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Shaq appeared as a playable fighter in UFC undisputed 2010.

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Shaq appeared as a playable fighter in UFC undisputed 2010.

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Plays on his physical prowess (2010)

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Shaq appears as a playable characer in the NBA 2k franchise.

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Shaq appears as a playable characer in the NBA 2k franchise.

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He is the only player to ever be rated 100 reflecting his dominance of the game.

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Relates to his Shaq Fu game for an intertextual connection (2018)

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Uncle Drew (2018) - Shaq Fu Scene (7/10) | Movieclips

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Video of Shaq paying off someones engagement ring

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Video of Shaq paying off someones engagement ring

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Pushes a philanthropic image (2021)

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Shaq Pays Off Stranger’s Engagement Ring Debt

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Reflects on his basketball greatness (2016)

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Shaquille O'Neal chilling with Bear Grylls

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Further asserts his image of physical dominance even in his older age(2016)

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Shaquille O'Neal enters the 3rd annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal: WrestleMania 32

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NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal revealed the secrets behind his dramatic body transformation... bidding to become a "sex symbol".

The retired basketball star - nicknamed Shaq - was weighing over gigantic 28st 5lb.

But on an episode of Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast, the American revealed he is now 26 stone.

A picture of Shaq's ripped physique went viral and he used fellow court legend Charles Barkley as inspiration to get in shape.

He said: "I didn't want my stomach to be over the belt anymore. So I was just like, 'Let me go ahead and get slim.'

"After that [picture] went viral, now I've got to live up to it.

"I was 401 pounds. Now I'm 365. I'm trying to take it back to 345.

"I want to have muscles everywhere, and I want to do an underwear ad with my sons [for] Fruit of the Loom, baby."

Shaq added that he "wants to become a sex symbol."

The sportsman went through a time period in 2020 following the passing of his sister Ayesha Harrison-Jex and team-mate Kobe Bryant.
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But he turned it around with a strict exercise routine and diet.

Shaq told Men's Health magazine in 2021: "My sister passed away, and then Kobe, it was a really bad year and I didn't want to do anything, I could only eat and watch Netflix.

"I saw an old man in his 70s with muscles all over the place and I started to eat better, I only ate sandwiches, for lunch, for dinner and for a snack, and then everything hit me last year and I couldn't sleep, I would get up and make myself a sandwich.

"I realised I couldn't go on like this, I took away the bread, the chocolate and the cakes."

He added: "Now I only eat fruits, protein shakes, salads, fish, chicken, asparagus and other vegetables, all in very small portions.

"I have started to see things like a six-pack, which I haven't had since I was in Miami in 2006.

"I do 20 minutes of cardio and then a little bit of chest, biceps, triceps, abs and back, which is about an hour a day in total."

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Shaq sheds two and a half STONE in transformation in bid to become 'sex symbol'

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NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal revealed the secrets behind his dramatic body transformation... bidding to become a "sex symbol". The retired basketball star - nicknamed Shaq - was weighing over gigantic 28st 5lb. But on an episode of Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast, the American revealed he is now 26 stone.

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Shaq cameos as a polic officer in Southland

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Shaq cameos as a polic officer in Southland

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Is in line with his image as comedic but also is a reference to him becoming a sheriff (2013)

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Southland: Shaquille O'neal Cameo Appearance Scene As Officer Earl Dayton S05E08

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Article covering the duos first meeting after Shaq's trade

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Article covering the duos first meeting after Shaq's trade

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We're continuing our look back at some classic games. For our last rewind - when Dwyane Wade led a Heat charge to avoid going down 0-3 against the Dallas Mavericks - click .

Our eighth entry takes us back a bit farther - Dec. 25, 2004. After a Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons in June 2004, Shaquille O'Neal requested a trade. Shaq's feud with Kobe Bryant had reached a boiling point that year. During a preseason game, O'Neal even yelled at Jerry Buss "Now you gonna pay me?"

The Lakers traded Shaq to the Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant. And the NBA scheduled the two teams to play each other on Christmas Day. Before the game, Shaq discussed meeting his former teammate, comparing himself to a brick wall and Bryant to a Corvette.

The two didn't even make eye contact with each other before tip-off. And on the first possession of the game, Shaq blocked his former teammate. But Bryant knocked down three early 3-pointers, and the Lakers jumped out to a 17-9 start. He finished the game with 42 points. (And remember, the Heat would finish the season with 59 wins, while the Lakers ended it 34-48.)

The Heat took a one-point lead going into the second quarter, but the Lakers proved to be a formidable opponent. A put-back dunk from Shaq with 2:57 left tied the game at 94, but about 30 seconds later, Shaq again met Bryant. Instead of blocking his shot, Shaq committed his sixth foul of the game, fouling out.

The game went into overtime after Wade missed a 20-foot jumper at the buzzer. Shaq, who finished the game with 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and 11 rebounds, would need to watch it all from the bench.

Wade put the Heat up five with 2:08 left in the overtime period. But Lamar Odom came back down and hit a 3 to cut the deficit to two. And on Miami's last offensive possession, they couldn't even get a shot up - a 24-second violation. The Lakers had one last chance to win it, down two with 3.4 seconds remaining.

Eddie Jones - who played with Shaq and Kobe in Los Angeles in the late '90s - and Wade both challenged Kobe's final attempt from beyond the arc. It missed, and the Heat won their 11th straight game. The Lakers fell to 14-12 on the season.

During the court-side interview, Shaq said, "I knew it wasn't gonna go in" about that last shot.

Although this game was billed as "Shaq vs. Kobe," it was also the national introduction for Wade, who was only in his second NBA season. And Wade proved himself to be a worthy co-star to Shaq, going for 29 points and 10 assists.

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Rewind: Shaq and Kobe meet as opponents for first time

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We're continuing our look back at some classic games. For our last rewind - when Dwyane Wade led a Heat charge to avoid going down 0-3 against the Dallas Mavericks - click . Our eighth entry takes us back a bit farther - Dec. 25, 2004.

