Decades After Leaving Orlando For $121,000,000, Shaquille O’Neal Picks His Magic All-Time 5 Over LeBron James And Kobe Bryant Led Lakers

Shaquille O’Neal played for six franchises over an illustrious 19-year NBA career. Even though his stint with the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Boston Celtics can be forgettable, Shaq did build a solid legacy during his time with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Miami Heat. The Big Aristotle, having spent three years at Louisiana State University, was an established star when he entered the NBA hardwood. After spending four glorious seasons with the Magic, O’Neal joined the Lakers in the summer of 1996, signing a massive $121,000,000 contract over seven years. Shaq recently posted a hypothetical matchup between the all-time Orlando Magic and the all-time Los Angeles Lakers. With him present on both rosters, the TNT analyst had an interesting pick to win the contest.

Shaquille O’Neal is a huge fan of such hypothetical battles. In the past, we’ve seen the NBA Hall-Of-Famer post such fictitious scenarios on his Instagram and Twitter accounts. This time, O’Neal has put up a graphic of yet another hypothetical battle on the newest social media platform “Threads”.

Shaquille O’Neal backs the all-time Orlando Magic to defeat the all-time Los Angeles Lakers

O’Neal took it to his Threads account and posted a hypothetical matchup between Orlando Magic’s all-time starting five against the all-time starting five of the Los Angeles Lakers. A legend for both franchises, Shaq was featured on both teams as the Power Forward. For the Purple & Gold, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant were the two Guards, with LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the Small Forward and Center, respectively. For the Florida side, Tracy McGrady and Anfernee (Penny) Hardaway were the backcourt pairing, while Vince Carter was the Small Forward, and Dwight Howard was named the Center.

Not only is this Lakers’ all-time five the better squad, but is one of the best all-time teams across all franchises. Despite their greatness, Shaq shocked his 2 million followers with a surprising take – the Magic to emerge victorious in a best-of-seven series. Shaq wrote:

“this game might go seven, what you think. and i’m a have to go with the magic on this one. young shaq and young dwight,wooweeeeee”

 

Post by @shaq

View on Threads

 

What’s even more shocking than backing the Magic to win, is the fact that Shaq has openly praised Dwight Howard despite their long-standing feud.

Shaq has often made some preposterous claims when it comes to selecting a winner of such hypothetical clashes. However, with this tie, the 51-year-old may have taken things too far. There is no way that a team with numerous frontrunners for the GOAT debate loses to the Magic side in their prime.

Shaq was denied being paid more than Anferenee Hardaway

The move to the Los Angeles Lakers was purely from a financial standpoint. O’Neal was very much content with the team and the city itself. In his book “Shaq Uncut”, the Diesel asked the Orlando front office to pay him $115 million. The request was shut down. Instead, the Magic only offered him a four-year $80 million contract. They justified this offer by stating that Shaq couldn’t be paid more than Anferenee Hardaway.

Shaq: “We asked for $115 million. But they wouldn’t. They came back with four years, $80 million. I asked John Gabriel why they wouldn’t pay me what he knew I deserved and he said, “We don’t want to upset Penny. We can’t pay you more than Penny.”

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over four years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,700+ articles.

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