The last believer in the Los Angeles Lakers finally looks to be jumping ship.
Retired big man great Shaquille O’Neal did a pretty big 180 with his stance on the Lakers after their blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. O’Neal was one of TNT’s studio analysts for the nationally-televised game.
“They don’t want it,” said the former Laker O’Neal on the air, per Lakers writer Ryan Ward. “They’re done.”
While it feels like we say this every single week, Tuesday’s defeat was a new rock bottom for the now 31-44 Lakers. Though LeBron James and Anthony Davis were out, the Lakers rolled over from the very start, going down by 30 points in the first half and losing 128-110. The loss dropped them to 11th in the Western Conference, out of the play-in tournament altogether.
Less than a week ago, Shaq offered an irrationally optimistic prediction for how the Lakers would fare the rest of the season. But they have not won a game since O’Neal made those comments, and now even he seems to be seeing the Lakers for what they really are.
Photo: Mar 10, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; NBA former player Shaquille O’Neal watches a game between the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 105-99. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
