SHAQ BRINGING ACT TO L.A. COVETED CENTER SIGNS $120 MILLION CONTRACT WITH LAKERS.Byline: Marc Stein Marc Stein is a sports reporter. He began writing for ESPN.com in 2000 and signed on full-time in 2002 to serve as the site's senior National Basketball Association writer. Daily News Staff WriterIn perhaps the biggest summer blockbuster Hollywood has ever seen, the Lakers on Thursday signed free-agent center Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). away from the Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). History Early years The Orlando Magic officially entered the NBA as an expansion franchise in 1989. . With a staggering seven-year offer worth slightly more than $120 million, the Lakers established a new record for guaranteed contracts in professional team sports and re-established themselves as NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= title contenders. ``To me, change is for the good,'' O'Neal said at a news conference in Atlanta, where he'll compete in the Olympics before coming to town in early August. ``The Lakers have a great tradition, a great big-man tradition,'' he said. ``I just want to go there and play hard.'' O'Neal joins a long line of famous Lakers centers, starting with George Mikan George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. (June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association when the franchise was located in Minneapolis and continuing with Wilt Chamberlain and then Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Inglewood. ``There's one word that I've always thought was used very loosely, and that is `superstar,' '' said Lakers executive vice president Jerry West. ``But today, the Los Angeles Lakers have acquired a 24-year-old superstar.'' Said O'Neal: ``This is going to be one of the hardest decisions of my life . . . but I think I made the right decision.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (color) Shaquille O'Neal Lakers' newest star attracti on |
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