People are lately showing concerns about why their favorite basketball player, Shaquille O’Neal, left the Lakers, despite doing good. Before getting into further discussion, let’s have a look at where he stands at present.
Shaquille O’Neal now serves as the sports analyst for Inside The NBA. Yes, he has retired as a player. Talking about his sports career, he has played for various teams. Some of these are- the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, etc.
He has made it to the NBA All-Star (×15), All-NBA First Team (×8), etc. Not to forget to mention, Shaquille has been the NBA Champion not just once but four times. Back in 1996, he won a gold medal at the Olympic Games, held in Atlanta. It was in 2011 when he retired from the sport.
At present, he is doing great on television as well. Some of his appearances include- Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fresh Off the Boat, Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers, etc. He is also known for Shaq Life, which has been running since 2020. Shaquille has also starred in some films such as Freddy Got Fingered, Blended, What Men Want, Hubie Halloween, etc. Indeed, Shaquille is multitalented.
Coming back to Shaquille O’Neal leaving the Los Angeles Lakers came up as shocking news to many. What went wrong? Was it something related to his willingness to join another team? Or was it something else?
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Reason Behind Shaquille O’Neal Leaving The Lakers
Some people suspected the major reason behind Shaquille O’Neal leaving The Los Angeles Lakers was his feud with Kobe Bryant. Was it true? Yes. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2004. Both worked for the team pretty well and made it to one of the best NBA teams. It was during 2002-2003 when the duo started to have some issues between them.
Shaquille O’Neal suffered from an injury and was sidelined for the same. On the other hand, Kobe Bryant faced some allegations related to sexual assault. Both were in problems. It was when they fired will ill comments at each other on social media. Even though it may sound a bit silly to some of you, it took a drastic turn.
Kobe Bryant claimed that Shaquille O’Neal came back being fat and was in no shape. Also, he didn’t like the fact that Shaq didn’t contact him at the time he was facing problems with the allegations and legal charges. He expected him by his side, but he didn’t appear.
After some time, Shaquille O’Neal joined Miami Heat and still believed that he had to make a move only because of Kobe Bryant. But, the latter shared that he enjoyed playing with him. Besides these, several rumors started circulating that both had some personal issues as well. However, that didn’t come up to the limelight yet. Briefly, we may say that Shaq allowed his feud with Kobe to prevent him from achieving more success with the Los Angeles Lakers.
But these weren’t the only reason. Shaquille O’Neal was also not happy with the pay structure offered by the team. He shared it to be another major reason for his exit. That even led him to trade. However, everything is going great now in Shaquille’s life. Wishing him nothing but the best in his life. You may give Shaq a following on his Instagram account for more updates.
Also Read: Shaquille O’Neal Finally Addresses What Went Wrong In His Marriage!
