Shaq Makes Bold Prediction About Lakers in Potential Playoff Matchup

Lakers legend and current TNT basketball analyst Shaquille O’Neal expressed his faith in the Lakers on Thursday, noting he’d pick Los Angeles in a potential matchup with the Suns.

“I’m disappointed in my Lakers. A lot of people are,” O‘Neal said on the latest edition of The Big Podcast with Shaq. “We all forgot about their ages. ‘Ooh, Westbrook’s coming. Ooh, they got Carmelo.’ Like we’re used to having teams with big-name stars on them. So you got a team with three Hall of Famers, you’d think they’d be in six or seven, but then AD’s not playing, so I doubt they even make the play-in game.”

"If they make if to the eighth spot, they will beat Phoenix" 👀@SHAQ talks Lakers' playoff hopes on #TheBigPodcast: https://t.co/cjvFFep0RP pic.twitter.com/UdHjerZqt4
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 23, 2022

The Lakers sit No. 9 in the Western Conference with a 31–42 record entering Thursday night. With eight games remaining in the season, Los Angeles remains firmly in play-in tournament territory.

The Suns, meanwhile, hold the NBA’s best record at 59–14 overall. For the second consecutive season, they appear to be the favorite to come out of the West and return to the NBA Finals.

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