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.
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.