One of the most significant figures in Lakers history had a baffled reaction when he discovered that team owner Jeanie Buss had excluded him. Buss recently ranked the top five most important Lakers of all time, which included Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Phil Jackson. Shaquille O’Neal, upon seeing the list, expressed his confusion with a single word on Instagram: “Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.” He accompanied his message with a graphic of the five Lakers chosen by Buss, along with a picture of himself looking stunned.
Buss compiled her list during a 2021 interview on the “All the Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Steven Jackson. The two co-hosts urged Buss, who seemed stressed, to name the five Lakers she considered most important throughout the franchise’s illustrious history. When Barnes mentioned Jackson, Buss hesitated, questioning whether he should count. Eventually, she admitted that he would complete her selection.
Buss’ list sparked controversy, as fans and Lakers icons alike wondered how she could omit legendary player, coach, and executive Jerry West, as well as O’Neal. West expressed his disapproval on the “Hoop Du Jour Podcast” in May 2021, stating, “I saw the other day Jeanie Buss made a statement, the five most important Lakers, one of the most offensive things I’ve ever heard in my life. I was there a lot of times, had a lot of success. Be curious to know if they would have had that success if I hadn’t been there.”
Shaquille O’Neal, who spent eight seasons with the Lakers and helped the team secure three championships alongside Bryant, had impressive statistics during his tenure, averaging 27 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. He was a consistent presence in the All-Star team throughout his time in Los Angeles, with an exception of one year.
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