Before superstar center Shaquille O’Neal won three straight NBA titles while playing alongside fellow superstar Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers, the LSU product couldn’t get over the hump while playing for the Orlando Magic, who drafted him No. 1 overall in 1992.
Although O’Neal also had a talented young guard to play alongside in Orlando, Florida, with the Magic bringing in Anfernee Hardaway through the NBA Draft, the talented team that was arguably one of the most entertaining squads in the league simply couldn’t win it all.
Along with struggling to get by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference, the Magic were no contest for Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals, as Orlando was swept in four games by Houston in 1995.
With frustration mounting and a feud brewing with Hardaway in Orlando, O’Neal chose to sign with the Lakers in NBA free agency, and the rest is history, as he went on to become one of the most unstoppable and successful players in league history.
However, O’Neal recently admitted that he thinks about what he and Hardaway could have done with more time together in Orlando, as he told Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green via The Volume.
“Even though I always think about what me and Penny could’ve done, it’s not a decision I regret,” O’Neal said.
"Even though I always think about what me and Penny could've done, it's not a decision I regret"
—@SHAQ tells @Money23Green about being at Magic City when he got the call to sign with the Lakers pic.twitter.com/gyJZ3H7ikr
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) June 3, 2024
Ironically enough, O’Neal moved to the second-biggest market in the league, where his superstardom reached new heights.
He won three titles with the Lakers, in a very similar situation with Bryant compared to playing with Hardaway.
It is interesting to consider what would’ve happened if O’Neal hadn’t left Orlando, but it might be safe to say that they wouldn’t have had the same success as he did in Los Angeles.
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