Shaquille O'Neal has revealed that an additional $60 million in potential movie deals, offered by then-Lakers general manager Jerry West, was a key factor in his decision to sign with Los Angeles in 1996. O'Neal discussed the recruitment process on the "Full Send Podcast," explaining that West presented him with two options.
"Jerry West met me in a hotel. He said, ‘I got some good news and some bad news,’ O’Neal recounted. "I said, ‘What’s the bad news?’ He said, ‘I can’t get you the $150 [million] you asked for, but I can get you $120 million, and I got some movie deals signed up for you that’ll come up to $180 million.’"
O'Neal stated that upon seeing the contract with the combined offer, he immediately agreed to join the Lakers. The deal set him up to become the NBA's highest-paid player at the time and marked the beginning of an eight-year tenure with the team.
West also famously predicted the future success O'Neal would achieve with a young teammate. "And as I’m signing, he puts his hand on my shoulder. He said, ‘Let me tell you something, I just got this kid; in two or three years, you and him are going to win a lot of championships,’" O'Neal recalled. "I’m like, yeah, okay, because I’m trying to sign. He was talking about Kobe."
O'Neal and Kobe Bryant went on to form one of the NBA's most formidable duos, leading the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. O'Neal was named Finals MVP in each of those championship series and earned the league MVP award in 2000. During that MVP season, he averaged 28.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.8 blocks per game. The pairing of O'Neal and Bryant was known for its dynamic inside-outside combination, which proved difficult for opponents to defend in the postseason.
Their championship era with the Lakers concluded for O'Neal when he was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, where he later won another NBA championship.