Ok, here is a post someone brought up at CL. I thought it was a good topic, considering all of the things thats went on with Shaquille and the Laker organization. What is your take on it? Does shaq get a place in the rafters by having his jersey retired? Here is my post on the subject... IM BAFFLED......absolutly stunned that people are gonna stoop to a level of ignoring history. Listen up folks. IM NOT gonna stoop to that level, the level where the man Shaquille O'neal now calls home. Shaq has takin many shots @ Los Angeles the city and the organization, its owner, its franchis player and the front office. He has acted nothing short of middle school during his departure, and its sad to me. FACT of the matter is, Shaquille O'neal was and always will be in my mind, one of the greatest players to ever wear a Laker uniform. His finest years as a player were in the purple and gold. And there is no doubt in my mind, when its all said in done....the team on the plaque in the hall of fame that says "Shaquille O'neal" on it....will be LOS ANGELES LAKERS. And rightfully so. Dont get me wrong, im somewhat angry and very saddend as a laker diehard and as a individual Shaq fan, that this is what it's come to. But i understand. Shaq gave us VERY successfull years, including 3 championships. And he also cheated us with his stubborness. But i will never ever forget the shaq i knew and the shaq i grew to love. I will always have 2000,2001,2002 and the words "CAN YOU DIG IT!!".... i will always have "PUT YOUR FOURS UP, PUT YOUR FOURS UP I SAID!!!"... I also will always have the moment Shaq and Kobe connected on a OOP against the Blazers that can simply been dubbed the start of a dynasty in a game 7 that sealed the deal. Bottom line. YOU DONT DISGRACE HISTORY! You embrace it, you cherish it.... No matter what. The lakers were the greatest team on earth for 3 consecutive years and we have Shaquille to give a very big portion of that Thank You to. Just because shaquille acts towards LA as he does now, doesnt erase the memorys for me, doesnt erase the joy i get when i think of all those great games, all those championships. Giving Shaquille his rightfull spot in Laker history shouldnt be a debate simply because there is a falling out today. It certainly wont factor in when i tell my kids i watched the greatest team ever win championship after championship with 2 of the greatest players ever and the greatest coach ever. They will not get the storys of "shaq was traded, LA fell flat". It will be "LA was the BEST, Shaq was the most dominant and Kobe became Kobe". Please bring yourselfs off the level ONE MAN has decided to take, the level of cheap shots and hate. Los Angeles Lakers as a Whole are bigger then that, no matter what is said..... Shaquille O'neal's 34 Should NEVER be worn again by anyone other then him....and it should rest with Kareem and Magic and West etc....in the rafters, The same place the 14 championship banners rest.... 3 of which have Shaquilles fingerprints all over them God Bless - DMK
yes he will, plain and simple. and later in his career he will realize that he probably took for granted and people and championchips he won there. Hey he may even learn to appreciate kobe but thats kinda stretching it.
There is no question Shaq should have his #34 retired in the Staples Center. He's burned a lot of bridges this year, but once he retires and has time to reflect on his career, he and Dr. Buss will workout their differences. Despite it all, there are still a lot of Shaq fans in Los Angeles. The fans embraced Pat Riley during the reunion, eventhough his departure wasn't on the best of terms. I wouldn't be surprised to see Shaq back as part of the franchise
Absolutely. There is no reason why his jersey number shouldn't be hanged in the rafters, if there is reason why it shouldn't be hanged please bring to light.
I still believe he should be retired a Laker in a few years. Time heals wounds, but shaquille is making the wounds quite "scabby" lol. Either way, i still got love for shaq... he's disapointed me to no end, but i got love for the dude.
Great post. I totally agree with all of you guys. Yes Shaq might have said some bad things about the Lakers but look at what he brought to our organization. I just hope Kobe can lead the Lakers back to the glory days like how Shaq led the past Lakers.
Pay credit where credit is due -- Shaq's dominance brought us championships, simple as that. Some of us might dislike him with a passion now but never forget all the things he did for this franchise when he was here.
of course, but the question is when. the whole politics around shaq right now makes me think it will be a WHILE after he retires
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Lakers1:</div><div class="quote_post">i said yes at cl and ill say no over here</div> What? I don't understand what you mean. Why? But yes Shaq did say alot of horrible things about our organization. He hates us. But I pay my respects tot he big fella, he brought me alot of joy over the years. He was a huge contributor to our championships. He deserves to be in the hall of fame as a laker and should be retired as a laker.
there is no doubt shaq should have his number in the rafters...he won 3 championships and cemented his hall-of-fame status as a laker...
