"Might have to kick myself off this list right here" - Shaquille O'Neal open to omitting himself from list of Lakers' greats featuring LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and more

Shaquille O'Neal deserves a spot in the ranks of all-time LA Lakers greats. [Photo: YouTube]

Shaquille O'Neal played his best basketball with arguably the most storied franchise in NBA history, the LA Lakers. O'Neal led the purple and gold franchise to three straight titles from 2000-02.

As accomplished as “The Big Diesel” was for the Lakers, he couldn’t help but admit he may not have been as good as a few others on the team. In a self-deprecating post on Twitter, O'Neal questioned if his resume would stack up well against several of the team’s icons.

“Might have to kick myself off this list right here.”

Might have to kick myself off this list right here https://t.co/yEoYKmbTmG

O'Neal was reponding to a question asking him to eliminate one Laker from a dream team consisting of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and himself.

📅 On this day in 1996, the Los Angeles Lakers signed free agent Shaquille O'Neal to a 7-year, $120M contract.

In eight seasons in L.A., O'Neal averaged 27.0/11.8/3.1 in the regular season, 27.7/13.4/3.0 in the postseason, won three NBA titles, and won three Finals MVP Awards. https://t.co/UyOkHV3Y1m

Only Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson and Bryant won more titles than O'Neal with the Lakers. Johnson and the “Black Mamba” each had five while “Captain Skyhook'' had four. O’Neal is also tied with the “Magic Man” for most NBA Finals MVP trophies as a member of the purple and gold team with three.

O'Neal NBA Finals averages for the LA Lakers were simply jaw-dropping. In 20 games, he averaged 33.6 points, 14.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He also made 60.2% of his shots.

Also Checkout:- Kobe Bryant Rings

MJ and Shaq are the only players in NBA history to win three straight FMVPs.

Insane.

(via @FadeawayWorld)
fadeawayworld.net/nba-media/mich…

During his peak, it was perhaps only the free throw line that could limit his otherworldly production.

Shaquille O'Neal could have won more championships with the LA Lakers

The Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant tandem was one of the most dominant in NBA history. [Photo: USA Today]

The LA Lakers went to the NBA Finals four times in eight seasons with Shaquille O'Neal at center. They managed a three-peat from 2000 to 2002 and lost to the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

If not for the diminishing chemistry with the late Kobe Bryant, they could have won more.

"The most dominant one-two punch ever."

Where do @Shaq & @kobebryant rank among the great duos in @NBA history? https://t.co/cf3Vs7njo7

The feud also pushed O'Neal out of Hollywood when he was still a potent force for a contending team. He proved it when he helped Dwyane Wade win the Miami Heat’s first championship in 2006.

18 years ago today, Shaq was traded to the Heat after winning three titles with the Lakers 🏆

It marked the end of the Kobe-Shaq era. https://t.co/0StyHmjFIQ

The O'Neal-Bryant Lakers were not guaranteed to win titles, but they would surely have made it to more Finals had they stayed together.