Of course, Howard's career after leaving Orlando was a different story. He was a six-time All-Star, three-time Defensive Player of the Year and led the NBA in rebounding four times and blocks twice. In what became a roller coaster ride straight out of a Final Destination movie, Howard's time in Orlando finally ended after eight seasons.Īt the time of the trade, Howard was the best center in the NBA, a defensive intimidator who led the Magic to the 2009 Finals. August 2012: Howard is traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.June 2012: Howard requests a trade again, specifically to the Brooklyn Nets.Howard joins Van Gundy's media availability, denying his coach's comments. April 2012: Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy tells reporters that Howard wants him fired."I'm very loyal and I've always put loyalty above anything," Howard said at the time. March 2012: Howard decides to stay in Orlando, waiving the early-termination option in his contract that would have made him an unrestricted free agent.December 2011: Howard requests trade from Orlando before the start of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season.The Dwightmare marked an ugly era in Orlando Magic history, as Howard's happiness with the franchise bounced back and forth, leading to two separate trade requests.Ī brief timeline of the events went as followed: While O'Neal's tenure in Miami was a success overall, staying in Los Angeles and continuing what he and Bryant had built would have been the better choice. He led the Lakers to two more titles in 2008-10 with the help of Pau Gasol. O'Neal still averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and shot 60.0 percent overall over his next five seasons after leaving the Lakers in 2004, making four All-Star teams and leading the NBA in field-goal percentage three times.īryant would become the league's best player over this stretch, winning MVP in 2007-08 while capturing scoring titles in 2005-07. But I would've liked to have stayed there the rest of my career." 'What y'all wanna do? Want me to take less money, take a lesser role, and stay here? Or you still want me to be Shaq? See, it's that ego. "If I had to do it all over again, I probably would've had a meeting with the family. O'Neal told the All the Smokepodcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes: O'Neal has since expressed his regret about leaving the Lakers and Bryant, breaking up the last NBA franchise to secure a three-peat. While O'Neal ended up winning one more title by helping Miami take down the Dallas Mavericks in 2005-06, he claimed the Lakers would have wound up with seven total championships had he and Bryant stayed together. This was more of a financially driven request, as the Lakers didn't want to give a past-his-prime O'Neal a max contract, especially with Bryant looking capable of carrying a team. O'Neal's second request ultimately landed him with the Miami Heat in 2004 when he was 32, sending Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and two draft picks back to L.A. The first time came in late 2000 after these Lakers had already won a title together, although a 21-10 start to the season following a 67-win campaign and questions about O'Neal and Bryant's co-existence led to the All-Star center asking out, something the Lakers refused to honor. During this stretch, the Lakers made the playoffs all eight times, winning titles in 2000, 20.ĭespite this success, O'Neal actually requested to be traded twice from the Lakers. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant were one of the greatest duos in NBA history, spending eight seasons together with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996-97 to 2003-04. He was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, and played two seasons for the Thunder before he was traded to the Clippers in 2019.Pressefoto Ulmer\ullstein bild via Getty Images He missed most of the 2014–15 season, but recovered to become an All-Star again in 2016, when he also won an Olympic gold medal. George suffered a broken leg in 2014 while competing for a roster spot on the United States national team for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. He was named the NBA Most Improved Player in 2013, when he also earned his first All-Star selection. He was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 10th overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft, and earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. George played high school basketball for Knight High School before playing two seasons of college basketball at Fresno State. He is a six-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA Team selection, as well as a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. Paul Cliftonantho George (born May 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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