LOS ANGELES, CA - FEB 4: Shaquille O'Neal #34 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks against the Sacramento Kings at the Staples Center on February 4, 2001. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photos by Robert Mora/NBAE via Getty Images) Robert Mora-NBAE via Getty Images

Watch: Shaquille O’Neal Trolls Mike Bibby & Kings

Originally posted on Lakers Nation | By Ron Gutterman | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 1:40 PM ET

Shaquille O’Neal was at the forefront of one of the most successful eras of Los Angeles Lakers history. He was the Hall of Fame center and three-time Finals MVP when L.A. won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. But the title and O’Neal’s Finals MVPs were not the only things that those three runs had in common.

In all three championship runs, the Lakers needed to get past the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference part of the bracket. Those teams were led by Chris Webber, but had other great talent like Peja Stojakovic, Doug Christie and Vlade Divac. But after losing to L.A. in the first round in 2000 and the West Semis in 2001, they turned to point guard Mike Bibby to get them over the hump.

The Kings got all the way to the West Finals in 2002, only to once again lose to the Lakers as they rampaged on the path to their third straight title. That is regarded by many as the best Kings team of all time, as they have not been back to the Conference Finals since, and that loss was marred by controversy surrounding referee Tim Donaghy.

The Lakers still won that series, and O’Neal had an opportunity to poke fun at Bibby during a recent appearance on the former Kings guard’s podcast:

Shaq trolling Mike Bibby on his own podcast

pic.twitter.com/Rjnb4qbqvk

— Straight Game Podcast (@straightgamepod) August 25, 2025

The Kings and Lakers had significant animosity towards one another at the time of that Conference Finals, so it’s good to see O’Neal and Bibby being able to laugh about it together now. Bibby has also gone back to his Sacramento roots as he was hired as the head coach of Sacramento State’s basketball program earlier this year, where O’Neal is the general manager.

So with all of that over two decades in the past and both O’Neal and Bibby finding personal success in their post-playing careers while working together, things like the 2002 West Finals are more jokes of the past.

Lakers’ Lebron James shares valuable message to young athletes

Once the 2025-26 season gets underway, Lakers star LeBron James will have played the most seasons in NBA history with 23. What makes that stat even crazier is that James is still playing at an All-NBA level.

When a player is at this stage of their career, they typically mentor rookies or second-year players. One example of that was Kobe Bryant when he was nearing the end of his illustrious career and the Lakers roster was full of young players. However, James has the benefit of teaching while competing for a championship, hoping to capture his fifth ring this season.

Now that Luka Doncic is in town, LeBron can prepare him for what it is like to play for an organization like the Lakers. James has seen a lot through his two decades in the NBA and he is also using that knowledge to pass a message to the next generation of young athletes.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Lakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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