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Los Angeles Lakers: 10 best centers in team history

By Amaar Burton

LOS ANGELES - FEBRAURY 12: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal pose for photos during the American Express Celebrates the Rewarding Life of Earvin Johnson event on February 12, 2004 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - FEBRAURY 12: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal pose for photos during the American Express Celebrates the Rewarding Life of Earvin Johnson event on February 12, 2004 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo credit should read JOHN ZICH/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo credit should read JOHN ZICH/AFP via Getty Images) /

2. Shaquille O’Neal (1996-2004)

How good was Shaquille O’Neal with the Lakers?

So good that he made Kobe Bryant into a sidekick, a No. 2 option, Spock to his Captain Kirk … However you want to put it, Shaq played with one of the greatest players of all time, and Shaq was undeniably the focal point and marquee attraction between the two of them.

Shaq signed with the Lakers as a free agent in 1996, after playing his first four seasons with Orlando. That same summer, the Lakers got Kobe straight out of high school in a draft-day trade.

While it took Kobe a few years to come into his own, Shaq was dominant from Day 1. He eventually led the Lakers to three straight championships between 2000-02, winning three Finals MVPs and one league MVP along the way.

Shaq also led the league in scoring (29.7 points per game) in 1999-2000, and led the league in field-goal percentage five straight seasons.

In his eight years with L.A., Shaq averaged 27.0 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. It can be argued that during this period, he was the most physically dominant force the game had ever seen — or at least the most dominant since Wilt Chamberlain was at his peak four decades earlier.

Shaq’s run in L.A. saw him mow down a laundry list of some of the best centers and big men in NBA history. Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and Yao Ming were among the centers who earned All-Star nods during Shaq’s L.A. stint. Not to mention Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Karl Malone and Chris Webber earned All-Star nods at power forward and often went head-to-head with Shaq.

Shaq was an All-Star each year he played for the Lakers — except in 1999 when the league didn’t have an All-Star Game due to the labor lockout — and he was All-NBA each year as well; six times on the First Team, once on the Second Team and once on the Third Team. He was also a three-time All-Defensive Team pick.

The Lakers didn’t just retire Shaq’s No. 34, they also built a statue for Shaq that sits outside of the Staples Center today.

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