LOS ANGELES - When you discuss the greatest, most influential Lakers from Minneapolis to Staples Center, you start with George Mikan, move to Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, go to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy, pass through Vlade Divac, and, finally, you come to Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Vlade Divac? What's he doing in there?
No true Lakers loyalist ever should overlook the big, good-natured Serb. His impact on franchise history is profound and enduring. Every time you cheer a raging Shaq slam or spectacular, soaring drive by Kobe, you owe Vlade a quiet thank you.
For without Divac's willingness to uproot and go to North Carolina, there would have been no Kobe, no Shaq, no budding dynasty to make a genius of Phil Jackson all over again.
With two deal-busting words in the summer of '96 - ''I'm retiring'' - Divac could have submarined everything, putting the Lakers at square one. They could be the Boston Celtics right now.
Those two words - ''I'm retiring'' - were, in fact, foremost in Vlade's mind when he got the sad word that the team that brought him to the U.S. in 1989, nurturing and developing him, now was trading him to distant Charlotte in the wake of the '96 draft.
It was, in some ways, one of VP Jerry West's riskiest deals. In return for their established center, the Lakers would get an unproven high school kid from the Philadelphia area while freeing up vital salary cap space to pursue Orlando's dominant young center, the prize of the '96 free agent market. (Another West swap, sending Anthony Peeler and George Lynch to Vancouver, created some more cap room for Shaq Diesel after Vlade agreed to go to Charlotte.)
''Retirement was what I was thinking about,'' Divac said, reflecting back to that difficult time. ''When I heard the news, it hurt. I started thinking it's not just a game; it's a business, too.
''Because I play the game for fun, and I would never be forced to play, I was thinking I would just quit. Going to Charlotte, I was forced. If I don't have fun, I can't play.''
Vlade and Snezana Divac, an aspiring actress, had two small children at the time and loved their new home in Pacific Palisades, Calif. A Laker for seven years, Divac figured he'd be one for life. Now he was told he was a Hornet, like it or not. He didn't much like it.
''Dave Cowens, the coach, called and asked me to come and see what's happening in Charlotte,'' Vlade recalled. ''I went to see if it was something I could enjoy.''
Cowens made an impression. Divac became a Hornet for two years, before opting for free agency and signing with Sacramento in 1998. Next time you curse the Hornets for stealing Eddie Jones, consider that the Lakers owed them a huge favor for giving them the E-ticket to Fantasyland: Kobe and Shaq.
''The Lakers are always going to be part of me,'' Divac said, and he didn't mean having O'Neal's forearms imprinted on his 7-1 frame after long nights in the paint. ''My best years were with the Lakers. I became an NBA player here.
''The people, the fans, gave me big support. Jerry West, Mitch Kupchak, everyone was great to me. Magic Johnson was my tutor. Coach (Bill) Bertka was a big, big help, teaching me moves, working with me. And Coach (Pat) Riley, my first year, gave me a chance to play.
''I still have a lot of friends here. If we go out of the playoffs, I'll pull for the Lakers.''
If the Kings are bounced out of the postseason, it's possible it will be Shaq, Kobe and Co. doing the first-round bouncing in a best-of-five.
The Lakers clinched the season series, 3-1, with a 121-114 decision over Vlade's guys Friday night. Each of the four games was so close and intensely competitive, nobody in the LA troupe can be overconfident about a showdown with the Kings, currently tied with Seattle for the No. 7 spot while No. 8 gets the Lakers in Round One.
''Seems like we match up pretty well against them,'' said Chris Webber, Divac's big partner up front.
C-Webb and Vlade are the main reasons Sacramento causes the Lakers headaches.
Webber had 20, 24, 28 and 36 points and averaged 11 rebounds in the four meetings with LA, having his way with A.C. Green and Robert Horry.
Divac, at 32, has not had one of his better seasons, averaging only 12.5 points, but he can take Shaq outside with his soft jumper and excellent passing skills.
Vlade's problems are at the other end, where Shaq uses a 60-pound advantage to leverage Divac into foul trouble.
''He's a great guy,'' Vlade said of O'Neal. ''I really respect his game. For me, he's the MVP this year. I like Kobe, too.''
When I mentioned that they owe him some love for making all this possible, Vlade grinned.
''I never thought of it that way, really,'' he said. ''Knowing Jerry West, he'd have found ways to do things.''
Maybe so, but Charlotte never would have parted with Kobe once it was exposed to its 13th overall pick. And who knows what would have happened to Shaq if West hadn't carved out some cap maneuverability thanks to Divac? Daddy still might be in Orlando.
Given their intertwined history, you'd expect O'Neal to have some warm fuzzies reserved for his dark-haired rival from Sacramento. Yet when I asked Shaq if he respected Vlade's game, Diesel wasn't overly generous.
''There are a lot of actors in this league,'' Shaq said. ''He's one of them.''
Vlade will put on an act to draw a foul, but there was nothing phony about his emotions when the Lakers sent him packing.
''Kurt Rambis told me the first time you're traded is the hardest,'' said Divac, who kept his Palisades home. ''You take it personally the first time.
''I felt, and still feel, the Lakers are my home.''
Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.
