{"id":496046,"date":"2025-12-26T00:45:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T00:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/496046\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T00:45:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T00:45:19","slug":"dodgers-shohei-ohtani-is-named-los-angeles-greatest-sports-icon-by-a-lakers-legend-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/496046\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers\u2019 Shohei Ohtani is named Los Angeles\u2019 greatest sports icon by a Lakers legend"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is little debate that Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> star Shohei Ohtani is already considered one of the defining legends in MLB. Beyond that, his impact has pushed him into conversations reserved for the greatest athletes in sports history. In a city as competitive as Los Angeles, where iconic figures span multiple leagues, one of the most recognizable Lakers legends made it clear how Ohtani is now viewed across the city.<\/p>\n

When Shaquille O\u2019Neal was asked on Overtime whether Shohei Ohtani had surpassed him as a Los Angeles sports icon, the response was strikingly candid, even if it was difficult for Shaq to admit. The question came from a lifelong Los Angeles fan who acknowledged O\u2019Neal\u2019s legacy while pointing to Ohtani\u2019s unprecedented accomplishments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question was whether Ohtani is a bigger LA sports icon than Shaq,\u201d the fan said. \u201cIt breaks my heart to say this directly to your face because I\u2019m from Los Angeles, born and raised in Santa Monica. I cried when you left the Lakers. But what Shohei Ohtani is doing right now will never be done in any sport ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fan added that Ohtani<\/a>\u2019s trajectory suggested sustained dominance. He noted that while Ohtani had not yet reached three straight championships, the opportunity was ahead, supported by a historic long-term contract and a roster built to contend. The implication was clear: the Dodgers are positioned to win multiple titles with Ohtani at the center.<\/p>\n

\"Shaquille<\/p>\n

Shaquille O\u2019Neal during a Los Angeles Lakers game.<\/p>\n

Shaq makes Ohtani\u2019s greatness clear<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neal<\/a> acknowledged the comparison despite his own unmatched legacy with the Lakers. Shaq was part of a dominant championship core alongside Kobe Bryant and remains one of the most physically imposing players the NBA has ever seen. Still, he recognized that Ohtani\u2019s influence, amplified by his recent championship alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto and a loaded Dodgers roster, could define an entire generation.<\/p>\n

\"Alex<\/p>\n

see also<\/p>\n

Alex Bregman rumors: Red Sox fight back with three MLB stars emerging as Plan B<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYou are one of the greatest LA icons of all time, unquestionably,\u201d the fan continued. \u201cEvery statue that\u2019s been erected of you deserves to be there. That being said, Shohei Ohtani is going to have skyscrapers built after him because what he is accomplishing in Major League Baseball has never been done in 150 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaq paused before agreeing. \u201cI hate to say it, but he\u2019s correct,\u201d O\u2019Neal said. He pointed to Ohtani\u2019s global reach, particularly in Japan, drawing parallels to how Yao Ming once transformed All-Star voting through China\u2019s massive fan base. In Shaq\u2019s view, Ohtani\u2019s international impact reinforced everything the fan had argued.<\/p>\n

The accolades that place Ohtani and Shaq among LA\u2019s greatest<\/p>\n

Ohtani\u2019s r\u00e9sum\u00e9 already places him among baseball\u2019s elite. He is a five-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champion, and a four-time MVP, with all four awards won unanimously, a feat unmatched in MLB<\/a> history. He has also earned six All-MLB First Team selections, four Silver Sluggers, three Hank Aaron Awards, two home run titles, and an NL RBI crown, while producing 45.2 WAR over the past five seasons as both an elite hitter and a frontline pitcher.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Neal\u2019s legacy remains untouchable in basketball circles. He finished his career as a four-time NBA champion, three-time Finals MVP, league MVP, 15-time All-Star, and 14-time All-NBA selection. Beyond the court, Shaq became a global cultural figure whose reach extended far beyond basketball, cementing his place among Los Angeles\u2019 most influential sports icons with the Lakers<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is little debate that Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is already considered one of the defining…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":495988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3790],"tags":[7,4034,1698,300,4044,251,441,150,4033,4043,6,1302,5443],"class_list":{"0":"post-496046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-lakers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-la","10":"tag-la-lakers","11":"tag-lakers","12":"tag-lalakers","13":"tag-los-angeles","14":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","15":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","16":"tag-losangeles","17":"tag-losangeleslakers","18":"tag-nba","19":"tag-shaquille-oneal","20":"tag-shohei-ohtani"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115783108189935112","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}