Sorry folks, no drama or controversy this time!! No Superman fights, just good energy! The Lakers are retiring Shaq’s No. 34 jersey tonight during their game against the Dallas Mavericks. Check out what Kobe & Dwight had to say about it…
Via Dave McMenamin at ESPN:
When the Los Angeles Lakers welcomed Dwight Howard to the practice facility for the first time this summer, general manager Mitch Kupchak pointed out the window of his office to the retired jerseys over the court and said he wanted Howard to be recognized there someday.
Another “Superman” will already be up there if that happens for Howard.
While Howard and O’Neal have publicly traded barbs in the past, including Howard saying O’Neal was “done” and “it’s time to move on” after O’Neal had criticized him at the beginning of training camp this season, Howard had nothing but praise for O’Neal on this occasion.
“I’m happy for Shaq,” Howard said after practice Monday, taking a long pause before giving his answer. “That’s a big accomplishment for any NBA player to have their jersey retired. He’s done a lot for the Lakers’ organization, he’s done a lot for the NBA. He deserves it. So, I’m happy for him. He had a great [eight] years for the Lakers. It started off slow, but he ended up winning a couple championships here and he had a great career. So, when you have a career like his, that’s what you get. You get your jersey in the rafters. I think it’s awesome.”
O’Neal will be the ninth player in Lakers franchise history to have his jersey retired, joining Wilt Chamberlain (No. 13), Elgin Baylor (No. 22), Gail Goodrich (No. 25), Magic Johnson (No. 32),Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (No. 33), James Worthy (No. 42), Jerry West (No. 44) and Jamaal Wilkes (No. 52).
“All of us, that’s our goal,” Howard said. “We want to be Hall of Famers. We want to have our jerseys hanging from the rafters. We want to have a statue. It’s just what you do for the team during your years of playing. A lot of guys like Shaq made the Lakers really popular, so that’s why he has his jersey retired.”
Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson will speak at O’Neal’s halftime ceremony, along with Lakers vice president of business operations, Jeanie Buss. The Lakers will also show a pretaped message from Kobe Bryant on the video screen. Bryant will be in the locker room with his team preparing for the second half. Lakers greats West, Wilkes and Baylor are also scheduled to be in attendance.
“It’s going to be great,” Bryant on Saturday said when asked about honoring O’Neal. “It’s beyond well-deserved. I’m very, very happy for him, proud of him and everything that he’s accomplished and the smooth transition that he’s had now from player to commentator.”
O’Neal retired with career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game on 58.2 percent shooting, but his numbers jumped to 27 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.5 blocks in 514 regular-season games played in L.A.
He was even more impressive in the three Finals against Indiana, Philadelphia and New Jersey, averaging 35.9 points, 15.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in the Lakers’ three series wins.
(Story Continues…)
