why the influence of Phil was so important.”
She added: “I reference that, and, of course, my relationship with Kobe not only as a great Laker, but as a great friend. He’s a person I can go to for guidance and for counsel.”
By the way, here’s Shaquille O’Neal’s reaction to getting excluded from Buss’ list.
As per Jeanie, the five most important Lakers of all time are Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, and Phil Jackson.
One can argue that O’Neal can get the nod ahead of James on the list. After all, he led them to three straight NBA titles in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Time As A Laker
O’Neal played eight seasons for the Purple and Gold from 1996 to 2004. During this time span, he averaged 27.0 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, and 2.5 BPG.
On top of that, he won three NBA titles and three NBA Finals MVPs while playing for the Lakers. He also got selected to seven NBA All-Star games and five All-NBA First Team selections. Of course, O’Neal also won the 1999-2000 NBA MVP.
To be honest, it’s a little surprising to see O’Neal being snubbed. But at the end of the day, it’s her opinion, and someone else may have had a different list than hers.
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