Few know the exact nature of Los Angeles Lakers fans and the pressure they put on their beloved team better than Shaquille O’Neal.
So O’Neal knows the love afforded the duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic during LA’s terrific 2024-25 season, after Doncic came over via trade from the Dallas Mavericks, will be short-lived.
O’Neal spent eight of his 19 NBA seasons with the Lakers and won three titles, and three NBA Finals MVP awards, while leading them to four Finals appearances in five seasons between 2000-04.
The Lakers have been to the Finals just four times since O’Neal was traded from LA to the Miami Heat after the 2003-04 season. They went three seasons in a row, winning back-to-back titles, from 2008-10 and have just the 2020 championship — played in a bubble in Orlando — to their name since.
Why Are Lakers Fans Pressuring LeBron and Luka?
The Lakers went 22-12 after they acquired Doncic from the Mavericks for center Anthony Davis on Feb. 2 and finished with 50 wins for the first time since their championship season of 2019-20.
But, as has become their wont, they flamed out quickly by falling to the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference quarterfinals. LA has lost three straight playoff series and has been bounced in the first round three times since James led them to the title in 2020.
But with great star power comes great responsibility to win, which is why O’Neal, who teamed up with Kobe Bryant to produce one of the greatest 1-2 punches in NBA history, understands what James and Doncic will be feeling from Lakers fans if the 2026 season ends similarly.
“There’s definitely a lot of pressure,” O’Neal told Sports Illustrated recently. “When you’re the biggest stars in the game, people expect you to win. I know that personally.”
Doncic, specifically, felt the love from Lakers fans after the trade, since he became the most recent high-profile star to come to LA with championship hopes. But O’Neal also expects the scrutiny to be high under Doncic and James when the club reports to training camp in September.
“I think people gave [Doncic] some grace because [the trade] happened so quickly,” O’Neal said. “But this off-season, they’re gonna be watching; they’re going to be saying ‘hey, Luka, how are you training?’ or ‘LeBron, what are you doing?’ and then next year … I’ll look for them to be a little more determined and make some moves over the summer and they’ll definitely be back.”
Should The Lakers Retire LeBron’s Jersey?
By all accounts, the James era in LA has been a success, even though he has only brought one title to Tinseltown.
Aside from that 2020 championship, James set the NBA record for career points scored while playing for the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. He also willed the seventh-seeded Lakers to the Western Conference Finals in 2023 — becoming just the second No. 7 seed to reach the NBA’s Final Four.
But when asked whether LA should send James’ No. 6 to the rafters — joining the likes of Bryant, O’Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and others — O’Neal left it up to Lakers president and governor Jeanie Buss.
“I they will [retire his number],” O’Neal said. “It’s not my place to say if they should or they shouldn’t. He’s won a championship there. He’s filled the stands up, so if Jeanie says they will [retire James’ number] then they will.”
