Shaquille O’Neal entered the league in 1992 and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and cemented himself as one of the most dominant athletes in the game. After acquiring Shaq as a first-draft pick, the Orlando Magic brought in more reinforcement the next season in Penny Hardaway. After this acquisition, the Magic became a force to reckon with in the Eastern Conference and playoff runs soon followed.

But Shaq didn’t think twice about jumping to the Lakers in 1996, where he teamed up with Kobe Bryant and went on to create a dynasty. Looking on from Orlando was Penny Hardaway, who thought he was hard done by Shaq’s move to the west.

Recently on the “Point Forward” podcast, the former Suns guard touched on the issue of Big Diesel’s departure from the Magic and how it ruined their shot at the NBA championship. “Watching [Shaq] and Kobe [Bryant] together, for sure, there was some jealousy there because I felt like that should have been me and [him]… If we [had] stayed together, there would have been championships won,” Hardaway admitted.

Since Hardaway and Shaq teamed up at the Magic, the franchise made 3 consecutive playoffs with one NBA Finals appearance in 1995, which ended in a loss to the Rockets.

Given the progressive trajectory shown by the Magic, Shaquille O’Neal and Co. could’ve possibly bagged an NBA championship but for the center, the temptation to join the Lakers was too much, where he created the deadliest one-two punch in the league.