The Los Angeles Lakers handled their followers to 3 consecutive championships from 2000 via ’02, nevertheless it’s simple to neglect that the crew’s three-peat nearly was derailed earlier than it began.
Certainly, the Lakers famously needed to overcome a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Portland Path Blazers in Sport 7 of the 2000 Western Convention finals.
One specific play punctuated that Lakers victory, as Kobe Bryant drove into the lane to attract the Blazers protection after which lobbed a go above the cylinder to Shaquille O’Neal, who completed the play with a thunderous dunk within the closing minute.
The ensuing spotlight made NBA historical past.
"If I may commerce that second and have him sitting right here with us … that might be higher for me."Shaq displays on his iconic alley-oop dunk with Kobe 🙏 pic.twitter.com/vTUy3W3Env
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 4, 2023
Now, O’Neal has revealed that the legendary play nearly went sideways.
“He threw the motherf—– up too excessive,” O’Neal defined with a smile on Friday’s episode of the From the Level podcast with Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Younger. “He threw it up too excessive. However I’m stopping time. If I miss this, and we lose, it’s going to be my fault. F— that. Go get that motherf—–. … Caught that motherf—–, threw it down. This sport over.”
"[Kobe] threw the motherf–ker too excessive." 😂Shaq remembers the well-known lob from Kobe vs. Portland 🔥(by way of From the Level by @TheTraeYoung) pic.twitter.com/pHcZUDb8uk
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 20, 2024
O’Neal’s dunk and subsequent response are the stuff of legend, nevertheless it’s wild to listen to him clarify how the enduring play nearly went awry.
After ousting the Blazers, the Lakers went on to beat the Indiana Pacers within the 2000 NBA Finals in six video games.
