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Just said it on the Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN 710am that he will go into the Hall of Fame as a Laker.

Interview starts around 17:40
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd= ... ign=KSPNAM

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6622805

"I would like to thank the Laker organization for thinking of me," O'Neal said on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning," adding he spoke Thursday with Lakers owner Jerry Buss and vice president Jeannie Buss.

In the interview, he added he believes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to be the best to ever play the center position. And, excluding himself from the conversation, he considers Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson to be among the top five centers of all time.

"Just to have my name mentioned next to those guys is a blessing," O'Neal said.

O'Neal also said on Stephen A. Smith's radio show that, if elected, he would prefer to enter the Hall of Fame as a Laker.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF4Y1cy_Suw[/youtube]

Video doesn't quite match the thread, but ok, I'll take it.

Sorry. That's just a temporary fix until I can find provide an actual link/source to prove what he said.

Edit: Got a source.

the basketball hall of fame isnt like baseball's hof....you dont go in representing any specific team. he would just go in as himself, with all the teams he played for listed in his biography.

digcom99 wrote:the basketball hall of fame isnt like baseball's hof....you dont go in representing any specific team. he would just go in as himself, with all the teams he played for listed in his biography.

Still nice to know if he had the option what he'd go in as though

Shaq .... David Robinson is NOT one of the Top 5 C's of all-time, come on man!

Kareem, Shaq, Wilt, Russel, Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Mikan, Dwight and maybe even Ewing are all better than David Robinson ... he MIGHT be top 10, that's it.

Shaquille is a mixed bag for me. I remember hearing the second he agreed to be a Laker over on 570am; I was so excited that he was the first piece of Kobe/Fisher/Fox/Horry to be brought in that summer to be added to the core that I just ignored how he left with Penny/Horace/Hill. I remember 98 where the team had 4 all stars. I remember him playing Nick and Kobe agains one another to get him traded, and then actually going to management by Jerry West's admission and fighting the initial deal they had because he didn't want Jason Kidd on his team. I remember 99 coming around and him forcing Eddie and Elden out for his buddy Rice. I then think about 00 as his first year under Phil and first year in total shape and fully motivated to be the best player in the game on the way to the first title. In then remember him coming to camp the next year close to 400lbs and playing his way into shape, which is where he and Kobe butted heads publicly for the first time, but they squashed it and had the greatest postseason run in history. Then came the 3 peat in 02. Then in 03 he healed on company time, costing LA the chance to 4 peat as Kobe, Horry, George, Fox, Fisher, and Shaw all broke down or were out; Shaquille made waves in the locker room over Phil telling Kobe it was his team to lead heading into the first streak of 40pt games in his career, and upon their elimination by the Spurs he threw Fisher/Fox/Horry under the bus publicly to bring in more of his guys in Payton and Malone. 04 comes and he yells at Jerry Buss to pay him his money in front of the media while actually starting the first year of a $80M extension, he tells Kobe to not comeback to his team, and his own buddies in Karl and Gary call him out to the LA media for being out of shape and not delivering on what he promised. Then he gets shipped to Miami in 05 while taking a shot at Kobe and all three of the Buss family, also getting Stan fired. Then in 06 he wins a title and calls Phil, Benedict Arnold. He gets swept in 07 in the first round and begins to have a beef with Riley and Wade. 08 comes and the Heat can't even get 10 wins with him, so he seeks a buyout but is refused, and ends up being traded to the Suns where he talks up Nash and Amare, only to really be the cause of them getting beat in 5 that postseason. 09 comes and he plays great at the expense of the Sun team and wears out his welcome in that locker room. In 2010 he was going to wina ring for the king, but just divided the roster and undermined Mike Brown by accounts, while sucking in the playoffs. Lastly he finishes his career as a member of the Celtics, wher he really did nothing, but fool Ainge into breaking up "a starting 5 who has never lost a series". And along the way he asked Kobe how his butt tastes, made a love child pic of Dwight and Stan, and insulted Kareem.

