Now often seen working as an analyst, Shaquille O’Neal is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in NBA history. Drafted first in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, O’Neal blossomed almost immediately, being named an All-Star for the first time in his debut season, just months before being named Rookie of the Year.
O’Neal averaged nearly 30 points to lead the league in just his third year of basketball, guiding the Magic to the NBA Finals alongside fellow youngster Penny Hardaway, where they were beaten by the Houston Rockets. After missing a noticeable chunk of what would be his fourth and final season in Orlando, O’Neal entered the free agency market.
The 7’1” big man signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, a franchise with whom O’Neal would cement his legacy in the NBA. The center joined in the same year that the Lakers drafted a certain Kobe Bryant and across the remaining years of the 1990s, the two adapted to playing alongside each other.
Despite eventual, well-documented disputes away from the court, O’Neal and Bryant were an exceptional pairing for Los Angeles. The franchise hired Phil Jackson, a serial winner with the Chicago Bulls, as head coach for the 1999/2000 season and saw an immediate impact as the Lakers won the championship in that same campaign. O’Neal’s first title win coincided with what proved to be the only Most Valuable Player award of his career.
O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004 after issues that arose over his contract in LA. An older player, O’Neal was a big factor in Miami’s 2006 title push, winning the fourth championship of his career. The center left the Heat in 2008, retiring three years later after representing three different teams in that time.
Shaq, as he is so commonly called, has shared a number of opinions since his retirement, such as when, in speaking to USA TODAY Sports, he named his all-time LA Lakers starting five.
Point Guard - Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
For his team’s main creative outlet, O’Neal picked Magic Johnson. A towering point guard who could transition with blistering speed, Johnson was a quintessentially important part of the Showtime Lakers, winning five NBA Championships in the 1980s under the guidance of Pat Riley.
Across his career, Johnson averaged a double-double with points and assists, so impressive was his efficiency in the Lakers offence. The guard, who won three MVP awards, was the biggest adversary of Boston Celtics star Larry Bird as the stars' rivalry became a focus of the entire league.
Such was Johnson’s contribution as a Laker, that 30 years after his retirement, Lakers fans still hold Johnson in the highest regard as a former player.
|Magic Johnson Career Stats|
|Games Played|906|
|Points per Game|19.5|
|Rebounds per Game|7.2|
|Assists per Game|11.2|
|Triple Doubles|138|
|---|
Shooting Guard - Jerry West
Jerry West Los Angeles Lakers
Perhaps the ultimate hallmark of being an NBA legend, Jerry West’s contribution to the league was so sizable that the NBA chose his silhouette to be the basis of their logo. A 14-time All-Star who enjoyed a 14-year career after being drafted in 1960, West spent the entirety of his playing days with the Lakers but struggled to win a title for most of his tenure.
West, who was part of the All-NBA First Team in 10 separate years, won just one NBA Championship in his career, coming two years before the guard decided to retire. West averaged almost 20 points and nine assists in the Finals as, alongside fellow league icon Wilt Chamberlain, the Lakers won their first championship in almost two decades.
Though West was a point guard, O’Neal evidently felt that “the Logo” needed to fit somewhere in his team.
|Jerry West Career Stats|
|Games Played|932|
|Points per Game|27.0|
|Rebounds per Game|5.8|
|Assists per Game|6.7|
|Field Goal Percentage|47.4%|
|---|
Small Forward - Kobe Bryant
© USA TODAY-USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n""> © USA TODAY-USA TODAY NETWORK
The second of three players in Shaq’s team to be put out of position, O’Neal, of course, named Kobe Bryant to his side. In his early years, Bryant was as confident as he was egotistical. Such was his ability, however, that this could be overlooked, for it was immediately apparent that Bryant would be a star.
An 18-time All-Star in his career, Bryant, alongside O’Neal, led the Lakers to a three-peat between 2000 and 2002, becoming the franchise’s sole superstar after the center was traded in 2004. Bryant became much more of a team player as he matured, something that saw him be named the 2008 MVP and win two NBA titles in the following two years.
Bryant, after retiring, became the first and so far, only, player in NBA history to have two jersey numbers retired by the same franchise, a significant testament to the legacy he carved out for himself.
|Kobe Bryant Career Stats|
|Games Played|1,346|
|Points per Game|25.0|
|Rebounds per Game|5.2|
|Assists per Game|4.7|
|Career High Score|81|
|---|
Power Forward - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Lakers
Magic Johnson was one of the two key players that were so instrumental to the success enjoyed by the Showtime Lakers. The other was none other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Drafted by Milwaukee in 1969, the big man helped the Bucks win their first-ever NBA championship before, in 1975 he was traded to LA.
A 20-year veteran, Abdul-Jabbar would spend the remaining 14 years of his career with the Lakers, becoming the all-time top scorer of the NBA and setting a record that would not be broken for almost four decades, until LeBron James overtook the center in 2023.
A six-time MVP, Abdul-Jabbar won five further championships in Los Angeles, retiring in 1989, one year after lifting his final Larry O’Brien trophy.
|Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Career Stats|
|Games Played|1,560|
|Points per Game|24.6|
|Rebounds per Game|11.2|
|Assists per Game|3.6|
|Career Points|38,387|
|---|
Center - Shaquille O’Neal
Kobe Bryant Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers holding trophy
Unsurprisingly, O’Neal elected to name himself as the number five in his team. It would be absolutely fair to say that, at his peak, O’Neal was the most physically dominant player in Lakers history, if not in the history of the entire league. During eight years with the franchise, O’Neal was part of the All-NBA First Team six times.
Be it basketball fans or players, O’Neal remains highly thought of for his abilities as a player and his place within his team, given his tenure and accomplishments with the Lakers, is more than justified.
Shaquille O'Neal Career Stats
Games Played
Points per Game
Rebounds per Game
Assists per Game
Blocks per Game
(All stats are fromBasketball Referenceand are correct as of 05/08/2025 )