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LOS ANGELES, March 24 (Xinhua) -- A bronze statue of legendary Los Angeles Lakers and NBA Hall of Fame player Shaquille O' Neal was unveiled Friday at Star Plaza in front of Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Suspended 10 feet above the ground, a 1,200 pound, nine-foot bronze statue of O'Neal was unveiled by O' Neal and his family. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, many more guests and thousands of fans came to the unveiling ceremony to celebrate with O' Neal.
"To the fans, I love you guys, I just want to you know that I heard you in the game when I was missing free throws, I heard it. I heard you in the game I was not rebound like I supposed to. I heard it all. Thank you for staying on me, thank you for motivating me and t his is a great moment, thank you all for coming out," said O'Neal.
Kobe Bryant, a long-time Lakers teammate of O'Neal, said: "(O' Neal is) The most dominate player I have ever seen. The thing that was the most impressive to me is that he is such a fun, out going guy, loves to tell jokes, loves to have fun with his teammates, practical jokes. But before the tip-off, something happens, the switch goes off. He is no longer joking around, he is no longer playing around, he is not smiling anymore. He is out there and he is trying to dominate."
As fans were welcomed to watch the statue unveiling, the Lakers hosted Shaqtown, a street festival, which offered fans a variety of interactive games, including Fireball Alley, a Hall of Fame Exhibit, photo opportunities, a Ferris wheel, a mini Lakers basketball court and more.
"When I was young, the first Laker jersey I even had was a Shaq jersey. The earliest memory of the Lakers I can remember is with Shaq and Kobe," said a basketball fan surnamed Nick.
O' Neal was a member of the Lakers from 1996 to 2004, leading the team to three consecutive NBA Championships from 2000 to 2002. His statue will join the other 4 Lakers superstars' sculptures at the Star Plaza, following Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Abdul-Jabbar and life-time Lakers sportscaster Chick Hearn.
