The former L.A. legend admits he tried to make his way to this West powerhouse.
The Los Angeles Lakers were the team of the 2000s led by superstars Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. The duo created a dynasty alongside legendary head coach Phil Jackson, and the three are forever mentioned in Laker lore.O'Neal was the most dominant player in his generation and possibly in all of basketball. However, after eight years in Los Angeles, time was running out for Shaq in the purple and gold.
In the latest episode of The Big Podcast hosted by O'Neal, Mavericks and NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki joined the show, and O'Neal told the story of how things almost transpired then.- Shaq on trying to get traded to the Mavs 😳"I tried to get to Dallas many times. Me and Mark were working behind the scenes. Right after I left L.A., Mark was the first person I called... I called Mark, and I said, "Mark, whatever you got to do to get me there.
A potential O'Neal and Nowitzki pair would have been trouble for the league during that time. O'Neal was still more than capable of being a 25-and-10 type of player, which he showed in Miami. As for Nowitzki, he was an MVP candidate year in and year out, arguably in the prime of his career. Instead, O'Neal joined a young Dwyane Wade and ironically faced the Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals. The Heat came out on top in that series, but it's nice to wonder what an O'Neal and Nowitzki frontcourt would have been like and how it could have added to their ring count.
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