8 seasons and 3 titles. That too, a three-peat. That’s how magnificent Shaquille O’Neal’s tenure in Purple and Gold was. Add to the fact that he earned 3 Finals MVPs, only second in league history after Michael Jordan. But if you think there were no rough times during the Lakers’ stint, then you are wrong. And we are not talking about the fallout with Kobe Bryant. In fact, this was before the emergence of Black Mamba, and how frustration piled on Shaq, which resulted in the destruction of the locker room.

One of the reported reasons for O’Neal to jump ship from Orlando to the Lakers was championships. Before the three-peat, there were losses in the first and second rounds and even a clean sweep by the Spurs. Which is why the Big Aristotle recalled being “ at the tipping point, I’m going

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