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Shaquille O'Neal - Shaq Attack (Original Career Documentary)

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Kelly Clarkson and Shaquille O'Neal joined forces for a collaborative performance during a recent charity event.

Join by O'Neal, Clarkson performed her chart-topping 2004 hit, "Since U Been Gone," at a star-studded benefit event on Saturday (Oct. 2) in Las Vegas at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The event, presented by Pepsi Stronger Together, supported the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, which benefits the Boys & Girls Clubs and schools. Not only did it feature amazing live music, but also auctions that included items such as Lakers and UFC tickets, a trip to Africa and a walk-on role in an Adam Sandler movie, which O'Neal won for $90,000, according to .

"I started the foundation in 2019 to provide resources and opportunities to kids in need. We partner up with two organizations close to my heart, the Boys and Girls Club and Communities In Schools," Shaq told Entertainment Tonight. The 49-year-old New Jersey native then recalled his childhood and said that he was always taught to give back as a child, "I remember when that used to be my family."

During the event, Clarkson shared an emotion-filled story of how she grew up poor and doing these type of charitable events that benefit children are very close to her heart.

"Shaq mentioned that he couldn't afford daycare, his family couldn't afford day care. Mine couldn't either. My mom just happened to work there, so I got in for free," Clarkson said. "But I love doing events like this, and I love hearing from artists. Everyone sees where we're at. They don't see where we came from, and everybody need a helping hand, everybody needs opportunity. I was one of those kids that grew up on hand-me-downs."

Shaq, wearing black slacks and a maroon suit jacket over his white shirt and black bow tie, danced around the stage as Clarkson belted out the lyrics to the smash hit that appears on her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). The pair concluded the performance singing together before ending with a big hug as the crowd erupted into a thunderous applause.

Watch the epic duet performance from Shaq and Clarkson below.

In addition to performing "Since U Been Gone," Clarkson also sang "Stronger," another one of her chart-topping hits that quickly became a fan-favorite from her fifth studio album of the same name.

While Shaq didn't join Clarkson for her "Stronger" performance, the Texas native surely put her powerhouse vocals on full display as she soared the song, prompting a massive sing-a-long with the capacity crowd in Vegas.

Clarkson was just one of the performers on the star-studded guest list at a recent charity event, hosted by Shaq. In addition to Clarkson, Imagine Dragons, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, Andra Day, Jimmy Kimmel and more also appeared during the event.

Additionally, during a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the NBA star and former professional basketball player revealed that "Since U Been Gone" is his go-to karaoke song.

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WATCH: Kelly Clarkson & Shaquille O'Neal Sing Duet Of "Since U Been Gone" At Star-Studded Charity Event

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Kelly Clarkson and Shaquille O'Neal joined forces for a collaborative performance during a recent charity event. Join by O'Neal, Clarkson performed her chart-topping 2004 hit, "Since U Been Gone," at a star-studded benefit event on Saturday (Oct. 2) in Las Vegas at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

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While the article does make referenc to his size, it still mostly reports on his relationship with TNT. Compared to TMZ it hilights the person more than the persona (2011)

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The calls came as soon as Shaquille O'Neal decided to retire, all wanting to hire one of the NBA's greatest entertainers.

TNT's "Inside the NBA" studio show had been O'Neal's favorite as a player, so the choice was easy.

Get ready for the Big Analyzer, Big Commentator, or whatever other nickname he takes in the next phase of his career.

O'Neal agreed Thursday to a multiyear deal with Turner Sports to become an analyst on its NBA coverage, where he will fold his 7-foot-1 frame into the fourth chair on the TNT set alongside Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson.

"I'm just going to try to make it more fun than it already is," O'Neal said during a conference call.

O'Neal also will contribute to NBA TV and NBA.com, and his agreement includes a development deal with Turner's entertainment and animation networks.

O'Neal said he had other offers upon retiring last month, but quickly chose the Turner offer, saying he wasn't interested in creating a bidding war for his services.

A four-time NBA champion and 15-time All-Star during his 19-year career, O'Neal also has one of the NBA's biggest personalities, with Turner Sports president David Levy calling him one of the most "dominant, popular and charismatic players in the NBA."

"The addition of 'The Big Analytical' will be terrific," Smith said in a statement. "I can't wait to make verbal passes to the most dominant center of our time."

O'Neal, who says he still expects to run for sheriff in the future, will be part of TNT's coverage of All-Star Weekend -- scheduled next season for Orlando, his first NBA home -- and the playoffs.

He doesn't believe it will be difficult having to criticize Kobe Bryant, with whom he feuded as a Lakers teammate, or any other players.

"I have the ability and the backing to give fair criticism. The only time I have trouble with people giving criticism is when they haven't walked that walk," O'Neal said. "I've walked many walks in my 19-year career, so I think any criticism that I give should be fair."

He showed a strong opinion in his first day on the job when referring to the state of the center position with himself and Yao Ming deciding to retire within a month of each other.

"The beasts are now gone, the Goliaths are now gone, so that leaves Dwight Howard out there by himself," O'Neal said of Orlando's All-Star center. "So if he doesn't win two or three championships, I'll be very disappointed, because he has no competition out there now. None. Zero."

O'Neal retires as the fifth-leading scorer in league history after he was slowed by injuries in recent seasons. Even as his game suffered, he remained one of the NBA's most popular players.

Neither O'Neal nor Levy had any concern about O'Neal finding room to give his insight with Barkley and Smith already in place.

"Shaq knows the game and, on and off the floor, he has always been entertaining; a guy who gets it," Johnson said.

O'Neal said he also expects to work on cartoons and TV shows, adding he's interested in being the executive producer for a program.

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Diesel-fueled TV: Shaq signs with Turner Sports

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The calls came as soon as Shaquille O'Neal decided to retire, all wanting to hire one of the NBA's greatest entertainers. TNT's "Inside the NBA" studio show had been O'Neal's favorite as a player, so the choice was easy. Get ready for the Big Analyzer, Big Commentator, or whatever other nickname he takes in the next phase of his career.

