Lakers to honor Shaquille O'Neal with statue at Staples Center

The Los Angeles Lakers will honor former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal with a statue in front of the Staples Center.

The Los Angeles Lakers will honor former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal with a statue in front of the Staples Center, the team announced Thursday. 

O’Neal played with the Lakers from 1996–2004, winning NBA championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He was named the NBA MVP for the 1999–2000 season.

The announcement was made during “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and drew a surprised reaction from O’Neal.

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmGiT_Ubtto]

The statue will join those of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West in front of the arena shared by the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. 

O’Neal averaged 25.9 points and 11.3 rebounds during his eight seasons with the Lakers. Los Angeles retired his jersey in 2013.