Exclusive: Unknown Magic Johnson Influence in Recruiting Shaq to Lakers From Orlando Magic Revealed

If there ever was an embodiment of sheer dominance, nothing could go beyond the force of Shaquille O’Neal. He’s a man who’s defined by his overwhelming strength, athleticism, and fundamental brilliance. The legend has grown over time, since the day he took that groundbreaking step that propelled him straight to the LA side in the realm of other superstars. Everything is history since then. But, little do we know there was actually someone else pulling the strings all along.

On an exclusive EssentiallySports FanCast episode, Shaq’s former agent Leonard Armato sat down with our NBA prime-time correspondent, and Bay Area native, Vishal Kolar, to provide intriguing excerpts. This is the man who literally created Shaq as the mammoth brand that he is today.

As per Armato, Magic Johnson led Shaq to achieve his destiny. Here are all the details on what the ‘Magic Johnson Influence’ looks like.

Vishal: “You know, being the brand builder that when you initially saw this interest in the Lakers right and going to LA how proactive were you guys with like hey Shaq wants to do hip hop, Shaq wants to act you know, Shaq wants to be this larger-than-life personality. Like how did you know Shaq wants to be this larger-than-life personality like how did you know Shaq’s off the court interest?”

Armato: “Well, you know I always believed that Shaq transcended markets, and he did from the beginning because if you remember, he was massive even when he was in Orlando. He had a, you know, commercials with Reebok, he had commercials with Pepsi. He was tearing down rims on National TV. I mean everybody knew who he was”. 

The Big Diesel’s personality was unique. It was charming, still is! Then he had Armato by his side, bolstering his character and sharing it with the entire world. However, while LA was perfect for the giant, there was a sentimental connection to Orlando. it took a preview of the future from Lakers great Magic Johnson to finally seal the deal.

Armato: “Magic looked down on the Forum and said here’s the kinds of things that you can do because of who you are and the kind of person you are and the Charisma that you have so you know, Shaq has magic to thank for a lot of great mentorship and Magic always treated us with tremendous respect and tremendous consideration”.