One of the biggest signings ever made in Lakers history was in 1996 when the late Jerry West brought Shaquille O’Neal in from the Orlando Magic. While the result of that free signing is part of a glorious chapter, what really went on behind the scenes to make it happen is not known to many. In the book Shaq Uncut, the big fella unveiled how West got him $23 million extra on their deal, something that won over his loyalty for life.
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Shaq wrote that he was ready to take up the $98 million offer that LA initially put on the table. However, to his surprise, West had an even better offer for him. He wrote, “I’m ready to take $98 million from LA, but Jerry West calls back and he’s excited because he had just traded George Lynch and now, he can give us seven years and $121 million.”
The extra $23 million was icing on the cake for Shaq. After all, given just how much the fans and the city despised him by that point, O’Neal was itching to move by then.
The final nail in the coffin for his Magic tenure was a poll that was done in the city where the fans showed that they wanted him off the team. Shaq wrote, “That poll bothered me. The fans seemed like they had turned on me. I had worked my ass off for that city, and this was how they repaid me?”
In addition to the fans, Shaq was also bothered by the front office’s lack of effort in giving him his desired, new contract.
So, once the offer from LA came in, Shaq was sure that it was time for him to move. However, the Magic weren’t going to let it go without a fight. According to Shaq, they tried their best to match the Lakers’ offers, but it was all in vain.
O’Neal wrote, “I hadn’t signed anything, but I had given Jerry West my word I was going to play for the Lakers, and I wasn’t going back on that.”
Especially given what the public discourse around Shaquille O’Neal was at the time in Orlando, it’s no surprise he wished to move away from the city entirely. Fortunately for them, the Lakers were the benefactors of just this, something that went a long way in ensuring the franchise’s success in the then-near future.
Jerry West laid the foundation for the Lakers three-peat
Three-peating any title is a monumental achievement, let alone a league title that’s ruthlessly competitive like the NBA. The fact that the Lakers were last to do it (2000-2002) speaks to the talent pool of the team.
The foundation for the three-peat was laid by West when he traded Vlade Divac for the now-late, great Kobe Bryant on July 11th, 1996, before signing Shaq as a free agent on July 18th, 1996.
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
The duo of Shaq and Kobe went on to do what the great Michael Jordan did with Scottie Pippen – become one of the few teams in the NBA to three-peat.
.Eventually, after Shaq left LA, Kobe won two more championships for the franchise in 2009 and 2010. None of this could have been possible if it wasn’t for Jerry West’s determination to make the Lakers the best team in the league.
