Shaquille O’Neal thought he was doing a standard appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” except the late night TV host had a little surprise in store. Actually, because of Shaq’s stature, it was a very big surprise. The Lakers are building a statue of O’Neal and Kimmel was the one to break the news.
Watch Shaq find out about his Lakers statue in a surprise from Jimmy Kimmel
The news came as such a surprise, O’Neal himself didn’t believe it. He started to believe a little after asking Kimmel if he was serious several times. Then he recanted and said, “You’re playing, I don’t believe you.” While Kimmel has been known to pull plenty of pranks on his show, this one was real. The Lakers announced plans for the statue later Wednesday night.
“We look forward to having Shaq join the other legends who have been honored with statues at STAPLES Center,” Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss said. “He is a giant not only in size, but also in stature and in what he accomplished as a Laker. Shaq literally broke the ground for the site, and was hugely responsible for not only getting STAPLES Center built, but for making it one of the most successful and famous arenas in the world. It’s an honor that is well deserved.”
O’Neal is also likely to be elected to the NBA Hall of Fame this year, making 2016 a very significant one. He played eight seasons with the Lakers and scored nearly half of his 28,596 points while wearing purple and gold.
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