Shaquille O’Neal expresses regret leaving Magic for Lakers in 1996
Shaquille O’Neal joined the Laker greats in the Staples Center rafter on Tuesday, verbally nudging Dwight Howard as he did so.
Back in 1996, Shaquille O’Neal made a decision that would forever change the NBA. O’Neal chose to leave a good situation with the Orlando Magic to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency. The move basically took the Magic back to square one with Anfernee Hardaway becoming injury prone and the franchise struggling to get back to relevant status until the arrival of Dwight Howard.
As a result of Shaq joining the Lakers, the storied franchise eventually won three straight and became a dynasty at the beginning of the 21st century. O’Neal and Kobe Bryant ultimately became the NBA’s best one-two punch during their eight-year run together in Los Angeles.
Despite winning three titles and a league MVP in Los Angeles, Shaq still regrets leaving Orlando back in 1996. O’Neal said the following when being inducted in the Magic’s Hall of Fame on Friday, via ESPN:
“That’s why I kind of regret it, because we had a young, fabulous team,” O’Neal said. “We really did. And it’s a shame that we got torn apart. But I think about that all the time. I try not to live my life now on ‘ifs’ or ‘would’ve, should’ve,’ but do I regret leaving here in ’96, yes I do.”
Although Shaq says he regrets leaving the Magic for the Lakers, the future Hall of Famer never made an attempt to return after laving Los Angeles in 2004. O’Neal played three and half seasons with the Miami Heat after being traded by the Lakers and then ended up bouncing around the league until his eventual retirement in 2011 due to injury.
If Shaq truly regretted leaving Orlando, one would’ve thought he’d at least attempt to return in some capacity, even if it was to play behind or mentor Dwight. Instead, Shaq continued to chase an elusive fifth ring playing for the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
Regardless of Shaq’s true intentions or regrets, there’s disputing that he was one of the most dominant players in NBA history. O’Neal’s accomplishments and stats speak for themselves. Shaq finished his career with four NBA titles, three NBA Finals MVPs and 15 All-Star appearances. O’Neal was also the NBA MVP in 2000, Rookie of the Year in 1993, a two-time NBA scoring champion and won All-Star MVP three times. An impressive body of work to say the least.
