Shaquille O'Neal‘s statue unveiling last Friday outside Staples Center turned out to be a star-studded affair. From Kobe Bryant to Phil Jackson, it gave the esteemed guests an opportunity to pay tribute to the Hall of Famer for his contributions to the Los Angeles Lakers organization.
The current New York Knicks president even got a chance to share a hilarious story about O'Neal when he once visited him in Montana. They have been known to always have a good relationship, and his recollection of that past event goes to show how comfortable the 7-foot-1 center was with him.
Phil Jackson opened by telling of the time Shaq came to visit him in Montana, how he both rode jet skis and rapped at a rodeo…
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 24, 2017
Although the story may seem difficult to completely believe, given the four-time champion's comical ways, it's still very possible for it to have really happened as well.
The Lakers' decision to forever immortalize O'Neal with the statue goes to show how much they value him as he helped bring three consecutive championships to the franchise from 2000-2002. He also played at the peak of his career as a Laker, where he was named the league's MVP in the first year of their three-peat.
The Diesel retired in 2011 after an illustrious 20-year career. He is widely considered as one of the most dominant players of all time and averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game through his career. O'Neal is still around the league these days, currently working for TNT as a TV analyst and host of Inside the NBA.
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