I'll always love "The Diesel" who helped LA three peat, but he could have been so much more. Everywhere he has been he found a way to clash with guys, alienate cities and fan bases, and as a result he ended up becoming the Great Journeyman which is sad for a guy who if he actually gave a damn and took care of his body would have been the best player in the history of the game. Instead he is just a guy in the top 10 all time behind the two guys who he defined an era with in Kobe and Tim, and he doesnt even come close to touching Kareem's resume . Shaquille could have been so much greater, loved so much more, and remembered as a lifer in any of his first 3 teams but he just didn't have it in him to have an extended shelf life anywhere sadly.

kblo247 wrote:Shaquille is a mixed bag for me. I remember hearing the second he agreed to be a Laker over on 570am; I was so excited that he was the first piece of Kobe/Fisher/Fox/Horry to be brought in that summer to be added to the core that I just ignored how he left with Penny/Horace/Hill. I remember 98 where the team had 4 all stars. I remember him playing Nick and Kobe agains one another to get him traded, and then actually going to management by Jerry West's admission and fighting the initial deal they had because he didn't want Jason Kidd on his team. I remember 99 coming around and him forcing Eddie and Elden out for his buddy Rice. I then think about 00 as his first year under Phil and first year in total shape and fully motivated to be the best player in the game on the way to the first title. In then remember him coming to camp the next year close to 400lbs and playing his way into shape, which is where he and Kobe butted heads publicly for the first time, but they squashed it and had the greatest postseason run in history. Then came the 3 peat in 02. Then in 03 he healed on company time, costing LA the chance to 4 peat as Kobe, Horry, George, Fox, Fisher, and Shaw all broke down or were out; Shaquille made waves in the locker room over Phil telling Kobe it was his team to lead heading into the first streak of 40pt games in his career, and upon their elimination by the Spurs he threw Fisher/Fox/Horry under the bus publicly to bring in more of his guys in Payton and Malone. 04 comes and he yells at Jerry Buss to pay him his money in front of the media while actually starting the first year of a $80M extension, he tells Kobe to not comeback to his team, and his own buddies in Karl and Gary call him out to the LA media for being out of shape and not delivering on what he promised. Then he gets shipped to Miami in 05 while taking a shot at Kobe and all three of the Buss family, also getting Stan fired. Then in 06 he wins a title and calls Phil, Benedict Arnold. He gets swept in 07 in the first round and begins to have a beef with Riley and Wade. 08 comes and the Heat can't even get 10 wins with him, so he seeks a buyout but is refused, and ends up being traded to the Suns where he talks up Nash and Amare, only to really be the cause of them getting beat in 5 that postseason. 09 comes and he plays great at the expense of the Sun team and wears out his welcome in that locker room. In 2010 he was going to wina ring for the king, but just divided the roster and undermined Mike Brown by accounts, while sucking in the playoffs. Lastly he finishes his career as a member of the Celtics, wher he really did nothing, but fool Ainge into breaking up "a starting 5 who has never lost a series". And along the way he asked Kobe how his butt tastes, made a love child pic of Dwight and Stan, and insulted Kareem.

I'll always love "The Diesel" who helped LA three peat, but he could have been so much more. Everywhere he has been he found a way to clash with guys, alienate cities and fan bases, and as a result he ended up becoming the Great Journeyman which is sad for a guy who if he actually gave a damn and took care of his body would have been the best player in the history of the game. Instead he is just a guy in the top 10 all time behind the two guys who he defined an era with in Kobe and Tim, and he doesnt even come close to touching Kareem's resume . Shaquille could have been so much greater, loved so much more, and remembered as a lifer in any of his first 3 teams but he just didn't have it in him to have an extended shelf life anywhere sadly.

