Shaquille O'Neal reveals why he needs 8 rings

Despite being a four-time champion, NBA icon Shaquille O'Neal feels that he should have achieved even greater success in his career. When he was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and famous guard Kobe Bryant, O'Neal won his first three championships. Even though the Lakers weren't his first strong team, he was named the Finals MVP in each of those series.

When Michael Jordan returned from a hiatus to play baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization in 1994–95, O'Neal and the Orlando Magic defeated the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs. Earlier in his career, O'Neal shared the court with players like Penny Hardaway and Horace Grant. During those playoffs, the Magic made it to the NBA Finals.

"When you talk about great players, I had the opportunity to play with Bron (LeBron James), too," O'Neal said. "I was so amazed at his leadership and how he played. When I was with him, I wasn't the Shaq, but I was a good role player. We were first in our conference, played Boston, Big Baby (Glen Davis) broke my hand, and I had to leave for six weeks. I tried to come back, but I wasn't there, and we lost to Boston Celtics. These are things I think about when it comes to rings. I should have eight rings, and I'm not talking about free throws. I'm just talking about messed-up opportunities.

Shaquille O'Neal played alongside LeBron James but didn't win the NBA title

During his time with Orlando Magic, he never won the title but was surrounded by players who were playing and changing the course of team history. Following his time playing alongside Bryant with the Lakers, O'Neal moved to Miami to play with Dwyane Wade.

Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals with Wade's help. Despite Wade's MVP victory in that series, O'Neal continued to have a significant impact, averaging 13.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game throughout the course of the series. 

The fifteen-time All-Star missed out on another NBA championship, but he played with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire on the Phoenix Suns, and Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo on the Boston Celtics to finish his career. That just serves to demonstrate that winning a title requires more than simply skill. As O'Neal would know from his four championship victories, a team's ability to win is undoubtedly influenced by injuries, opponents, and a host of other factors.