My favorite basketball player, Shaquille O'Neal, announced his retirement yesterday. After 19 seasons, 4 titles, 15 All-Star Appearances and about 200 different nicknames, "The Diesel" is done. At 39 years old, his body just can't do it anymore.
When Shaq broke into the league at 20 years old, I was in my middle school years. Shaq was this larger than life center who broke backboards, ran the fast break, and did it all with a smile. He quickly became my favorite player. In an era when it was Jordan this and Jordan that, I liked what Shaq brought to the game. He looked like he was having fun! When he went to the Lakers in 1996, it was a dream come true for me...the Lakers were my favorite team. These days, I root for players more than teams, but back then, I was a Lakers fan. Shaq won 3 of his titles with the Lakers, and 3 NBA finals MVP awards. He would pick up 1 more title with Dwayne Wade (my new favorite player) and the Miami Heat in 2006, but I'll always remember Shaq as a Laker first.
Some of his critics will say that Shaq underachieved, because he was injured a lot, often started the season overweight, and never led the league in rebounding. Even as a fan, I have to agree with that, but that's Shaq. Basketball was never the end all be all for Shaq, it was just a means and a forum for what he really wanted to do, which was entertain. In an era when athletes often wear a scowl and look miserable, it was refreshing to see someone out there who realized he was playing a game for a living.
I'll miss Shaquille O'Neal, but I'm very glad I got to witness his entire career. In tribute, here are the top 5 Shaq nicknames (most of which he gave himself).
5 - Superman
4 - The Big Shaqtus (when he was traded to Phoenix)
3 - Shaq Fu
2 - The Big Aristotle
1 - The Diesel
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