Shaq Retires

After a prolific 19 year career, Shaquille O'Neal has decided to hang up his size 23 sneakers.  He leaves behind a legacy of one of the most entertaining careers in NBA history that will surely lead to his induction into the Hall of Fame.

There are many great Hall of Fame centers near the top of the hierarchy of NBA legends.  Russell won 11 titles, Wilt piled up stats at an unprecedented rate, Kareem has scored more points than any player in history.  Yet none of them ever seemed as dominant as Shaq was in his prime.  Just his sheer size and power made him stand apart from everyone else.  Whether he was slamming glass shattering dunks or using his size to control the paint, Shaq was an unstoppable force unlike anything we've ever seen.

Here is a quick run-down of what Shaq accomplished in his career:

• 28,596 career points (5th all-time)
• MVP award (2000)
• 3 time NBA Finals MVP (2000-2002)
• 4 NBA Championships (2000-2002 - Lakers; 2006 - Heat)
• 15 time All-Star
• 1993 Rookie of the Year

That is just a taste of Shaq's accomplishments.  You could spend all day finding more to add to that already impressive list, but the thing about Shaq is that his career won't just be defined by statistics.  He'll be remembered for his outgoing personality and charisma off the court as much as he will be for his dominance on the court.  Ask anyone who had the pleasure of being around him and they'll tell stories of how much fun he was to have around.

Shaq has always known the NBA to be what it is - a business.  With that in mind he thinks of himself as a business man, and has done an incredible job of marketing himself through his career.  Shaq has used his charisma to land roles in everything from commercials to movies (ok, so Kazaam may not have been the best business decision).  He's been featured in video games like Shaq-Fu.  He even came out with a rap album.  Everywhere you looked, Shaq was putting his stamp on the entertainment industry.  No other athlete in any sport can say they've accomplished that much in so many different areas.

In Boston we got a small taste of this when he signed a minimum level deal to join the Celtics for his final shot at another title.  From the moment he arrived, the city was buzzing with excitement over the Big Shamrock.  Whether he was posing as a statue in Harvard Square, dressing up for Halloween on the city subways or conducting the Boston Pops, Shaq was always finding ways to entertain people, even when he wasn't able to be on the court.

As much fun as Shaq's career had been at times, it was also littered with controversy along several of his stops in his career.  There were some that clashed with the fun loving giant along the way.  A young Shaq had some well documented issues with fellow star Penny Hardaway that led to Shaq fleeing Orlando for a big contract in LA.  After winning three titles together with the Lakers, his feud with Kobe Bryant boiled over to the point that Shaq was essentially forced out, leading to him being traded to Miami.  After winning a title alongside Dwayne Wade, Shaq soon wore out his welcome in South Beach as he clashed with coach Stan Van Gundy (Shaq recently referred to his former coach as the "Master of Panic", showing there may still be some bad blood between the two).  He was then shipped to Phoenix, a move which sabotaged the exciting "7 seconds or less" offense the team has employed under Mike D'Antoni.  That was a decision made by the organization and coaching staff, so it clearly wasn't Shaq's fault that the team wanted to go in a different direction, but when the plan failed and the team struggled, Shaq unfairly took much of the blame.  While it wasn't always his fault for how things unraveled in the end, he burned a lot of bridges on his way out of town with many the teams he played for earlier in his career.

The last few years of his career were far less controversial, as a more mature Shaq came to terms with the fact that his aging body no longer allowed him to be the dominant force he had once been.  He accepted the part of being a role player by trying to fit in as the missing piece to put Cleveland over the top to "win a ring for the King."  When that didn't work out and LeBron fled Cleveland, Shaq moved on to team with a trio of fellow future Hall of Famers in Boston.

Unfortunately, Shaq's 39 year old legs would not cooperate over the course of a long season.  He battled a string of injuries that limited him to only 37 games and a total of only about 10 minutes of court time in the playoffs before he was forced to shut it down for good.  Yet looking back to the beginning of the season, a healthy Shaq was still very productive.  His 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game aren't that far off his career numbers on a per minute basis.  Look at the impact he had on the rest of the team, particularly Rajon Rondo, who averaged nearly 14 assists per game through the first two months of the season, thanks in part to being able to throw up lobs at the rim for the big fella.  It's no wonder the Celtics were 29-8 with Shaq in the line-up, the best record in the East at that time.

It's unfortunate that such an outstanding career had to end, but as Shaq said himself, Father Time has finally caught up to him.  The man known by a wide variety of nicknames now has one more to add to his list: the Big 401k.  When we look back at his career we won't remember the controversies or the injuries that dragged him down in the end.  We'll remember the lovable character that made us smile with his jokes, dancing and wild sense of humor.  We'll remember him for his long resume of accomplishments.  Most importantly, we'll remember him for being the most dominant big man the league has ever seen.