MIAMI -- On the night the Miami Heat retired Shaquille O'Neal's number and raised it to the rafters Thursday, the Heat faced O'Neal's former team, the Los Angeles Lakers. And before tipoff, O'Neal shared fond memories of his one Lakers season spent playing alongside Luke Walton, now the Lakers' head coach.
Their time together came during the 2003-04 season, when the Lakers reached the Finals before losing to the Detroit Pistons. Walton was a rookie and O'Neal was one year away from being traded to the Heat.
"Luke was definitely a great, unselfish player," O'Neal said.