Shaquille O’Neal could’ve crushed LeBron James and create Magic legacy as former teammate predicted 4-5 NBA titles

Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway were one of the best duos in all of basketball during their time with the Orlando Magic.

Penny Hardaway feels he and Shaquille O’Neal could have won a lot of NBA titles with the Orlando Magic

Shaquille O’Neal is known for dominating performances on his way to four NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. However, prior to doing all that, he was building up something special with Penny Hardaway as part of the Orlando Magic.

Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway helped the franchise take their first major step into being a playoff contender. The following season the duo led the Orlando Magic to their first ever NBA Finals. However, their inexperience led to them being swept at the hands of Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon.

This loss was to propel them, and they came back to the Eastern Conference Finals a year later. However, they faced the indomitable Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Following his second sweep, O’Neal left for the Lakers. However, Penny Hardaway believes had he stayed, they could have built a dynasty.

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We were on our way because MJ only had so many years left. Once that happened, we would have just kept getting pieces and been able to build something. The way that we had already played and was playing, one would’ve been the minimum. And you could have said 4 or 5 for sure.

Penny Hardaway on the Knuckleheads Podcast

The four-time NBA All-Star said this when asked if he and Shaquille O’Neal had spent 10-12 years together. He mentioned that O’Neal could have built himself a legacy with the Orlando Magic and then moved to the Los Angeles Lakers at a later time.

Shaquille O’Neal did not leave Orlando Magic for money

After four years of playing for the Orlando Magic, Shaquille O’Neal decided to pack his bags and move to Hollywood. At the time, there were reports of some behind the scenes problems between the big man, his head coach and Hardaway.

During the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the Magic duo were playing for Team USA. At the same time, the big man’s agent was in discussions with both his current team and others who wanted the superstar. It was rumored that O’Neal did not have a healthy relationship with then head coach Brian Hill.

That power struggle and the fact that he was too a larger-than-life figure for modest Orlando meant he was not being able to live his superstar lifestyle. On top of it, there were rumors of Penny Hardaway wanting to be the big dog of that team, which seemingly irked O’Neal.

On the first day of the Olympics, news broke that the big man was signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. His seven-year $121 million contract was higher than what the Magic had offered. He went on to clarify that Los Angeles offered him a chance to grow his brand.

It also allowed him to live the superman lifestyle he became known for. Had those not been important for him, maybe he could have created a different legacy for himself. But even then, the Magic retired his jersey earlier this year. After all, his performances put the team on the basketball map.