Sports history was made on Tuesday evening as Shaquille O’Neal’s Lakers jersey was officially retired.
To celebrate, the now-retired basketball star attended a party in his honor at the Staples Center.
His close friends, family and celebrity fans gathered for a special celebration party held in the Hyde Lounge.
Guests celebrating twith Shaq including Phil Jackson, Jeanie Buss, David Arquette, Glee star Jenna Ushkowitz, Kyle Massey, Danny Masterson, Abbie Cornish, wife Shaunie and children Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah. Past teammates and alumni were also present.
After the 41-year-old was presented with a cake in the shape of his jersey number, 34, the evening turned into a dance party to the tunes of DJ Martin Vidal.
Shaq’s honor couldn’t have come at a better time, as the Lakers bested the Dallas Mavericks last night with two weeks left in the race to the NBA playoffs.
O’Neal’s official ceremony actually took place at halftime, starting with a highlight reel of his greatest on-court moves, followed by a taped video tribute from current Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
During his speech, O’Neal thanked his family, most noticeably his late father. He said: “I know you wanted me to be great like Wilt Chamberlain and have the finesse of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I hope somewhere up there you are proud.” As the ceremony commenced, the entire stadium watched as his jersey was raised on the wall for retirement among all the other Laker legends.
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