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Makes a reference to Shaq having several endeavours, "Didn't take long for Shaq to find a new gig". Also brings him up in a comedic way. This more gossip-oriented site focuses more on his image when reporting the news of him joining TNT. (2011)

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Didn't take long for Shaq to find a new gig ... the recently retired NBA superstar just signed a brand new deal to become a full-time analyst on TNT.

Play video content

Shaq announced he signed a multi-year deal with Turner Sports -- and will sit alongside Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson to cover NBA regular season and playoff games on TNT, NBA TV and NBA.com.

Of course, Shaq released a video statement online -- saying, "I know you heard the big announcement, about to join TNT. Ernie, Kenny, Charles! I'll be seeing you soon! Get ready ... commentatin' and all."

No word on how much $$$ Shaq will rake in from the deal ... but we're guessing he doesn't come cheap.

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Shaquille O'Neal -- I'm A Pro Commentator Now!

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Didn't take long for Shaq to find a new gig ... the recently retired NBA superstar just signed a brand new deal to become a full-time analyst on TNT. Play video content Shaq announced he signed a multi-year deal with Turner Sports -- and will sit alongside Charles Barkley , Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson to cover NBA regular season and playoff games on TNT, NBA TV and NBA.com.

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labels his music career as suprisingly succesful and would overall praise it (2016)

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When you think of Shaquille O'Neal, who is set to enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, what's the first thing that pops in your head? Those two handed, rim-hangin' dunks that tore down backboards? Perhaps the meme-tastic, Buster Keatonesque slapstick he's given us as part of his TNT gig. Maybe Kazaam? Probably all of those things. But on the eve of his introduction into the Hall and the 20th anniversary of his greatest hits album, you might want to bump Shaq's under-appreciated, surprisingly successful hip hop career up the list.

Let's start with the successful part. The Big Aristotle's first album, the wonderfully named Shaq Diesel, went platinum. Granted, this was in an era when people still bought albums, but those albums cost just shy of $20. More than a million people shelled out an Andrew Jackson for the right to own the budding NBA superstar's side project. The album produced a pair of RIAA certified Gold, Top 40 singles: the party anthem "What's Up Doc? (Can We Rock)" and the braggadocio "(I Know I Got) Skillz." The Diesel's follow up album Shaq Fu: Da Return found it's audience as well, selling enough to be Certified Gold and allowing the self proclaimed Superman to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.

You might be rolling your eyes right now, thinking that Shaq's success was just a novelty, his commercial prosperity the result of his worldwide fame. Tell that to the laundry list of other pro ballers who dipped their toe into the hip-hop pool. NBA superstars such as Chris Webber, Allen Iverson, even Shaq's ol' frenemy Kobe Bryant, to name but a few, attempted to break into the hip hop scene. None of these guys reached anywhere near the heights in the music industry as The Big Cactus, despite their equal fame. Clearly, O'Neal's musical achievements were more than just a force of personality.

The astonishing collection of hip hop heavyweights involved in the making of Shaq's albums really drives home this point. In fact, Shaq went out of his way to include the era's biggest names in his music, even telling his label "I don't want to rap by myself. My concept is to rap with all my favorite artists." Mission accomplished, big man. Phife Dawg, Def Jef and Erick Sermon were heavily involved in the production of O'Neal's debut album. Wu-Tang members Method Man and RZA, along with Redman and Warren G, had a hand in Shaq Fu: Da Return, producing and appearing on multiple tracks. These 90's hip hop luminaries all saw enough in Shaq's rap skills to lend their prodigious talents to his career, providing the big man with a legitimacy he may not have otherwise had.

But believe it or not, these aren't even the most impressive collaborations Shaq managed to wrangle for his albums. His third studio album, You Can't Stop The Reign, holds a particularly special place in hip-hop. It is one of the only albums in history to feature two of the legit contenders for GOAT: Brooklyn brethren Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z. Biggie and Jigga appear on separate tracks, but the fact that they'd lend their respective genius to what could have been considered a gimmick rap career proves that it was anything but. Appearances by Bobby Brown, Mobb Deep and Rakim further up the album's cred, silencing any critics who didn't take The Big Shamrock's music seriously.

If Jay, Biggie, and Wu-Tang aren't enough to impress you, first of all, why are you such a snob? Second of all, how about Michael Jackson? Yes, the King of Pop himself was so impressed with Shaq's rapping skills that he had him drop some rhymes on " 2 Bad" from The King of Pop's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I album. The verse itself is mostly nonsensical, but how many basketball players can say they had enough musical talent to be recognized by one of the greatest pop acts of all time? Only the Big Baryshnikov.

But what about the music itself? O'Neal's treasure trove of hip hop genius collaborators could've all been for naught if the Diesel's lyrics weren't up to snuff. Fortunately, the big man rose to the challenge, avoiding the corny pitfalls many other non-rappers succumb to when trying their hand at hip hop. On Shaq Diesel alone, O'Neal shows his range by throwing serious shade at his draft mates (Forget Tony Danza, I'm the boss / When it comes to money, I'm like Dick DeVos / Now who's the first pick? Me. Word is born'in / Not a Christian Laettner, not Alonzo Mourning) and honoring his parents for keeping him on the straight and narrow growing up (You gave me confidence, to stop the nonsense / Didn't live in Bel Air, like the Fresh Prince / Times are hard, times are rough / Didn't have Toys R Us toys, but I had enough love.)

His parentage is also the subject of Shaq's most affecting track, "Biological Didn't Bother," a sadly too relatable song about his strained relationship with Joe Toney, O'Neal's biological father. Shaq makes it clear he has no intention of reconciliation and even repeatedly says "Phil is my father," a reference to his step-father Phillip Harrison. Tracks like this erase any thought that Shaq was in the hip hop game just for a lark.

