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NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal had a very successful 19-year career, winning four NBA titles with the LA Lakers and Miami Heat. However, his career could have turned out a lot differently had the Orlando Magic, the team that drafted him, opted to pay him.
After being drafted No. 1 to Orlando in 1992, O’Neal played four seasons for the Magic from 1992 to 1996. Three of those seasons came alongside co-star Penny Hardaway, the No. 3 pick from 1993. The young star duo was expected to be one of the NBA’s most dominant duos for the foreseeable future. However, the Magic instead lost O’Neal in 1996 free agency due to their refusal to pay him what he felt he deserved. This came as the Magic valued Hardaway over O’Neal and made O’Neal aware of it.
Shaquille O’Neal had made it clear to the Magic that he wanted a $115 million contract. The Magic instead offered him $80 million, as they said they didn’t want to pay him more than Penny Hardaway. In his book “Shaq Uncut: My Story,” O’Neal broke down his negotiations with Orlando:
“We asked for $115 million,” O’Neal said.
“But they wouldn’t. They came back with four years, $80 million. I asked John Gabriel why they wouldn’t pay me what he knew I deserved and he said, ‘We don’t want to upset Penny. We can’t pay you more than Penny.’”
LA Lakers general manager Jerry West then pounced on the opportunity to sign O’Neal away from Orlando. However, he too lowballed O’Neal at first. When West heard about the rift between O’Neal and the Magic, he offered O’Neal a $98 million contract. O’Neal then wanted to accept the offer as soon as possible due to his frustration with Orlando.
“In the meantime, Jerry West, the general manager for the Lakers, is calling and telling us, ‘Listen, I know you deserve more than Juwan and Mourning, but right now all I can get you is $98 million,’” O’Neal said.
“I was so glad to hear that, I told Leonard, ‘Let’s take it. Let’s take the $98 million and get this over with. I want to be somewhere where I’m wanted.’”
Jerry West increased his offer to Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal may have been ready to accept Jerry West’s $98 million offer to join the LA Lakers. However, before he could do so, West informed O’Neal that he was trying to get the Lakers to increase their offer to $120 million. This would give O’Neal an extra $22 million, and $5 million more than he originally requested from Orlando.
The two sides later agreed to the deal, with O’Neal signing a massive seven-year, $120 million contract on July 18, 1996. The deal marked the most lucrative contract in NBA history at the time. Many fans even thought it was an overpay. However, the deal proved to pay off. This comes as O’Neal would go on to lead the Lakers to three straight NBA championships from 2000 to 2002 alongside co-star Kobe Bryant.
