Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest centers of all time, and when he was on his prime, the 7’1 was an unstoppable force in the NBA.
The Newark, New Jersey, native spent the best years of his 19-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping lead them to three straight titles from 2000-02 alongside legendary guard Kobe Bryant.
Before that, he spent his first four seasons with the Orlando Magic, from 1992-1996, where he quickly began dominating the league, earning an All-Star nod each year while making his mark off the court with projects like his rap album, “Shaq Diesel,” and film, “Kazaam,” in which he played a genie that lived in a boombox.
Shaquille O’Neal playfully warns two young Celtics fans
“Diesel” spent the final season of his career with the Boston Celtics, the biggest Lakers rival. The four-time champion played in 37 games for iconic head coach Doc Rivers‘ team due to a persistent Achilles tendon injury that limited his time on the court.
So whenever Shaq goes to Boston, fans remind him of his Los Angeles past but also show him love for being a Celtic for a very short period. Two of those fans are young kids that were eager to know what O’Neal thinks of the current Boston players, particularly the All-Star guards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Shaquille was tired of hearing the kids scream at him and he decided to tell them to join him for a quick conversation on the sidelines. The young fans were really happy to talk to “Diesel” but he playfully warn them that he was not goint to answer any questions. “I don’t do questions, buddy, just give me a hug. I don’t do questions that are not answered.” O’Neal told the kids. It was a great moment for the young fans and a moment that they will never forget.
One of the best Los Angeles Lakers member ever
During his eight seasons in Los Angeles, O’Neal was named to seven All-Star teams (one year the game wasn’t held) and took home three NBA Finals MVP trophies as well as the 2000 regular-season MVP award. Teams were unable to stop him.
The 7-foot-1, 325-pound giant led the league in scoring with 29.7 points per game in that 2000 campaign, while also pacing the NBA in field goal percentage six times. He was one of the biggest reasons why the Lakers won three championships in a row.
During his induction speech on the Hall of Fame, O’Neal – who has the second-most blocks (1,278) and second-highest scoring average (27.0) in franchise history – thanked many from his time in Los Angeles, including Robert Horry, Brian Shaw, Rick Fox, Horace Grant, Tyronn Lue, Devean George, Gary Vitti, Mike Penberthy, Del Harris, Jeanie Buss and Kobe Bryant.
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