Lakers News: LA Role Player Explains Why Hall Of Famer Was Most Impressive Colleague

Nobody did it like him!

Your Los Angeles Lakers have had a number of different play styles that led to championships depending on which era they were playing in. One of the most iconic decades was undoubtedly the 1980's as the Showtime Lakers burst onto the team led by Magic Johnson running the fast break and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar manning the low block. However, when LA needed new life as the 2000's came around, the purple and gold got two new faces of their franchise in Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

O'Neal completely transformed his game when he left the Orlando Magic and came to LA as he went from one of the more athletic and speedy big men in the league to someone who became the most dominant force in history. His size matched with his basketball IQ made him unstoppable down low and the investment was well-worth it on LA's end as he took home three straight championships and Finals MVP's for the franchise.

Veteran guard John Salley was a member of the Lakers during their 2000 Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers and even though it was right at the end of his career, he still got to see The Big Diesel up close and personal.

In a recent appearance on 'KG Certified' with NBA legend Kevin Garnett, Salley revealed how excellent Shaq was in Phil Jackson's triangle offense.

"He would blast and then that changed," said Salley. "It became like a one-on-one for Shaq. When Shaq wanted the ball, when he wanted to rest, he'd do the rest of the plays. Out of all the players I played with, I always talk about skill of Scottie Pippen, the greatness of Michael Jordan, the unbelievable laser focus of Kobe but Shaq was the most phenomenal specimen of a human being."

(Via KG Certified)

It's clear that Shaq has respect all around the league but when a former teammate like this opens up about his dominance, it's clear that everybody needs to pay attention.

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