SHAQUILLE O’Neal was almost speechless as he gave basketball fans a sneak peek on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time) of his new statue that will be unveiled in Los Angeles on Friday.
The larger-than-life statue of O’Neal, who won three consecutive NBA titles with the Lakers in the eight seasons he played with the storied franchise, will soon join those of fellow Los Angeles Lakers greats Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West and broadcaster Chick Hearn among other L.A. sports heroes outside the Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, West and Abdul-Jabbar will reportedly attend the official unveiling.
In his Twitter account, the Hall of Famer shared a photo of the bronze statue being lifted into place. The NBA legend is depicted hanging from a basketball rim during a dunk.
O’Neal, who won his lone MVP award as a Laker in 2000, also took the opportunity to thank the Buss family for the honor.
Thank You Buss Family! #speechless pic.twitter.com/vkcKtKB7i6
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) March 22, 2017