NBA: Top 25 Free Agent Signings of All-Time

25 of 26

NBA: Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers /

2. Shaquille O’Neal, Los Angeles Lakers

Season	G	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	FT%	TRB	AST	BLK	PTS
1996-97 ★	51	38.1	10.8	19.4	.557	.484	12.5	3.1	2.9	26.2
1997-98 ★	60	36.3	11.2	19.1	.584	.527	11.4	2.4	2.4	28.3
1998-99	49	34.8	10.4	18.1	.576	.540	10.7	2.3	1.7	26.3
1999-00 ★	79	40.0	12.1	21.1	.574	.524	13.6	3.8	3.0	29.7
2000-01 ★	74	39.5	11.0	19.2	.572	.513	12.7	3.7	2.8	28.7
2001-02 ★	67	36.1	10.6	18.3	.579	.555	10.7	3.0	2.0	27.2
2002-03 ★	67	37.8	10.4	18.1	.574	.622	11.1	3.1	2.4	27.5
2003-04 ★	67	36.8	8.3	14.1	.584	.490	11.5	2.9	2.5	21.5
Career	1207	34.7	9.4	16.1	.582	.527	10.9	2.5	2.3	23.7

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/2/2014.

Arguably the best free agent acquisition of all-time, Shaq rejuvenated basketball in Los Angeles and kick-started a one of the most dominant decades in NBA history.

Shaq was the dominant force on the Lakers during their back-to-back-to-back title runs between 2000-2003.

A lot of people don’t realize how long Shaq played for the Lakers with Kobe Bryant before Phil Jackson got there in 2000. Shaq and Kobe played from 1996-2000 without Jackson and only achieved marginal success in the West while being bested by the Utah Jazz led by John Stockton and Karl Malone in the playoffs nearly every season.

Shaq is one of the most dominant players to play the game, but his attitude and effort were often in question. When Shaq was in the game, mentally, there were few players in the league who could stop him. If his off-the-court “stuff” pushed onto the court, like his feud with Kobe, Shaq became a shell of his physically-dominant self.

Even with all the drama, Shaq was the best free agent to sign with the Lakers and the second-best free agent in NBA history.

Next: 1. LeBron James