Shaquille O'Neal: Lakers Icon Gets Credit He Deserves

Shaquille O'Neal led the Los Angeles Lakers to three straight championships and was a 15-time All-Star in his illustrious career. So, it was only natural when it was announced on Thursday that the Lakers would be retiring the future Hall of Famer's number during the 2012-2013 season.

NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper tweeted on Thursday:

After O'Neal retired in June 2011, the team announced that his jersey would be retired. It was only a matter of when. Due to the shortened schedule this season following the NBA lockout, the Lakers decided next season would be the best time.

O'Neal, who won three straight titles with the Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant from 2000 to 2002, is generally regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. In all three of his titles with the Lakers, he earned the NBA Finals MVP.

He finished with career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 58 percent from the field. In his glory days with the Lakers, he was virtually unstoppable, which inspired the famous "Hack-a-Shaq." Opponents began figuring if they couldn't stop him, they may as well put him on the free-throw line.

O'Neal has scored the sixth-most points in NBA history after Bryant surpassed him on Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers. O'Neal finished with 28,596 points in 19 NBA seasons.

Beyond that, O'Neal, despite the turmoil as he left Los Angeles after the 2003-2004 season, has become known as a model for the organization. When Bryant passed him on the all-time list on Monday, O'Neal congratulated him, calling him "the greatest Laker ever." This came despite their well-known feud in O'Neal's final days with the Lakers.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss issued a statement upon O'Neal's retirement last summer.

The statement read, via CBSSports.com:

"

Shaq had a long and amazing career. A huge impact both on and off the court. His contributions were significant to the entire NBA, but we specifically appreciate what he did with and what he meant to the Lakers during his eight years with us. We have three championships that we wouldn’t have won without him, and we will forever be grateful for his significant contributions to those teams.

"

O'Neal finished with four championships, earning one with the Miami Heat, and he will surely go down in the annals of NBA history.

There may never be another like Shaquille O'Neal.