Best Los Angeles Lakers big men of all time: 2. Shaquille O’Neal
If Shaquille O’Neal was not the most dominant big man of all time, he was definitely the most fun and the biggest athletic marvel to enter the league since Chamberlain. Shaq had a personality made for the bright lights in Los Angeles and it was no wonder they were a match made in heaven in the city of angels.
He was already one of the best players in the league, having led the Orlando Magic to the NBA finals before he decided to join the upstart Lakers who had Eddie Jones and Nick Van Excel at guards to score and get Shaq the ball. But it was not until a young Kobe Bryant emerged as one of the best wing players in the NBA, that Shaq was able to win his first MVP and NBA title in the 1999-2000 season.
That first title in the purple and gold lead to an unforgettable three-peat that proved no one in the league had an answer for Shaq in the paint on both ends of the floor. He was the catalyst and Finals MVP for all three of those championships and carried the torch as a big man who created a dynasty in Los Angeles.
He had his career-high 60 points on his birthday against the Clippers in a Lakers uniform and that was just one of his crazy Lakers scoring performances.
He was known as Superman for those games in a Lakers uniform, and it seemed like his only kryptonite throughout his career was his free throw shooting. That weakness coupled with his offensive dominance inspired teams to create a new strategy called the “hack-a-Shaq” defense where they would foul him before the ball was even inbounded.
The NBA has since changed the rule to outlaw off-ball fouls and that might have saved Shaq from missing a ton of free throws throughout his career. People have questioned if Shaq’s game would translate to today’s more 3-point centric game, but there should be no question about it, his time in a Lakers jersey proved he would dominate any era he played in.