Shaquille O’Neal was dominating the league during his time with the Orlando Magic. Despite this, in 1996, Shaq made the tough decision of parting ways with the franchise. The big man decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers, agreeing to a seven-year, $121,000,000 contract. Jerry West didn’t make any false promises in order to acquire the superstar. Having been informed of it, the Big Aristotle was even content with the promise of being teamed up alongside a 17-year-old who came straight out of high school – Kobe Bryant.
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Getting drafted into the NBA is always a joyous occasion, especially for someone as young as Kobe Bryant. However, the draft day trade made by the Charlotte Hornets frustrated the Lower Merion High School star. Instead of celebrating being drafted, Bryant decided to not announce his thoughts to the media. Little did Kobe know, the deal would end up being a beneficial one for him.
Shaquille O’Neal was happy enough playing alongside a young Kobe Bryant
In a recent interview appearance with Brandon Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal spoke about his trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. Usually, in order to acquire the superstars, General Managers make some unachievable promises. However, Jerry West didn’t do anything of the sort. Upon learning West’s plans of drafting Kobe Bryant, “Superman” made the decision to join the Purple & Gold.
“When I was leaving Orlando, he brought me here and told me the truth. I would have a young team and a guy named Kobe. That guy’s going to be good but in a couple of years you’re going to have championships. It wasn’t no ‘get you this or get you that.’ Jerry’s not that type of guy,”
Shaq told me that Jerry West recruiting him to the Lakers was simple & it included Kobe Bryant: “When I was leaving Orlando, he brought me here and told me the truth. I would have a young team and a guy named Kobe. That guy’s going to be good but in a couple of years you’re going… pic.twitter.com/HUek21E38Y
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 6, 2023
The Shaq-Kobe duo instantly became a dynamic pairing. Dominating the league for the next few years, the one-two punch led the California side to four Finals trips in five years (from 2000-2004), winning three titles in the process.
Clearly, displaying faith in a young Kobe turned out to be one of the best decisions Shaq ever made.
1996 off-season chaos led Jerry West hospitalized
The 1996 off-season was one of the most important ones in the Lakers’ franchise history. Apart from managing to acquire Shaquille O’Neal in the free agency, the front office also made the difficult decision of trading away Vlade Divac in order to acquire Kobe Bryant.
Creating such a star-studded lineup wouldn’t have been possible without lodging in a few sleepless nights. However, spending a significant amount of energy resulted in ‘The Logo” being hospitalized.
Merely 4 seasons later, the Lakers went on to win their first title and eventually clinched a three-peat. So, despite his time spent in the hospital, it is unlikely West regretted working himself to the bone as much as he did.
