Shaquille O’Neal is arguably the most dominant force in the history of the NBA. He won three championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and the franchise has honored him with both a jersey retirement and a statue outside of Staples Center.
Shaq has created plenty of memories at Staples Center, and one of his greatest came on March 6, 2000, when he celebrated his 28th birthday. The Lakers were technically the road team facing the Los Angeles Clippers, but O’Neal made sure they knew it was his home.
Agitated and motivated by the fact the Clippers hassled him over tickets, O’Neal went out and scored a career-high 61 points to go along with 23 rebounds as the Lakers dominated the Clippers, 123-103.