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”. 

NBA history largely covers the tremendous run the Lakers dynasty had. Shaquille O’Neal won his only league MVP with the Lakers. He accomplished a three peat as the kingpin, the last three peat to have ever occurred in NBA. His name remains attached together with Kobe Bryant for his emphatic run with the Purple and Gold.

It turned out to be a dynasty built by the words of the franchise’s past greats. That’s how the culture has been maintained and the royalty of the organisation is defined.

Magic Johnson has been a mentor for Shaq

Be it the move to Los Angeles or his business manoeuvres, Magic has shown relentless mentorship to the Big Aristotle. His stature was much like Shaq in his days. Both were pioneers and the most proactive stars in their times. Having been accustomed to the LA life, he took Shaq under his wing. It was never a mutually agreed upon partnership.

The four time champion was dismissive of his advice. He repeatedly disrespected his wisdom, going for reckless spending against Magic’s words. It took years for the mentor-mentee relationship to finally be accepted at Shaq’s end. But once it did, he didn’t back away from it.

He distinctly remembers a piece of advice the Lakers’ great once told him. “

One thing he always told me, ‘Shaq, you gotta smile and be nice to people.’ He said, ‘if you just smile and be nice to people, you’d get so many opportunities.’”. The Big Diesel took it to his heart. He has become a larger-than-life personality. He puts a smile on people’s face whenever he gets a chance. Such influences can have drastic impacts on an athlete’s life. Luckily, Shaquille O’Neal found the right circle.

While we spoke to Leonard Armato, the man behind building the brand for Shaq revealed the efforts of Magic Johnson behind his trade to the Lakers.