Of course, any discussion of Shaq's rap career wouldn't be complete without mentioning his infamous 2010 Kobe bashing freestyle. Repeating the line "Kobe, tell me how my ass taste" throughout the verse, Shaq says "Kobe couldn't do without me," blames Bryant for his divorce and even his vasectomy. Lost in the media freakout that followed the video surfacing is how dope a freestyler Shaq is. For the generation of hip hop fans just young enough to not remember O'Neal's albums, this verse opened their eyes to his bona fide skills.

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Flashback: Shaquille O'Neal's Hall of Fame Rap Career

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When you think of Shaquille O'Neal, who is set to enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, what's the first thing that pops in your head? Those two handed, rim-hangin' dunks that tore down backboards? Perhaps the meme-tastic, Buster Keatonesque slapstick he's given us as part of his TNT gig.

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Reported on Shaq's thesis being on how humour is used in aleadership environment (2012)

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In case you missed it: One of the NBA's most colorful characters got a new title and a new nickname over the weekend.

Peter Andrew Bosch / Miami Herald / Landov

Retired NBA superstar and well-known nickname enthusiast Shaquille O'Neal has a new moniker: The Good Doctor.

Sporting a triple-extra-large red robe and a black cap, the 7′ 1″, 325-pound former center, now a basketball analyst for TNT, received a doctorate in education from Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla., over the weekend.

During the ceremony, which was held in downtown Miami's James L. Knight Center, O'Neal knelt so that department chair David Kopp could place the light blue doctoral hood around O'Neal's shoulders. The crowd erupted when O'Neal then lifted his professor into the air.

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O'Neal's degree focuses on organizational learning and leadership, with a specialty on human resource development; for his thesis he studied how CEO's and business leaders use humor as part of the work environment.

After the ceremony, Dr. O'Neal praised his parents and the university during a press conference. He credited his parents for always pushing him to excel in education before basketball. O'Neal earned his first degree from Louisiana State University in 2000, eight years after he left the school early to play in the NBA. He received an MBA online from the University of Phoenix and, according to Barry University, has spent the last four-plus years completing 54 credit hours with a 3.81 grade point average. According to ABC News, the four-time NBA champion says he now wants to go to law school.

LIST: Top 10 Failed Attempts at Rapping

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Call Him Dr. Shaq: Shaquille O'Neal Earns Ph.D | TIME.com

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Retired NBA superstar and well-known nickname enthusiast Shaquille O'Neal has a new moniker: The Good Doctor. Sporting a triple-extra-large red robe and a black cap, the 7' 1", 325-pound former center, now a basketball analyst for TNT, received a doctorate in education from Barry University ...

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He begins to take hold of the conversation more as he gets older and more confident

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Hilights the universality of Shaq's image (2014)

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Bleacher Report article criticizing Shaq's move to the Boston Celtics

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Bleacher Report article criticizing Shaq's move to the Boston Celtics

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Claims "Shaq has completely eradicated the one positive image people had left of him: his legacy in Los Angeles." (2010)

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For the Boston Celtics, the acquisition of Shaq makes all the sense in the world.

Kendrick Perkins will be sidelined for about half the upcoming season and will probably need even longer to regain his form as the stellar inside presence that he was prior to his knee injury in Game Six of the 2010 NBA Finals.

They needed someone to fill the void.

It wasn't like the Celtics' earlier pickup of Jermaine O'Neal was going to make the Celtics frontcourt much better, and with the NBA's newest "Big Three" in Miami, the Celtics had to do something to keep themselves relevant.

Point to the fact that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh have yet to log a single minute on the same team all you wish, but you'd be a fool to overlook a team boasting that kind of talent, particularly when they've managed to gather a pretty good supporting cast featuring Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Mike Miller, and Eddie House.

Had the Celtics elected to stand pat, they would have been doing themselves an injustice-but it wouldn't have compared to the injustice that Shaq has done to his own legacy.

It was one thing when he joined the Heat a few weeks after the 2004 Finals. His feud with Kobe Bryant had become too unmanageable, and when the Lakers were faced with a team boasting the kind of chemistry the Pistons had, the bottom just fell out.

When it reached the point that neither Shaq nor Kobe could move on without sacrificing their egos, it was all over. Shaq wanted a fresh start, and he got it with the Heat and their young and upcoming phenom Dwyane Wade.

But it didn't take too long for Shaq to fall out with Wade and the Heat's management. Soon afterwards, he quit on-oops, I meant got traded by Miami to Phoenix only to suffer a first round elimination one year, and failed to qualify for the playoffs the next.

By then, Shaq's legacy had taken a substantial beating. Here was the only player in NBA history not named Michael Jordan to win the NBA Finals MVP three consecutive years slowing teams down, disrupting chemistry and searching for a home.

From 2000-02, Shaq was arguably the most dominant center of all time, yet here he was essentially whoring himself to the best team available.

When Shaq joined LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers after his stint in Phoenix had come to an end, well...he became a very difficult player to take seriously. The Cavaliers were Shaq's fifth NBA team. Fifth.

By contrast, NBA greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and Wilt Chamberlain switched teams a combined five times in their careers. Ewing, who leads the group with two team changes, only did so in the last two seasons of his career, switching once from his beloved Knicks to the Seattle Supersonics and switching for the final time to the Orlando Magic.

An all time great like Shaq heading to a fifth team was and still is unheard of, but at least he was maintaining some type of theme for his career by playing with some of the best scorers and overall players of our generation.

Make any list of players that you want, but nearly every respectable source would have Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade listed as the game's top three players, regardless of order. Had Shaq been able to help the Cavaliers win a championship, he would've been able to say that he helped all of the top three players in the league win their first title.

He didn't.

Now Shaq has completely eradicated the one positive image people had left of him: his legacy in Los Angeles. The critical role he played in three Laker championships are no longer withstanding; one game as a Celtic erases everything.

Its no longer Shaq teaming up with Kobe's newest rival-its him betraying the franchise and team that he became most notable with. What Shaq doesn't know is that he's become almost comical in the process.

