Shaquille O’Neal‘s decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers’ arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics, in 2011 was labeled treason by the team’s fans. However, Jerry West wasn’t bothered by it. He was grateful to him for helping the franchise win three titles and showcased his gratitude by inviting him to his statue unveiling ceremony. O’Neal declined the invitation citing loyalty to the Celtics, but West wouldn’t take no for an answer.
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In his autobiography ‘Shaq Uncut,’ the four-time NBA champion revealed that he told his assistant he wasn’t keen on appearing at the Staples Center. O’Neal’s stance was understandable. He’d have likely been jeered by fans during the ceremony for joining the Celtics, causing an unnecessary distraction.
However, O’Neal was left astonished when he was told that West personally requested that he attend the ceremony. In his book, he reminisced,
“I was surprised it meant that much to him, but once I heard that I made sure that I was there. I knew I was Jerry West’s guy once, but I guess I thought he’d moved on.”
Turned out Shaq was still “Jerry West’s guy”. The Logo, while giving his speech after the statue was unveiled, pointed Shaq out from the crowd, and said “I love you”.
This left O’Neal somewhat dumbfounded, as he claimed that West never showed even a fraction of this affection during his time in LA. He followed it up by expressing his gratitude to West, writing,
“I want to thank Jerry West for remaining true to me. I want to thank him for remembering what I remember—that together we brought a championship to the Lakers, along with Kobe and all the other guys. That together we were a pretty good team and created some pretty cool memories for a lot of people in Los Angeles.”
West’s affection for O’Neal isn’t surprising, considering he repaid his belief in him by helping the Lakers win three titles in a row after a 12-year drought. However, the three-peat wasn’t won by Shaq alone.
A week before securing Shaq’s signature, Jerry West traded Vlade Divac for a relatively unknown rookie straight out of high school. The rookie was Kobe Bryant, and he went on to achieve some great things with Shaq.
Jerry West built a dynasty in a week
In 1996, the Lakers, who hadn’t won the NBA title in eight years were determined to land Shaquille O’Neal and build a team around him. West ensured that the center had no option but to sign for the Lakers by handing him a seven-year bumper contract which was the biggest fully guaranteed deal in NBA history (at the time).
Signing O’Neal was West’s top priority, he also had his eyes set on landing another player who would alter the franchise’s fortunes. The 1996 NBA draft class was filled to the brim with Hall of Fame talent, however, Lower Merion High School star Kobe Bryant enamored West, and he was dead set on bringing him to LA.
He got his wish as the Charlotte Hornets agreed to draft Kobe Bryant with the 13th overall pick and trade him to the Lakers for center Vlade Divac.
On July 11, 1996, Jerry West traded Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant.
On July 18, 1996, Jerry West signed Shaq as a free agent.
Perhaps the greatest week any sports executive has ever had.
— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) June 12, 2024
In the space of seven days, West landed the two Hall of Famers who led the Lakers to a threepeat and helped build their modern dynasty. No executive in NBA history, other than West, can boast that they built a dynasty in a week and it is accomplishments like these that earned him a statue outside the team’s home arena.
