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Considered the biggest free-agent signing in NBA history until 2010 when LeBron James took his talents to South Beach, Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal raked in big money as a Laker, earning $144,749,716 during his time in Los Angeles, good for third all-time in the franchise’s history. Even so, O’Neal found himself in dispute with the Lakers over pay toward the end of his tenure there, which eventually led to him demanding a trade. Sure, more went into the trade request than that, but part of the reason O’Neal wound up getting traded to Miami in 2004 was that he had just signed a three-year, $88.5 million contract extension the year prior and Lakers owner Jerry Buss didn’t believe he was worth that amount of money anymore, not with O’Neal getting older and refusing to take better care of his body.
Money per game: $227,593
Highest Laker salary: $24,749,999 in 2003-04 (No. 2 in the NBA that season)
Overall career earnings: $292,198,327
Lakers stats: 27.0 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.5 bpg, 57.5 FG%, 53.3 FT% in eight seasons