Now he's the bulky video game controller that you can get for cheap, but might throw you off in the course of a game.

He's the rocket launcher in Halo that's big and powerful, but is almost guaranteed to get you killed if you misfire with it.

He's the bandwagon jumper at school who was a Lakers' fan in 2004, a Pistons' fan in 2005 and a Mavericks' fan for the majority of 2007.

Its just a shame that most people don't see his true colors, even now.

LeBron James switches teams once and he's a traitor, a turncoat, a villain. Shaq does it the last four consecutive years and he gets a new nickname.

I'll be the first to admit that Shaq would have been hard pressed to find a team that puts him in better position to win a title than the Boston Celtics, but at this point it hardly matters. The damage that Shaq has done to his legacy and reputation is irreparable.

As Charles Barkley put it "There's a difference between being a champion and winning a championship."

Even if Shaq manages to secure a fifth NBA ring with the Boston Celtics, he'll hardly be in the company that greats like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and Isiah Thomas occupy.

Though some have moved on to take managerial positions with other teams, they all have franchises they can legitimately call home. They know the joys of being loved and revered by a fan base well after their playing days had come to an end.

They have all experienced the honor of seeing their jersey hang from a stadium's rafters.

That's something Shaq will never know regardless of how many more teams he jumps onto.

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The Big Mockery: Shaq Loses Final Shred of Credibility Joining Celtics

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For the Boston Celtics, the acquisition of Shaq makes all the sense in the world. Kendrick Perkins will be sidelined for about half the upcoming season and will probably need even ...

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Comments on Shaq being famous for basktball and rap hilighting the intertextuality of Shaqs image. (2000)

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Being a lone young boy in the 'hood" is dangerous and unpleasant. But Max manages to release Kazaam, a genie who has been held captive for thousands of years. In order to stay free, Kazaam must give Max three wishes.

Mind numbingly bad vehicle for Basketball god Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal as he turns actor, turns rapper, turns genie named Kazaam in this appallingly mismanaged effort from one P.M. Glaser (Starsky).

Francis Capra is the most annoying movie brat ever as Max, the kid who happens upon a genie who raps his three wishes. It has no redeeming features unless you like big men dressed in camp genie costumes....no? well steer clear.

The certificate will keep this way from the only audience who might stomach it, and the whole thing seems like an advert for Shaq's potential rap career. Only, he's crap.

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Being a lone young boy in the 'hood" is dangerous and unpleasant. But Max manages to release Kazaam, a genie who has been held captive for thousands of years. In order to stay free, Kazaam must give Max three wishes.

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Yet another media appearance where his size dominates the majority of the conversation topics. He also promotes his 5th album (1998)

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Shaq gets interviewed about basketball and his recent film Kazaam. In this interview his rather timid and not as charasmatic as he would later come off. While talking about his music, specifically a song about his absent father, Rosie cuts off to make a joke about the size of Shaqs feet making it seem like he was the butt of the joke for once (1998)

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Shaquille O'Neal Interview - ROD Show, Season 1 Episode 26, 1996

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He claims he only came to Miami because they had a great team and you need a good team no matter how great you are. This furthers his image as the charismatic team player opposite Kobe's serious loner on the Lakers. He is also making jokes throughout, referencing his "signature Shaq sayings". (2004)

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Shaquille O'Neal 1st Miami Heat Press Conference

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He makes a joke that his father and Wilt Chamberlaine (NBA legend) are in heaven, and that if he knows his father he'll be trying to convince Wilt that "His son is the most dominant big man to ever play the game". Once again the word dominant is used, this time during a more heartfelt moment showing just what a big aspect of Shaq's persona dominance is. (2016)

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Shaquille O’Neal’s Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech

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The clip is called "Kobe on Playing With Shaq, Why They Don’t Hang Out" and the interviewer even states that the media is focusing on the Kobe/Shaq reletaionship so any possible animosity is useful for entertainment, yet Kobe only has nice things to say about him calling him his "big brother" (2002)

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Kobe on Playing With Shaq, Why They Don’t Hang Out

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Pre-game report on Shaq/Kobe relationship status

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Pre-game report on Shaq/Kobe relationship status

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States that both stars communicate through reporters, Kobe makes a dig at Shaqs injury while stating that he will sit out due to his own. (2005)

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Kobe Bryant lashed out again at teammate Shaquille O'Neal and said he probably will miss the Los Angeles Lakers' opener tonight against Dallas.

"My knee is not strong enough to play yet. I know it. When it is, I will play," Bryant told ESPN by phone Monday. "I probably won't play (tonight) or until I'm ready."

Bryant, coming back from offseason knee surgery, and O'Neal traded barbs through reporters over the weekend. Neither spoke with reporters after Monday's practice, although Bryant did a telephone interview with ESPN.

The Lakers guard said he didn't need his center's advice on how to play hurt.

"I've played with IVs before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip and a knee the size of a softball," Bryant said.

"I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place."

O'Neal was hampered by an arthritic right big toe in the 2001-02 season and had surgery Sept. 11, 2002. He missed the first 12 games of last season _ nine of them losses.

Bryant had knee surgeryJuly 1 in Colorado.

He faces trial on a charge of sexual assault that allegedly occurred the night before his operation. He has acknowledged having sex with a 19-year-old resort worker, but he claimed it was consensual.

The latest in a series of feuds flared up over the weekend when O'Neal said Bryant needs to be more of a team player based on Bryant's play in two preseason games. Bryant responded by saying he didn't need O'Neal's advice.

Bryant has said he intends to opt out of his contract after this season, which would allow him to become a free agent. O'Neal said that's fine with him since it's his team, anyway.

"It doesn't matter whose team it is. But this is his team, so it's time for him to act like it," Bryant told ESPN. "That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape, when your team is relying on your leadership.

"It also means no more blaming others for our team's failure, or blaming staff members for not overdramatizing your injuries so that you avoid blame for your lack of conditioning. Also, my team doesn't mean only when we win, it means carrying the burden of defeat just as gracefully as you carry a championship trophy."

