Shaquille O’Neal furious with so-called Lakers franchise ranking
By Mark Powell
Shaq called out a Lakers fan graphic that placed him as a Tier 2 team legend. Though, it’s tough to argue his cause given the players who make up Tier 1.
The rankings, which feature Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the top of the class for the Lakers franchise, place Shaq squarely in Tier 2, along with LeBron James and Jerry West.
Shaq called out the rankings on Instagram, stating “I do not agree, hell no.”
If anyone is qualified to speak on said issue, it’s O’Neal. The Hall of Famer spent eight seasons with the Lakers, making seven All-Star teams and winning the 1999-00 NBA MVP award. He also won three championships with the team.
Lakers: Does Shaquille O’Neal deserve more credit?
If there is an argument to be made here, it’s that O’Neal should join the other three players in Tier 1, rather than knocking any of these legend down a peg. Bryant and Johnson were career Lakers, while Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time scoring leader in NBA history. It’s tough to argue against any of them.
Yet, being in the same category as LeBron and West isn’t so bad. James will go down as one of the three best players in league history, while West is the actual freaking logo. So, where’s the complaint here?
O’Neal was dominant force at his height. In fact, there probably was no more elite big in league history given O’Neal’s size and agility at the position. But by no means was he more important to the Lakers fabric than Magic, Bryant or Abdul-Jabbar given their longevity.
That’s not an insult to O’Neal, who was a great player in his own right.