Shaquille O’Neal‘s career was defined by dominance on the court, but even the most celebrated athletes face moments that alter the course of history as the legendary Los Angeles Laker opens up on injury battles.
Despite his extraordinary dedication over 19 seasons, Shaq himself acknowledged the challenges of knocks and niggles beyond his control as he went on to win four career championships in the NBA.
“Some accidents you can prevent, but you can never prevent freak accidents. I missed 200 games for my injuries…” O’Neal reflected, highlighting the toll of persistent ankle problems, broken thumbs, torn muscles, and recurring toe issues.
While he gave his all to basketball, a critical decision, or lack thereof, during his Lakers tenure may have cost him and his teammates a chance at a fourth consecutive championship as per Brian Shaw.
The ex-Lakers guard, who was 36 when he played alongside O’Neal, recently shed light on that pivotal period during which the loveable giant might have let his colleagues down.
“So, at the end of our [championship run] we had won three in a row,” Shaw told the Byron Scott podcast. “We’re trying to win the fourth, and that year Shaq was on this thing about getting paid.
“Yeah. So, he didn’t have his surgery on his toe. So he missed, I don’t know, maybe the first 30 games or whatever of the season because he didn’t do the surgery right after the season ended.”
Shaq delayed the procedure for nearly three months, and by the time he returned, the Lakers had already struggled through a rough start without their star center, opening to a 3-9 record.
Even after his return, the team found challenegs, posting an 11-19 record during his early games back in a start that represented the franchise’s worst in nearly a decade.
Although the Lakers managed to stabilize after the All-Star break and advance past the first round of the playoffs, their hopes of a four-peat were dashed by the San Antonio Spurs.
And Shaw pointed to the delayed surgery as a key factor in the team’s inability to contend for another championship before he then reflected on the changes that followed the 2002-03 season.
“And so anyway we end up losing, I think to San Antonio in the playoffs,” he added. “Fall short of a fourpeat.
“After the season is over Shaq and Kobe, they say we need to get younger and more athletic. So that cost Robert Horry and me, right?
“So they came to us, they said, ‘Well, we got to get younger. We got to get more athletic, so we got to bring in some different guys, try to keep it going forward.’
“So I retired!”
When does the 2025/26 NBA season begin?
The 2025-26 NBA regular season is set to tip off on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. The league will kick off with an opening night doubleheader broadcast on NBC and Peacock, giving fans an exciting start to the season.
The first game of the night will feature the Houston Rockets facing the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 PM Eastern Time (4:30 PM PT).
Later, the Golden State Warriors will take on the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:00 PM Eastern Time (7:00 PM PT).
Following the opening, the regular season will run through the winter and spring, concluding on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
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