O'Neal and Bryant led the Lakers to three straight championships, but they were eliminated by San Antonio in the Western semifinals in May.

Coach Phil Jackson and first-year Lakers Karl Malone and Gary Payton spoke at length after Monday's practice. There was no mention of the possibility that Bryant wouldn't play in the opener. Malone and Payton spoke to the team at practice, and each said Bryant and O'Neal were getting along fine.

Bryant questioned O'Neal's leadership on ESPN: "Leaders don't beg for a contract extension and negotiate some $30-million-plus per year deal in the media when we have two future Hall of Famers playing here pretty much for free."

Bryant says if he leaves the Lakers when his contract is up, "a major reason for that will be Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy." He added that O'Neal has not been supportive during his legal situation.

"He is not my quote unquote "big brother,' " Bryant said. "A big brother would have called to lend his support this summer. I heard absolutely nothing from him. I spoke to Devon (George), Rick (Fox), Mitch (Kupchak), Phil, and our owner Jerry Buss. And Shaq's own uncle Jerome called and left three messages. Opponents called like (Chris) Webber, (Mike) Bibby and many others. Michael Jordan, who didn't have my home phone, tracked it down to lend his support. So did Tiger Woods. But yet from my so-called big brother, I heard nothing."

_ Information from ESPN.com was used in the report.

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Kobe Bryant lashed out again at teammate Shaquille O'Neal and said he probably will miss the Los Angeles Lakers' opener tonight against Dallas. "My knee is not strong enough to play yet. I know it. When it is, I will play," Bryant told ESPN by phone Monday.

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Kobe mentions Shaq after winning his 5th title in 2010

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Kobe mentions Shaq after winning his 5th title in 2010

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When asked what this championship meant to him, Kobe replied "got one more than Shaq" showing that their competitive feud was still strong and a key aspect of their public personas. (2010)

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[HD] Kobe Bryant : I just got one more than Shaq

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Shaq participate in an anti-gay bullying campaign

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Shaq participate in an anti-gay bullying campaign

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He shows his support for the LGBT community and demonstrates an active awareness of current issues. (2011)

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NBA LEGEND SHAQUILLE O'NEAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ANTI-GAY BULLYING IN NEW PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

New York, NY, October 18, 2011 - The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, today unveiled a new public service announcement (PSA) featuring NBA Legend Shaquille O'Neal speaking out against anti-LGBT bullying. The PSA, produced in partnership with the NBA and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), is part of GLAAD's new 'Amplify Your Voice!' PSA series, a campaign that encourages viewers to help put a stop to bullying in America's schools. "Millions of gay and transgender youth are made to feel like they don't fit in every day," says O'Neal in the new spots, set to air nationally. "No matter who you are, you have the power to make a difference." The PSA concludes with Shaq directing viewers to GLAAD's website, where anti-bullying resource kits are offered for students, parents and teachers. The PSA is viewable here: glaad.org/amplifyyourvoice. Media interested in posting the videos can find instructions here. Comcast will serve as a leading media partner for the PSA campaign, contributing $3 million in national airtime and bringing this important message to more than 20 million homes over the next year. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is also sharing the PSA with members. "The NBA and Shaquille O'Neal are changing the landscape of sports by reminding players and fans that homophobia and anti-gay bullying are unacceptable - whether on the court, or in the classroom," said Mike Thompson, Acting President of GLAAD. Other celebrity talent that have participated in the campaign include 'Jersey Shore's' Vinny, Russell Simmons, Rev. Al Sharpton, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Kristin Chenoweth, Chaz Bono, Naya Rivera, Mario Lopez, Ariel Winter, the cast of ABC Family's 'Pretty Little Liars' and more. Young people from the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center's Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Program are also featured in the campaign. In addition to the PSA series, GLAAD is helping millions of Americans 'go purple' in support of LGBT youth for Spirit Day on October 20. Conan O'Brien, hosts from CNN, CNN, E!, MSNBC, CNBC the Dr. Drew Show, and The Talk are among the celebrities who will be wearing purple on-air; and for only the second time in the network's 30 year history, MTV will change the color of its on-air logo in honor of Spirit Day. For a list of other celebrity participants, media outlets, TV networks, organizations and corporations participating in Spirit Day, visit www.glaad.org/spiritday. Additional PSAs featuring talent from the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) will be released in the coming weeks. Stars of the WWE are also taking a stand against bullying by wearing purple on Spirit Day.

Pictured above: Sen. Raphael Warnock (left) and Herschel Walker (right)

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NBA LEGEND SHAQUILLE O'NEAL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ANTI-GAY BULLYING IN NEW PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

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New York, NY, October 18, 2011 - The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, today unveiled a new public service announcement (PSA) featuring NBA Legend Shaquille O'Neal speaking out against anti-LGBT bullying.

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Quick joke about both his personality and size, hints at a "gentle-giant" type (2018)

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Another article referencing Shaq and his freethrows (2005)

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Article on podcast appearnance where Shaq apologised to Alonzo Mourning to squash their beef

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Article on podcast appearnance where Shaq apologised to Alonzo Mourning to squash their beef

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(2022)

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The bad blood between Shaquille O'Neal and fellow former Miami Heat teammate Alonzo Mourning apparently came to a peaceful and amicable end after many years of animosity towards one another in 2005, according to O'Neal.

During a recent episode of O'Neal's "The Big Podcast with Shaq," he and his co-hosts discussed Patrick Beverley, a recent addition to The Lakers who has also had some public spats with fellow player Russell Westbrook. O'Neal stated that he thinks the two young players will either find a way to settle their differences, if anything out of professional obligation.

In order to drive home the point, O'Neal mentioned the story regarding how he was able to make peace with Mourning after they were forced to work together when playing for the Miami Heat in 2005.

