“The call came, from my little brother Shaq” - Gary Payton revisits conversation with Shaquille O'Neal about joining the LA Lakers in 2003 free agency
Shaquille O'Neal played a crucial role in Gary Payton's addition to the LA Lakers in 2003. The purple and gold failed to reach the NBA Finals, the season after their three-peat (2002-03). The following offseason, they added veterans Payton and Karl Malone to bolster their hopes of winning a championship again.
Payton joined the Lakers on a two-year, $10 million contract in the hopes of winning his first NBA championship. In the latest episode of Hulu's 10-part docuseries on the Lakers, Payton revealed the conversation he had with Shaq during 2003 free agency.
"I was getting older. I said, 'Where should I go? Is this gonna make my legacy to win a championship?' And then, that call came from my little brother Shaq. 'Bro, you about to be a free agent. Come on over here. Let me get you one of these chips.'"
The LA Lakers reached the NBA Finals with Gary Payton and Karl Malone's addition. Payton averaged 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. He played in all 82 games during the regular season. His contributions came in handy as other superstars like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Malone struggled with injuries.
Today in sports history July 16th, 2003 Gary Payton and Karl Malone join the Lakers 🏀 https://t.co/q7qyYu870R
Friction between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant led to LA Lakers' failure to win the 2004 NBA Finals
Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton and Karl Malone were members of the LA Lakers superteam. They were expected to beat the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals in 2004. The team managed to reach the finals, despite friction between franchise stars Shaq and Kobe.
16 years ago today, the Detroit Pistons beat the Lakers "Super Team" of Kobe, Karl Malone, Shaq & Gary Payton in the 2004 NBA Finals.
In the 5-game series, the Lakers only scored more than 90 once. Their lowest point total came in a 68-88 loss in GM3. https://t.co/k7j913bZNc
The Pistons were the underdogs but caused one of the biggest upsets in the finals by beating the Lakers in five games and winning the title. Bryant and O'Neal's frosty relationship didn't impact their regular season. It did, however, have a massive impact on their bid to win a fourth title as teammates.
Detroit got the job done to win their first title since 1990! ✅
Lakers vs. Pistons, 2004 NBA Finals - Game 5, Pop Up Edition - 6pm ET on NBA TV! https://t.co/de13HyuHEf
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant took shots at each other during press conferences. With Bryant quickly becoming one of the best players in the league and Shaq aging, there was a power struggle about who was the man-in-charge.
It hampered the locker room environment to a great extent. It also contributed to their disappointing finals loss as the team never gelled well.
The LA Lakers eventually had to break up their roster after that finals run. Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat after LA refused to offer him the maximum deal he wanted. LA re-signed Kobe Bryant in free agency and stuck with him until his retirement in 2016. Bryant led the team to three NBA Finals and two championships later that decade.