A man who knows all too well the pressures of winning a champion with the Lakers is the one and only Shaq, aka, Shaquille ONeal.
After Luka Doncic was traded to LA in February, he felt all the love of Los Angeles behind him, but Shaq warns that love will only extend so far.
People gave a little grace because it happened so quickly, but this offseason theyre gonna be watching, ONeal said, via Sports Illustrated.
The three-time Lakers champion knows thatscrutiny will be high for Doncic and James come September.
He also thinks a little more grit and sense of purpose from Luka and LeBron will go a long way in 2026.
Theyre gonna say, Hey, Luka, how are you training? LeBron, what are you doing? And then next year, whoever wins this year, next year were still gonna be talking about the Lakers and what theyre doing, ONeal said. So I look for them to be a little bit more determined.
Every season LeBron plays he inches closer to retirement, with many pegging 2026 will be his last in the league.
Recently, ONeal was asked whether the Lakers should build a statue in honor of James.
LeBron broke the record, and he did it as a Laker, ONeal said of James becoming the NBAs all-time leading scorer. Would I oppose him having a statue in Los Angeles? No, I wouldnt But he won a championship with the Lakers, and a lot of people try to discredit it. If that one doesnt count, then you cant count Mr. Duncans bubble championship either. Thats right. I said it! If were counting Tim Duncans lockout-year championship, then you have to count LeBrons too. (via Scoop B Robinson)
As it stands, LAL have statues of Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille ONeal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West outside of Crypto.com arena.
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