"I had beef with Alonzo Mourning," said O'Neal. "And then when he came to the Miami Heat, I had to sit him down and apologize. I said 'You know what, Alonzo, I was a hypocrite. I never knew you was this great.' Alonzo Mourning is a great dude. Once he got in that locker room, I was like, 'Man, this dude is just really, really could. We should've did this a couple years ago."

O'Neal and Mourning used their talents to take the Heat to win their first ever championship the following year.

The two players were the first and second draft picks in 1992, with O'Neal going to play for the Orlando Magic while Mourning played with the Charlotte Hornets. It wouldn't be until many years later that they'd become teammates, and also carve out spots in the Hall of Fame thanks to their ability to work with each other to help make Heat history.

While this story may have had a happy ending, O'Neal's trash talk and sense of humor has been known to push the envelope and get him into hot water in the past.

In 2003, O'Neal made a racially tinted joke aimed at then-rookie for the Houston Rockets, Yao Ming, telling a reporter for AsianWeek, "Tell Yao Ming, 'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.'" O'Neal later issued an apology, stating his joke was not intended to seen as malicious or disrespectful.

This year, tennis superstar Venus Williams came out about a time years back where O'Neal had said during a radio interview that he had a sexual relationship with her. O'Neal claimed it was a crude attempt at humor, but Williams was not accepting that as an apology.

"I categorically and unequivocally deny that I have ever had a sexual relationship with Shaquille O'Neal. I don't even know him. I've only met Shaquille once a few years ago, when attending an L.A. Lakers game," Williams said. "If Shaquille made the statement as a joke, it was in very bad taste, and I am definitely offended. I think that he should use better judgement in the future, particularly where one's reputation is concerned."

What do you think? Has O'Neal become wiser at his older age?
NEXT: US State Department: Dennis Rodman Does Not Represent The U.S. Government In Negotiations To Free Brittney Griner

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Shaquille O'Neal Discusses How He Ended His Feud With Alonzo Mourning After Giving An Apology: "I Was A Hypocrite"

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The bad blood between Shaquille O'Neal and fellow former Miami Heat teammate Alonzo Mourning apparently came to a peaceful and amicable end after many years of animosity towards one another in 2005, according to O'Neal.

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Makes him look humble (2021)

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Shaq: "I owe you an apology. I wasn't really familiar with your game."

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Shows how he built most of his wealth. Builds his image as being talented (2022).

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Shaquille O'Neal has made a name for himself in the sports, entertainment and investment worlds. On his 50th birthday, we review his storied rise.

At February's NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, Shaquille O'Neal took center court at the NBA 75 ceremony, shimmying his shoulders in shaded glasses. The big man was recognized as one of basketball's best to ever do it, and his sense of showmanship is signature to the master marketer now reportedly worth over $400 million.

Today, Shaq turns 50.

And he is as relevant as ever. His staying power over a decade removed from his Hall of Fame playing career is a marvel, but it isn't an accident. Shaq was playing the long game all along.

Tiger Beat

1989: Named Texas Mr. Basketball

1991: Led NCAA in Rebounding

1991: Named AP Player of the Year

In 1989, Shaquille O'Neal made his first big investment at the tender age of 18.

He enrolled at Louisiana State University, effectively banking on himself.

Using his basketball scholarship as a bridge, O'Neal studied business. In only three years at LSU, Shaq built both his game and his brand - attracting national attention to both.

Battling Stanley Rodgers in practice while making the most of his marketing courses, the 7-foot center who once dreamt of dancing on Fame suddenly saw a world where selling Shaq meant more than just blocking shots and grabbing boards.

Shaq was inspired by Michael Jordan's entrepreneurial efforts, and he leveraged his singular ability at the rim to put some funk on his dunk and own it just the same. In the midst of his undergrad, O'Neal started stuffing the ball like the former Syracuse standout Rony Seikaly while creating his own emblem like Mike.

"When I saw Michael Jordan dunk, his legs spread, and that became a logo," O'Neal told Nick DePaula in 2013. "My dunk is with my knees up. I was in college when Michael really got huge, and we were in class learning about trademarks. Right afterward, I went down to the Baton Rouge office, and I trademarked my dunk."

As only an amateur athlete, Shaquille O'Neal had his eyes on the bigger business prize.

His second investment, that of a logo, would pay off just as nicely.

"It cost me like $60 dollars," O'Neal continued with DePaula. "I said, 'If Jordan is doing this and has his logo, this is my dunk with the knees up.' When I turned pro, I did it big time, did it right, and got all the correct trademarks. Good thing I learned that in college."

After a matter of months at LSU, Shaq soared as the nation's leader in blocks and boards. After declaring for the 1992 NBA Draft, Shaq's brand would soon soar not just to the NBA but Blockbuster and Billboard.

Because for Shaq, going pro always entailed more than sports.

The Big Marketing Machine

1992: Inks historic 7-year, $40 million rookie deal after Orlando Magic draft Shaq No. 1 overall

1992: Signs $15 million endorsement deal with Reebok

1993: Releases debut album on Jive as part of $10 million record deal

1996: Banks $7 million starring in Kazaam

Coming out as a junior in a 1992 draft class led by the likes of Alonzo Mourning and Christian Laettner, Shaquille O'Neal outshined all by going No. 1 overall to the Orlando Magic. Going to work in Walt Disney's backyard, O'Neal quickly proved the star of stars in his rookie debut.

On the court, Shaq won Rookie of the Year honors and was voted an All-Star starter. The last player to do so before Shaq? Michael Jordan.

Off the court, O'Neal brought in the big bucks as an endorser.

Early on, Reebok and Pepsi paid Shaq handsomely for his personality and pitchman skills. It was often reported that Shaq didn't spend a dollar of his NBA paychecks for much of his career thanks to all his other earning endeavors.

While MJ paved a path for athletes to become endorsers, Shaq took things to new heights as an entertainer.

During his early days in Orlando, O'Neal released rap albums on Jive. His 1993 Shaq Diesel debut went Platinum, and '95's Shaq-Fu: Da Return is Gold-certified. Additionally, he supplied Michael Jackson - music's MJ - with a verse, while recording songs with the likes of Redman and the RZA.

