Shaq And Friends: O’Neal’s Top Sidekicks Through The Years

Missing out on the playoffs in O’Neal’s rookie season wasn’t all bad - it allowed the Magic to enter the draft lottery where they miraculously ended up with the top overall pick despite having the worst odds of landing it. Orlando used that pick to select Michigan forward Chris Webber, who they then sent to the Golden State Warriors for the No. 3 pick, Memphis guard Penny Hardaway, and three future first-round picks. Hardaway was an instant star alongside O’Neal in Orlando, helping the Magic to the playoffs.

Pictured: Orlando Magic guard Anfernee Hardaway, left, throws off a pass while driving into Phoenix’s Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle during the second quarter of their game Tuesday night, March 21, 1995 at the Orlando Arena.  (CHRIS O’MEARA / AP)

O’Neal and Hardaway continued their rise to stardom in the 1994-95 season, when they led the Magic to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance, where they lost to the Houston Rockets. O’Neal led the league with 29.3 points per game, while Hardaway increased both his scoring (20.9 ppg) and assists (7.2 apg) averages significantly from his rookie season.

Pictured: Orlando Magic guard Anfernee Hardaway screams after a slam dunk during the first half of game one of the NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets in Orlando, Fla. Trying to defend is Houston’s Robert Horry.
  (STEVE SIMONEAU / AP)

O’Neal missed 28 games in the 1995-96 season, forcing Hardaway to step up his role with the Magic. Hardaway once again increased his scoring to a career-best 21.7 points per game, while O’Neal added 26. Both were named to the All-Star game for the second-straight season, but Orlando missed out on returning to the NBA Finals when they were swept by the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the offseason, citing his interests in acting and music, O’Neal left Orlando for the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent. Hardaway would stay with the Magic through the 1998-99 season, but never quite put up the same numbers as he did when playing with O’Neal. The two would reunite briefly in 2007 with the Miami Heat at the end of Hardaway’s career.

Pictured: Orlando Magic’s Shaquille O’Neal, left, Anfernee Hardaway, Dennis Scott and coach Brian Hill quietly watch the action during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls Sunday, May 19, 1996, in Chicago.
  (CHARLES BENNETT / AP)

In 1996, the seeds to the future Lakers dynasty were sown as O’Neal signed on as a free agent and the team swung a deal that sent Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the No. 13 pick in that year’s draft. That No. 13 pick just so happened to be none-other-than Kobe Bryant. The Lakers made it to the second round of the playoffs that year with O’Neal leading the team in scoring (26.2 ppg) and rebounding (12.5 rpg). The future star Bryant got off to a quieter start to his career, averaging 7.6 points and 1.3 assists per game.

Pictured: Los Angeles Lakers Shaquille O’Neal, left, talks to eighteen-year-old Laker rookie Kobe Bryant, right, while teammate Eddie Jones rests during the fourth quarter of their game against the Phoenix Suns Nov. 1, 1996, in Inglewood, Calif.
  (KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / AP)

The 2004-05 season found the 32-year-old O’Neal back in the Eastern Conference with yet another dynamic young guard to team up with in the form of second-year star Dwyane Wade. Wade fluorished alongside O’Neal as his points per game totals jumped from 16.2 to 24.1 points per game. The duo improved upon the team’s 42-40 record from the previous season, leading the team to a 59-23 mark and the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to defending champion Detroit in seven games.

Pictured: Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat looking on against the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena on December 23, 2004 in Sacramento, California.
  (JED JACOBSOHN / GETTY IMAGES)

In O’Neal’s second season with the Heat, he and Wade teamed up to bring Miami it’s first ever NBA Title. It was O’Neal’s fourth championship and first without the Lakers. Wade established himself as one of the top players in the league that year, earning the NBA Finals MVP in the Heat’s 4-2 series victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Wade led the team with 27.2 points per game while O’Neal added 20.0 points per game. Injuries took their toll on O’Neal in the 2006-07 season as he played in just 40 games for the Heat and averaged just 17.2 points per game - the first time in his career that he had averaged below 20 points per game in a season. After a slow start to the following season, he was dealt to the Suns mid-season in a deal that sent forward Shawn Marion to the Heat.

Pictured: Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley holds the Larry O’Brian trophy with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal after winning the NBA finals against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 20, 2006.
  (JEFF HAYNES, AFP / GETTY IMAGES)