“I just talked to my sister Jeanie Buss to tell her congratulations… I told her that her dad Dr. Buss would be very proud of her for getting $10B for the Lakers…” Magic Johnson was elated when the news broke that the Los Angeles Dodgers owner, Mark Walter, would now take the helm at the Los Angeles Lakers. After 46 years, the Buss family will no longer have control of the Purple and Gold franchise. Even though one franchise legend is happy, the other being Shaquille O’Neal, is upset.
“You know, I’m a little upset, right? The Lakers got sold for 10 billion and I ain’t get no douly. I ain’t get no brand new Escalade. I ain’t get nothing though.” This revelation from the 4x NBA champion was on his podcast with comedian and first cousin, Bill Bellamy. Since Shaq was laughing when he made this comment, his cousin added a punch line. “They gave you a thank you for your service.” But the Big Aristotle wasn’t done asking, and even name-dropped Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.
“It was Magic. Me, then Kobe. Like, can I get something? I mean, can I get it? I mean, can I get a check for like, you know, 50 million something? Something.” It’s true that the contributions from Shaquille O’Neal are immense, just like his former teammate Kobe and franchise legend Magic. Jeanie Buss confirmed the sale for $10 billion, making it the largest sports franchise sale in history. So, Diesel wants some part of the new deal. That’s when Bellamy had to add another punchline over Shaq’s misery.
“Come on. $10 billion. Jeanie Buss. You probably won’t never see her again. She probably going to be on that spaceship with Elon Musk after that.” The comedian suggested that Buss would be on the flight to Mars to avoid paying Shaquille O’Neal. Even though Bellamy and Shaq never saw this coming, the former understood the concept of cashing out over choosing to run the family business.
“I didn’t think they would sell.” Bellamy continued on the Big Podcast, “ I thought they was going to be like one of the last, you know, sort of like family businesses sort of thing… I guess you know cashing out is real. You got to cash out.” But it’s not the only time that Buss’ decision has left Shaq hurt.
Shaquille O’Neal’s response after Jeanie Buss left her out of an important list
The Lakers organization has seen a host of superstars over the years. From Magic and Kareem to Kobe and Shaq, and LeBron James. Luka Doncic could be on that path, too, if he brings a championship to the franchise. But back in 2021, when it came to selecting the five most influential people in Lakers’ history, Shaq’s name was a miss. Buss revealed her selection on the All the Smoke podcast. A list that had Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, LeBron James, and Phil Jackson.
But the response from Shaquille O’Neal was a mature one. “I love Jeanie Buss. I have never, would never say anything negative about Jeanie Buss. Look, I’m not mad about that. Listen, she’s Jeanie Buss, that’s her opinion. You ask other people, the names will vary.” No drama from the franchise legend. Even Buss made a clarification soon making sure the Lakers Nation too understood the situation.
“Well maybe if you made more of your free throws….just kidding Big Diesel @shaq if the list was only players, of course you’re top 5! You know I you and your family!! Please don’t kick me off the board of The Shaquille O’Neal Foudation!!” This was her reply on X, with a photo of Shaquille O’Neal. This signified that there is no love lost between the two.
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