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Lakers Nation > Blog > Lakers News > Pat Riley Was Surprised Lakers Made Shaquille O’Neal Available In Trade Talks
Lakers News

Pat Riley Was Surprised Lakers Made Shaquille O’Neal Available In Trade Talks

Trevor Lane
Published: 12/23/2016
3 Min Read
Pat Riley Was Surprised Lakers Made Shaquille O’neal Available In Trade Talks
(David Zalubowski / AP)
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The Los Angeles Lakers have had more than their fair share of stars over the course of their 16 NBA Championships, and one of the most celebrated was Shaquille O’Neal. Larger than life both in physique and personality, Shaq combined with Kobe Bryant to form one of the most devastating duos of all time.

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However, when it became clear in 2004 the two stars could not continue to coexist, the Lakers opted to trade O’Neal to the Miami Heat in order to re-sign Bryant. It was a painful, but necessary, decision for the franchise as well as the city of Los Angeles, which had acted as Shaq’s personal playground for his time in Los Angeles. With Miami now retiring O’Neal’s jersey, Heat President Pat Riley is still surprised that the Lakers decided to trade the dominant big man (via Mark Medina of the Orange County Register):

To this day, Pat Riley said he was surprised Shaq was available in trade considering the Lakers won 3 out 4 NBA Finals

— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) December 23, 2016

Riley wasn’t the only one surprised by the move. After all, the Lakers had won three titles from 2000-2002 and then made it to the Finals again in 2004, where a stingy Detroit Pistons team and a hearty helping of injuries got in the way (remember Slava Medvedenko, starting power forward?).

Unfortunately, the discord between Bryant and O’Neal, combined with Bryant’s contract expiring, had put the Lakers in a position where they had to make a decision. Los Angeles certainly didn’t get enough in exchange for the former MVP, acquiring Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a draft pick that would later become Jordan Farmar, although teams trading away superstars rarely receive a fair price.

We will always wonder what could have been had Bryant and O’Neal stayed together, but both franchises have experienced success since the trade, and celebrate the days when Shaq wore their uniform.

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TAGGED:Los Angeles LakersMiami HeatPat RileyShaquille O'Neal
ByTrevor Lane
Trevor Lane is a longtime NBA and Los Angeles Lakers fan who had the good fortune to grow up during the glory days of the Showtime Lakers, when Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and the rest ruled the Great Western Forum. He has written about basketball, soccer, fantasy sports, MMA, and even pro wrestling over the course of his career, but the spectacle that is the Lakers is his true passion. He made the leap into podcasting for Lakers Nation and provides voice-over analysis for our YouTube channel. With a who's who of stars gracing the Lakers lineup over the years, including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, and many others, the Lakers always provide plenty to talk about. When he isn't writing or recording, Trevor can be found spending time with his wife and daughter or on the sidelines for one of the youth teams he coaches. Outside of the Lakers, Trevor is a supporter of the LA Galaxy, US Soccer, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Contact: trevor@mediumlargela.com
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