One of the best players the Los Angeles Lakers had in their illustrious history, Shaquille O’Neal, was a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and discussed the NBA. Shaq provided his thoughts on Kawhi Leonard’s decision to snub the Lakers and join the Los Angeles Clippers instead.
First of all, O’Neal gave an obvious answer to the question about which Los Angeles team he prefers.
“I gotta go with the Lakers, I’m Lakers, Purple and Gold till I die,” O’Neal said.
Kimmel then asked O’Neal if he’s biased because he played for the Lakers for several years. Shaq responded: “Even when the Lakers have a bad team like it did last year, I’m still with the Lakers.”
Of course, Kimmel didn’t want to miss an opportunity to ask O’Neal why Leonard decided to go to the Los Angeles Clippers despite the Lakers being big favorites to land the superstar forward. Shaq offered his thought on a matter as he believes one particular man played a crucial role in Kawhi’s decision.
“Because Jerry West is a master, Jerry West knows how to read people and he probably had a conversation with [Leonard],” O’Neal stated.
O’Neal’s response comes from his own experience with West many years ago. West was the Lakers’ owner at the time, and now, he is an executive board member of the Los Angeles Clippers, so Shaq surely knows what he is talking about.
When asked one hypothetical question about which Los Angeles team he would choose if he is still an active NBA player, O’Neal gave a rather interesting answer, saying that he’d choose neither.
“I would go on a team that needs a superstar and I’ll teach them guys how to beat the superstars,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal experienced the best seasons of his illustrious career with the Lakers where he played alongside another superstar, Kobe Bryant, for nine years. During his stay with the Lakers, O’Neal won three NBA titles, earning three NBA Finals MVP honors in the process. Shaq also represented the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics, and won a title with Miami in 2006.