Past is the past..Just let it go. We all are not perfect and if I could change some things I did earlier in my life I would to. Yes he could of been better but so what. Just appreciate who he was as a player and as a person. 4 rings and a MVP is not that bad of a career.

I was just going to post the exact same thing.

Shaq has been irrelevant in the NBA for several years now. He is now just another once dominant silverback gorilla past his prime, and is being ousted (uggh, retired) by the clan. I feel like throwing him a banana. Shaq doing his nobody-cares-about-it press conference to announce his retirement is an effort to stay relevant. But nobody cares.

But he'll go into the HOF as a Lakers for sure, and that's what it should be, because 3 tittles guarantee it.

dub81 wrote:Past is the past..Just let it go. We all are not perfect and if I could change some things I did earlier in my life I would to. Yes he could of been better but so what. Just appreciate who he was as a player and as a person. 4 rings and a MVP is not that bad of a career.

Yes, appreciate a grown man so insecure that he wore out his welcome everywhere he went. And then proceeded to talk bad about seemingly every elite teammate he had. The same guy so immature and stubborn that he wouldn't even try to get into shape or work despite Kobe's pleas after getting eliminated by San Antonio in '03. And then, just to prove a point, he forced his way out to Miami where he had no problem playing 2nd fiddle to Wade when needed be. The same thing he simply could not fathom doing in LA with Kobe.

Appreciate him as a person.

Shamizy wrote:

dub81 wrote:Past is the past..Just let it go. We all are not perfect and if I could change some things I did earlier in my life I would to. Yes he could of been better but so what. Just appreciate who he was as a player and as a person. 4 rings and a MVP is not that bad of a career.

Yes, appreciate a grown man so insecure that he wore out his welcome everywhere he went. And then proceeded to talk bad about seemingly every elite teammate he had. The same guy so immature and stubborn that he wouldn't even try to get into shape or work despite Kobe's pleas after getting eliminated by San Antonio in '03. And then, just to prove a point, he forced his way out to Miami where he had no problem playing 2nd fiddle to Wade when needed be. The same thing he simply could not fathom doing in LA with Kobe.

Appreciate him as a person.

yeah..and you did everything perfect in your life. smh...

dub81 wrote:

Shamizy wrote:

dub81 wrote:Past is the past..Just let it go. We all are not perfect and if I could change some things I did earlier in my life I would to. Yes he could of been better but so what. Just appreciate who he was as a player and as a person. 4 rings and a MVP is not that bad of a career.

Yes, appreciate a grown man so insecure that he wore out his welcome everywhere he went. And then proceeded to talk bad about seemingly every elite teammate he had. The same guy so immature and stubborn that he wouldn't even try to get into shape or work despite Kobe's pleas after getting eliminated by San Antonio in '03. And then, just to prove a point, he forced his way out to Miami where he had no problem playing 2nd fiddle to Wade when needed be. The same thing he simply could not fathom doing in LA with Kobe.

Appreciate him as a person.

yeah..and you did everything perfect in your life. smh...

I don't talk **** about people every time I get the chance. I don't throw people under the bus after they help me out. He burnt his bridges everywhere, he's just kissing up to everyone right now because he knows he's going to be irrelevant soon.

Typical Shaq.

So much wrong, I don't know where to start! So basically, everything that went wrong was all his fault, right? Orlando had no fault in his leaving. He was responsible for the Lakers NOT getting JKidd. He was 100% responsible for the "feud". He was the only teammate that caused any problems. He was the one that was injured for an entire season in Miami (no, it was Wade). He was the one that was injured for half a season in Phoenix (No, that was Amare). He was the one causing waves in the locker room- (no,that was Nash). He was the one that caused problems in Cleveland (no, that was Delonte and Lebron's mom) He was the one that forced Perkins to be traded (no, that was Ainge).

Not sure where you get your info from, dude, but do some more research! Was he an angel? No. Did he have fault? Yes. Did he do 80% of the crap you just wrote? No.