Normally, NBA teams do whatever it takes to retain a player with generational talent. At the very least, both parties agree on a rookie contract extension. But that wasn’t the case with Shaquille O’Neal, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers once his rookie deal with the Orlando Magic was up.
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According to former Magic star Penny Hardaway, the involvement of Hollywood celebrities was the reason for O’Neal moving to LA. The Magic drafted O’Neal with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. He quickly emerged as a superstar in the league despite his youthful age. In 1995, he helped lead the Magic to their first NBA Finals appearance in the team’s inception.
Unfortunately, only a year later, he was no longer a member of the team. To make matters worse, he left in free agency, leaving Orlando with nothing to show for it. Many players on the Magic roster were salty regarding the Lakers’ method of swaying the big man to join their team. Hardaway was naturally on the top of that list.
In an appearance on The Compass Circle podcast in July 2024, Hardaway revealed Orlando didn’t stand a chance once Bruce Willis and Demi Moore got involved in the Lakers’ pitch to O’Neal.
“I found out that Bruce Willis and Demi Moore [and] all these entertainers and actors out in LA helped recruit him with Jerry West to come out there, and it was too overwhelming,” Hardaway had said.
Hardaway’s comments made it’s way to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. CinemaBlend spoke with Buss around the same time to learn more about her thoughts regarding the Lakers’ pitch to O’Neal. Buss defended the team management and rubbished the allegations with a hilarious chuckle.
“We did everything that was legal to attract Shaquille O’Neal to the Lakers…I’m on the board of Shaq’s foundation. I mean, I have to ask him that question the next time I see him,” Buss said.
Buss seems to be accurate in her claim that the Lakers didn’t cross any lines in their pursuit of O’Neal. In 1996, Shaq signed the biggest contract sport had ever seen for an individual player, bagging a whopping $120 million for 7 years. That was more than enough to convince Shaq to make a move from Orlando as they weren’t ready to pay him so much at the time.
The move turned out to be a good one for Shaq as it gave him exposure to the biggest market in the United States whether it is in sport or films or business. While that is something Hardaway agreed with, it seems that the Magic love in him has made him upset with Shaq for ditching Orlando.
O’Neal’s departure left Hardaway heartbroken
It’s impossible to replace a player of Shaq’s stature. Especially when he leaves the team with nothing to replace him with. Hardaway revealed his devastation regarding the departure of his All-Star running mate. He went as far by calling it the ‘worst day of my life’.
“Worst day of my life right there. I ain’t gonna lie. I knew the magnitude of that, bro,” Hardaway said in a separate interview on The Draymond Green Show. “Shaq never told me he was leaving.”
Hardaway felt a deep sense of betrayal that O’Neal didn’t at least communicate with him about his decision. As a result, the Magic became a shell of the team they once were. It wasn’t until they drafted Dwight Howard in 2004 that the team returned to relevancy.
O’Neal and Hardaway are now on good terms, but at that moment, the pain was too much to bear for the four-time All-Star guard.
