NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal had a hilarious take on the Anthony Davis trade to the LA Lakers.
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The Anthony Davis trade was no easy task for Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and co. During his stint in New Orleans, The Brow had publicly expressed his desire to be traded, which led to him being fined $50,000 by Commissioner Silver, making things more complicated for the future.
On the other hand, the Lakers were scouting for a superstar-caliber player to pair alongside LeBron James. AD’s name was on top of their list, who too wanted to play for the purple and gold. However, the former NCAA champion’s soured relations with the Pelicans made things difficult.
Nonetheless, GM Pelinka and co pulled off the herculean task but had to part with a host of their talent and draft picks. Fortunately, all the sacrifices proved to be worthwhile. In only his first season with the Lakers, Davis managed to bring the franchise a championship in the Orlando Bubble.
Before all the celebrations, many had expressed their doubts about the Lakers agreeing to trade a host of their talent for Davis, including four-time champion Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaquille O’Neal’s ‘b*lls’ reference while addressing the Anthony Davis trade.
There is no doubt that Shaq will always be an integral part of the Lakers organization. The former center played 8-seasons for the purple and gold, winning 3-titles and being the Finals MVP each time. Thus the Hall of Famer had second thoughts about the trade, not hesitating to take a hilarious jibe at the Ball family.
At the time, Lonzo Ball had begun showing signs of being a potential star player, trying to live up to his father LaVar Ball’s tall and outrageous claims. The Chino Hill sensation had generated a lot of excitement even before he made his NBA debut, courtesy of his father.
Thus when the AD trade went down, Lonzo was shipped to the Pelicans, something Shaq couldn’t resist poking fun at, saying the following.
“Anthony Davis is going to the Lakers,” said the Big Diesel. “Yeah, they had to give up a lot. Literally, they had to cut their b*lls off to make this trade.”
Though Davis brought the Lakers a title, his durability continues to be a concern. On the other hand, Ball improved with the passing time, especially in his ability to shoot and dish out assists.
