Selected as the first pick of the 1992 NBA draft, Shaquille O’Neal spent four years at the Orlando Magic. Apart from accusations of being wasteful on the court, O’Neal had a number of issues in Orlando towards the end of his career. He was portrayed as a poor “role model” by Orlando media due to his long-term girlfriend Arnetta Yardborough’s unplanned pregnancy and their lack of marriage plans. Amidst rumors of a move to the LA Lakers, Shaq was well aware that he would just be another celebrity in Los Angeles. An idea he found appealing.
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In July 1996, he had a child with his long-time girlfriend Arnetta Yardborough. This provided further fuel to the media and their portrayal of Shaq. With Los Angeles and its plethora of high-profile Hollywood celebrities, this was not a problem in LA. According to Sports Illustrated, when his agent Leonard Armato was asked about the potential appeal of Los Angeles, he responded with a simple question: “Why wouldn’t it be?”
Shaquille O’Neal’s move to LA Lakers had many factors behind it
Apart from the fact that Orlando represented an “orthodox community” when compared to LA, it was also the lack of public eye that attracted Shaq to the Lakers. Among a plethora of celebrities in LA, Shaquille O’Neale’s off-court life decisions simply would not attract the same amount of interest.
Furthermore, in Orlando, he had developed a reputation of being a wasteful shooter, something his poor free throw record did not help. Additionally, the move to LA Lakers also represented a huge increase in his payday. O’Neal was earning around $5.7 million at Orlando. In LA, he signed a 7-year $121 million contract that saw his yearly wages almost double, immediately.
As it turned out, Shaq later revealed that Orlando Magic had come in at the last minute to match the Lakers’ offer. By then, however, it was too late. The constant public eye and the media’s portrayal of him had led to his patience running out. That, in addition to LA’s overall reputation, meant that O’Neal would play alongside Kobe Bryant for many years to come.
Shaquille O’Neal regretted leaving Orlando Magic
O’Neal undoubtedly had his reasons for leaving Orlando. Every NBA player wants to win championships. However, he now regrets his decision to move to Hollywood. In his defense, though, he completed his goal. The LA Lakers went on to win 3 back-to-back titles from 1999 to 2001.
In 2015, Shaquille O’Neal claimed to Orlando Sentinel that he regretted leaving the Magic, and wished that he had shown more patience. Along with Penny Hardaway, O’Neal led the Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals. However, the Magic were not a consistent title contender, although Shaq seems to know more than us:
“Knowing what I know now, I would’ve stayed. I would’ve stayed and fulfilled my seven years and then looked at it differently after my seventh year.”
