“Because of You, There’s No Limits…”: Shaquille O’Neal Has an Emotional Message for Lakers Legend Receiving Special Honor Posthumously

Published 10/31/2022, 12:28 AM EDT

The 30th of October 2022 will be a notable day in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers, as the Lakers retire George Mikan’s jersey number 99. Mikan was among the first giants to emerge in the sport. Following the announcement by the Lakers, numerous sports icons spoke out. One of them was Shaquille O’Neal, who shared an emotional message acknowledging Mikan’s contribution to the game.

Back when the Minnesota Lakers ruled the NBA world from 1949 through 1954, George Mikan, a 6’10” giant, was leading from the front. In seven NBA seasons, he averaged 23.1 points and 13.4 rebounds per game. Mikan was also the first player in NBA history to achieve 10,000 points. During his eight seasons with the Lakers, he was the team’s leading scorer four times. And the list of accolades goes on.

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It’s quite unfair to discuss the greatest Lakers centers without mentioning Shaquille O’Neal. The Lakers announced the retirement of Mikan’s jersey number on Sunday night, and soon after, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ Twitter posted a video of Shaq’s heartfelt message for Mikan.

Shaquille O’Neal remembers one of the first giants to dominate the sport

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On 30th October, the Lakers posted a video where Shaq can be seen acknowledging Mikan’s contribution. The caption says, “Tonight we raise George Mikan’s jersey into the rafters.” In the video, Shaq said, “If basketball had never been ruled by giants. No banging bodies. No feeding the big man. No attacking the basket. Instead, you made basketball bigger.”

Later Shaq said, “You made me, me,” and further added, “Now because of you, there’s no limits to where we can play. Thank you, George.” Mikan was a four-time All-Star and in 1959 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Furthermore, Mikan earned the title of ‘Mr. Basketball’. He died at the age of 80 in 2005.

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How did you feel about Shaq’s heartfelt message? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Written by:

Ritesh Jha is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's in Technology in Computer Science from Rungta College. Ritesh worked as an intern content writer for a digital marketing agency called KCAS Branding before joining EssentiallySports.

Edited by:

Veer Badani

“Because of You, There’s No Limits…”: Shaquille O’Neal Has an Emotional Message for Lakers Legend Receiving Special Honor Posthumously

Shaquille O’Neal remembers one of the first giants to dominate the sport

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