As the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to put together a deep playoff run, FOCO released a new Shaquille O’Neal bobblehead that pays homage to his time leading the franchise toward a championship.
The O’Neal bobblehead features the Hall of Famer replicating the pose from his Sports Illustrated cover that released on June 4, 2001.
[BUY HERE: Shaq Sports Illustrated bobblehead]
O’Neal is wearing the traditional home Lakers gold uniform and has his left arm extended while taking a celebratory step. He’s set atop a thematic base that includes the Sports Illustrated magazine cover as the backdrop.
Lakers and Sports Illustrated logos are on the back of the base as well, and O’Neal’s full name appears along the front.
The O’Neal bobblehead is limited to a production run of 100 units and won’t be restocked once quantities sell out.
The specific issue of Sports Illustrated magazine came out days after the Lakers swept the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers at that point were undefeated in the playoffs and closing in on NBA history as the heavy favorite against the Philadelphia 76ers. However, Allen Iverson and the 76ers pulled off an upset in Game 1 of the NBA Finals to prevent the Lakers from having the first ever undefeated playoffs record in NBA history.
They instead settled for going 15-1 en route to winning their second of what ended up being three consecutive championships. O’Neal earned NBA Finals MVP in all three of those trips.
Shaq leaves TNT set to use restroom
O’Neal has often remained in headlines during and after his playing career, and most recently it was because he walked off the “Inside the NBA” set while they were live on TNT because of needing to use the bathroom.
That prompted the ever-creative studio show to bring a porta potty onto set the following night.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
