When Shaquille O’Neal became a Laker, then-general manager Jerry West took him to the Forum. Someone I loved like a son.”When West gave O’Neal that tour of the Forum, he knew that tactic would work. He said O’Neal could achieve greatness in L.A. During the course of those conversations, West and O’Neal began to trust each other. “Hopefully, he appreciated my honesty and how I felt about him as a player,” West said. West told Armato that he would not make the trade unless O’Neal was coming to the Lakers.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 24, 2017 15:41 UTC