SHAQUILLE O’NEAL | HIS EIGHT SEASONS WITH THE LAKERS

1996-1997

After signing as a free agent on July 18, 1996, O’Neal immediately delivered, leading the Lakers to a conference-best 36-13 record until suffering a knee injury that forced him to sit out 28 games. (The Lakers were 16-12 in his absence.) He returned for the last five games of the regular season and finished the season averaging 26.2 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks, good enough for third-team All-NBA honors. The 56-26 Lakers beat Portland in the playoffs before losing to Utah. O’Neal averaged 26.9 points and 10.6 rebounds in the playoffs. At midseason, he was selected as one of the 50 best players of all time.

1997-1998

O’Neal was suspended from the season opener for slapping Utah’s Greg Ostertag at the morning shoot-around. O’Neal and the Lakers then slapped the league around, winning their first 11 games. But then he was injured again. O’Neal sat out 21 games because of abdominal strain and the Lakers went 14-7. O’Neal earned first-team All-NBA honors for the first time, averaging 28.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and shooting 58.4%. The Lakers went 61-21, sharing the division title with Seattle. They reached the conference finals but were swept by Utah. O’Neal’s playoff averages: 30.5 points and 10.2 rebounds.

1998-1999

With the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty over, the Lakers had high hopes to become the next elite team. A lockout reduced the season to 50 games and after a 6-6 start, Del Harris was fired as coach and replaced by Kurt Rambis. O’Neal averaged 26.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in 49 games, and earned second-team All-NBA honors. But the Lakers were a troubled team all season, trading away the popular Eddie Jones for Glen Rice and even bringing in Dennis Rodman. They went 31-19 and lost to San Antonio in four games in the second round, the fifth time in O’Neal’s six playoff years his season had ended in a sweep.

1999-2000

With Phil Jackson as coach, the Lakers and O’Neal had a season for the ages. O’Neal came within one vote of being selected unanimously as the league’s most valuable player. He averaged a league-best 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.03 blocks. The Lakers’ 67-15 record was the second-best in franchise history. O’Neal shared the All-Star game MVP award with Tim Duncan. He scored a career-high 61 points on his 28th birthday. The Lakers reached their first NBA Finals since 1991 and won their first title since 1988. O’Neal, the Finals MVP, averaged 38.0 points and 16.7 rebounds against Indiana.

2000-2001

The season ended with another championship, but the road taken was much different from 2000. O’Neal and Kobe Bryant openly feuded over who should be the first option on offense. The Lakers were wildly inconsistent until finishing the season with an eight-game win streak. O’Neal’s regular-season numbers -- 28.7 points, 12.7 rebounds -- earned him a third-place finish in the MVP voting. The Lakers went 15-1 in the playoffs, with O’Neal playing even better than he did the season before. He averaged 33.0 points and 15.8 rebounds against Philadelphia, earning another Finals MVP award.

2001-2002

O’Neal enhanced his legacy as one of the greatest players in NBA history, leading the Lakers to their third consecutive championship. He earned first-team All-NBA honors by averaging 27.2 points and 10.7 rebounds. For the fifth consecutive season, he led the league in shooting (57.9%). The 58-24 Lakers lost the Pacific Division title to Sacramento but beat the Kings in a memorable seven-game conference finals. O’Neal dominated New Jersey in a four-game sweep in the Finals, averaging 36.3 points and 12.3 rebounds. He joined Michael Jordan as the only players to win three consecutive Finals MVP awards.

2002-2003

O’Neal posted his usual numbers, averaging 27.5 points and 11.1 rebounds, but endured more criticism than at any point in his Laker career. He sat out the first 12 games after off-season foot surgery. Many wondered why he waited until 2 1/2 weeks before training camp to have the procedure. The Lakers started 3-9 and were only 11-19 after a Christmas Day loss to the Kings. They rallied to finish 50-32 but lost in the second round of the playoffs to San Antonio. O’Neal averaged 27.0 points and 14.8 points in 12 playoff games, but for the first time was outscored in the postseason by Bryant, who averaged 32.1 points.

2003-2004

Hoping to regain their championship form, the Lakers signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton, with O’Neal doing much of the recruiting. The superstar feud reached new heights in training camp, with O’Neal saying Bryant could leave the team if he wasn’t happy and Bryant calling O’Neal fat and lazy. An 18-3 start was ruined by injuries to Malone, O’Neal and Bryant. The Lakers went 56-26 but were embarrassed in a five-game loss to Detroit in the Finals. O’Neal averaged 21.5 points in both the regular season -- a career low -- and playoffs. In the Finals, he averaged 26.6 points.

-- Hans Tesselaar