4-Time NBA Champion Won't Pick Lakers, Reveals Why Kawhi Chose Clippers

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal played on some of the most dominant teams of this era but has criticized players wanting to form super teams. The Los Angeles Lakers signed Anthony Davis to partner LeBron James, while the Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard in free agency while simultaneously trading for Paul George.

The Los Angeles franchises were not the only teams to partner two elite level stars as the Brooklyn Nets also landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency. The Lakers and Clippers are both among the favorites to win the 2020 NBA championship but O’Neal, speaking on "Jimmy Kimmel Live", admitted that he would not want to play for either the Lakers or the Clippers.

The former Lakers center revealed that he would rather beat another top player than team up with him to form a super team. He claimed he would join a team that needed a “superstar” and show them how to beat the super teams.

"Not one of those teams," O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion said. "I'm from the era where guys wanted to compete and beat each other. So I would ... go on a team that needs a superstar, and I'd teach them guys how to beat the superteams."

The Western Conference is packed with super teams with even the Houston Rockets joining the gang after they traded Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook. The triple-double machine will now partner “The Beard” in 2019.

The Clippers have been installed as the early frontrunners for the 2020 NBA championship but O’Neal remained true to the purple and gold and picked the Lakers to have a better season than their city rivals. He also believes it was because of NBA legend Jerry West, who is an advisor to the Clippers front office, Leonard chose Doc Rivers’ team instead of the Lakers.

"Listen, I gotta go with the Lakers," O'Neal said. "However, L.A. has always been a very exciting city, but next year basketball in the city is going to be very exciting. ... But I'm Lakers. Purple and Gold 'til I die."

"Because Jerry West is the master," he added. "Jerry West knows how to read people, and he probably had a conversation with him and was probably just straight up with him."