The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the oldest and most prosperous franchises in the NBA. Obviously, over the course of history, several players have donned the Purple and Golde jersey. But among them, only a few can be considered, the legends of the franchise.
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal certainly falls in that category. Shaq spent over eight years of his career with the Lakers and helped the team win three NBA Championships too.
He formed a duo with the legendary Kobe Bryant and during his prime, there was hardly anyone who could stop the Diesel in his track. It’s no surprise that Shaq’s jersey was retired by the franchise when his career came to an end.
.Of course, Shaq regards that as a badge of honor as he is proud to represent the Lakers during his prime. While Shaq and several other legends’ jerseys hang at the rafters in the Lakers’ stadium, there are instances when they are covered.
We are precisely talking about when their noisy neighbors, the L.A. Clippers, play their home games in the same stadium. For a long time, the Clippers have been leasing the now-Crypto Arena due to the absence of their own stadium.
Back in 2017, Shaq finally called out the Clippers for covering the banners at the then-Staples Center.
“Speaking of Clippers, I don’t like the fact that when you guys have home games you cover up the jerseys. When you win 16 championships you can start changing the rules. Don’t come for my jersey. It’s our building, don’t forget that s**t. Ya’ll just leasing it, it’s our building.”
“It’s our building. Don’t forget that shit. Y’all just leasing that.” 🤣
Happy birthday Shaq 🙌 pic.twitter.com/XhAmErqHma
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) March 6, 2022
Well, Shaq’s plea has worked as the Clippers will no longer be covering the banners or jerseys in the Lakers stadium from 2024.
The Clippers will get their own stadium that year and will hope to finally move out of the Lakers’ shadow.
