Picking a Mount Rushmore for the Los Angeles Lakers is no easy task, but it’s one that rapper and Lakers fan Lil Wayne tried his hand at recently, and here is what he came up with.
“Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), Magic (Johnson), Kobe (Bryant), (Shaquille O’Neal),” Wayne said at first. “Oh, I’m sorry, Kobe, LeBron (James).”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson led the Lakers to five championships in the 1980s, and are deserving of spots on there. Kobe Bryant also won five titles with the franchise and is considered by many to be the greatest Laker ever. You’d be hard-pressed to find any Lakers Mount Rushmore without him.
Wayne’s last pick of LeBron James, however, is a debatable one, and Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t happy that he was left off, after initially being on there.
“Damn, I was only up there a half a second, why”
You can imagine how pleased O’Neal was at first to find himself on there, only to then be taken off it. Does he have a strong case to be on there? I certainly think so.
Shaquille O’Neal Is More Deserving Of Being On The Lakers’ Mount Rushmore Than LeBron James
There has been a lot of talk about LeBron having not done enough to be considered a Lakers legend, but I firmly believe he is one. He led the franchise to a championship in 2020 and has been a force on the court in his six seasons with them. That might be good enough to be on Mount Rushmore for most franchises, but not the Lakers.
They are the most successful team in NBA history along with the Boston Celtics, and there are just so many greats who have done a lot more than James has for the franchise. O’Neal is one of them, having led the Lakers to a historic three-peat from 2000 to 2002.
In eight seasons with the Lakers, he averaged 27.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game. O’Neal was the most dominant player in the league during his time in L.A. and won his only MVP in 2000 as well.
You can maybe make a case for the likes of Jerry West to be on there ahead of O’Neal, but not LeBron. If he wins another championship or two before he walks away from the game, then maybe he could have a strong case, but not right now.
Shaquille O’Neal Was Unhappy With Jeanie Buss
The 51-year-old O’Neal might just be feeling like he isn’t getting the respect he deserves for everything he did during his time with the Lakers. Team owner Jeanie Buss didn’t include him in her list of the five most important Lakers, as she picked Magic, Kareem, Kobe, LeBron, and Phil Jackson.
O’Neal was dismayed at Buss’ decision to exclude him from her all-time five most important Lakers list. He clearly felt he should have been on there, but she had an explanation for his exclusion.
Buss explained she excluded O’Neal, as the list was about the Lakers who were most important for her career and who prepared her for the role she currently has. It was why Jackson made it in and O’Neal didn’t.
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