James Worthy baffled about Shaquille O’Neal getting snubbed on Jeanie Buss’s top 5 Lakers - “Shaq is no doubt an iconic Laker”
A few years ago, Shaquille O'Neal felt slighted when LA Lakers owner Jeanie Buss left him off her list of top five players. Just recently, another former player decided to step up on the Hall of Fame center's behalf.
During the late 1980's and early 1990's, James Worthy put together a Hall of Fame career with the Lakers. He was a multi-time All-Star, and was part of three titles teams. However, he made a case for someone else to be in the conversation of top five Lakers of all time.
When somone from TMZ Sports asked Worthy about Shaquille O'Neal not being on Buss' list, he felt it was the wrong decision. While he might not have been with the organization long, he is still one of the most iconic players to ever don their jersey.
"Shaq was a great Laker. I don't know why Jeanie chose what she chose, but Shaq was a great center."
"He did not stay as long so I don't know if that went into her decision or not but Shaq is no doubt iconic Laker, no doubt."
Shaq spent eight years with the Lakers and led to team to a three-peat alongside Kobe Bryant. He also won the only MVP award of his career (1999-2000) while in LA.
Who did Jeanie Buss choose over Shaquille O'Neal for her top 5 LA Lakers ever?
Back in 2021, Jeanie Buss made an appearance on the "All the Smoke Podcast." That is where she gave her list of the top 5 greatest people connected to the LA Lakers. The names she picked over Shaquille O'Neal were Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, and Phil Jackson.
For the most part, it's hard to argue with most of these names. Kobe and Magic spent a combined 33 years with the franchise and helped deliver ten championships. Kareem is also a longtime Laker legend as he spent 14 years with the organization.
After those three, a case can start to be made for Shaq. While Phil Jackson made a huge impact on the Lakers during his time as coach, it's tough to put him on a list like this, Mainly because he is mostly remembered for his time with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
If time of service played a factor, then Shaq has an edge over LeBron. Along with spending more time in LA, the All-Star big man also had much more success during his run with the team.