It is widely known Jerry West was responsible for putting things in motion for the Los Angeles Lakers to sign Shaquille O’Neal in 1996.
But O’Neal recently revealed there was another factor in his decision to leave the Orlando Magic. On a recent episode of his The Big Podcast, O’Neal said a conversation with NBA great Julius Erving also assisted in the decision.
At the time, O’Neal was playing for one of the league’s best teams that included Penny Hardaway, Nick Anderson, Horace Grant and Dennis Scott. They were coming off losing to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.
But O’Neal was torn on if he wanted a change, so he made a phone call.
“When I was in Orlando, I was getting ready to leave, who do you think I called,” O’Neal said. “I only called one man. I didn’t call my momma. I didn’t call my daddy. I called one man.”
That called was made to Erving. O’Neal and Erving were next-door neighbors in Orlando at the time. That’s when their friendship grew stronger.
“I said, `Doc, I got an opportunity,”‘ O’Neal said. “You know what Doc said, `Follow your heart, young fella … So I went to LA.”‘
The rest is history. O’Neal went from being a superstar with no championships with the Magic to winning three straight alongside Kobe Bryant with the Lakers. He later grabbed another with the Miami Heat before finishing his Hall of Fame career.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at [email protected]
