Last night was a special one for the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. Prior to the team's game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers retired the No. 34 jersey worn by Shaquille O'Neal from 1996-2004. The ceremonies kicked off with a video message by Kobe Bryant, who luckily didn't refer to him as "Four" but did call Shaq "the most gifted physical specimen" he's ever seen play the game of basketball. Then, Phil Jackson took the mic and added some light-hearted commentary that included what he called "some indelible images" that he'll never forget. Yeah, we'll let the Zen Master explain what he's talking about there. After Jackson's speech, Jeanie Buss went to center court and unveiled O'Neal's jersey hanging in the rafters. But enough of us summarizing the moment, just check it out!
Below, we have an extended version of Shaq's thank you speech, which includes a mention of Kobe and their rocky relationship.
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[via YouTube]