OTDIH (93) Shaq released the most successful rap album by an athlete ever: Shaq Diesel. Platinum, 1 Gold single & 2 Billboard Hot 100 songs pic.twitter.com/KjuIoufOB0
- Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 27, 2017

Shaq's appeal expanded from the booth to the big screen. He famously (or infamously) starred in films such as Blue Chips (1994) and Kazaam (1996).

Despite a 5% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, Kazaam netted nearly $19 million worldwide. Blue Chips scored slightly higher on Rotten Tomatoes, yet still not great, and raked in $23 million worldwide. (Both figures c/o IMDb Box Office Mojo.)

Just the same, Shaq was a mainstay in the world of video games, appearing in NBA Jam and even headlining his own martial arts franchise titled Shaq-Fu.

Over the course of his four-season tenure in Orlando, the stage was set for a Hollywood relocation.

After leading the Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals and making the NBA All-Star Game in each of his first four seasons, a fan poll from local papers and the wooing of Jerry West led O'Neal to the bright lights of Los Angeles. In the midst of a gold-medal run with Team USA in Atlanta, Shaq made waves by abandoning his massive Magic contract.

Eyes on the prize, he signed an even bigger deal with the Lakers.

Years removed from LSU, Shaq's return to rocking purple and gold provided even more lessons in business - and a bigger leading role.

Getting Centered

1996: Signs 7-year, $121 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers

1999: Invests in Google via Series A funding

1999-02: Builds basketball equity by winning 3 NBA titles & 1 MVP in L.A.

2000: Graduates from LSU

With platinum rap albums, box office offers, and a major market at his feet, Shaq was set to seize Los Angeles as the world's biggest entertainer - both literally and figuratively.

However, the superhero movie and Shaq's third album You Can't Stop The Reign all underperformed.

While Shaq was still putting up major numbers in his new home, he was finding himself at home early in each of his first three postseasons in LaLa Land.

Because of this, the Lakers brought in a new director: Phil Jackson.

The Zen Master behind Michael Jordan's iconic Chicago three-peat was no stranger to corralling egos and finding focus. Despite MJ's star power and appeal in an array of arenas, Jackson found it fit for Shaq to focus firmly on hoops and leave the side gigs aside.

No movies. No albums. No video games.

Suddenly, the man with more nicknames than Sean Combs was as unstoppable as ever on the court.

The Lakers won three-straight NBA titles in 2000, '01, and '02. Shaq won NBA Finals MVP each of those three times, and he also claimed NBA MVP in 2000.

Shaq took a chance by leaving Reebok to join Dunk.net, an athlete-backed internet start-up intended to be the Amazon of athletics. Much like Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky's MVP.com, Shaq's Web 1.0 venture flopped. However, he learned all the while.

Despite Phil's direction to focus on hoops, Shaq still flirted with off-court fame.

Amidst the three-peat, Shaq indulged his mass appeal by appearing in music videos for Diddy and Aaron Carter. (Carter's song was even titled "That's How I Beat Shaq.") On the silver screen, he made guest appearances as himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm and My Wife and Kids. Mature or family-friendly, audiences loved Shaq.

O'Neal also eyed a return to music.

Unbeknownst to most, the release of Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1 was set to have a Sept. 11, 2001, drop date battle with Jay-Z's The Blueprint and Fabolous' debut, Ghetto Fabolous.

Despite Dr. Dre 's production and features from Ludacris, Black Thought, and Nicole Scherzinger, the compilation project was shelved.

After three-straight titles in LA, internal friction building between the superstars led to eventual losses and the departure of Shaquille O'Neal. The brand built by Shaq in Orlando and Los Angeles was suddenly on the move, meaning less continuity on the court but more opportunities for exploration off of it.

Traveling Salesman

2004: Partners with Payless Shoes

2005: Makes $27 million in first season with Miami Heat, signs a five-year $101 million extension that summer

2005: Earns MBA online at University of Phoenix

2006: Goes global by way of Li-Ning deal

2011: Signs multi-year TV deal with Turner Sports

The remainder of O'Neal's on-court career would see highs - capturing his fourth title, this time in Miami - and lows. By the end, with his seventh franchise, he was coming off the bench in Boston for the 2010-11 season.

Shaq still served as an All-Star fan-favorite, pitching products for Icy Hot and turning on his charm at every opportunity.

Making moves in the worlds of pro wrestling and reality television introduced O'Neal to audiences removed from hoops. The new platforms played to his personality and sense of humor that had long been his selling point.

In that era, O'Neal also re-found his footing in footwear. He brought his Dunkman brand to pricepoint retailers in the United States by way of a 2004 partnership with Payless Shoes. Shortly after, in 2006 - the year Shaq won his fourth and final NBA title alongside Dwyane Wade with the Heat- he signed an endorsement deal with Chinese brand Li-Ning. This move forecasted the future of footwear deals in Asia for NBA athletes, once again opening up O'Neal to a market of over a billion buyers.

Once retiring from the NBA in 2011, Shaq quickly pivoted to TNT where he still works on-air today. By appearing on television twice a week as a personality, his voice as an endorser for products and services such as Papa John's and The General rings louder.

As the face of many projects in front of the camera, Shaq has greater leverage to move the needle as an investor and board member behind the scenes.

Big Man, Bigger Bank

2011: Retires with over $290 million in NBA career earnings

2018: Amazon buys O'Neal-invested company Ring for over $1 billion

Joins board of Papa John's, receives $4.1 million for three-year deal

2021: Becomes second-largest individual shareholder at Authentic Brand Groups, a company valued at $9.5 billion

Dominating his day job as a hooper set Shaq up for financial success, but leveraging his talents and diversifying his investments took him from rich to wealthy.

All the entertainment exposure in the '90s and '00s has made Shaq a palatable pitchman for families buying pizza for dinner or adults suffering from joint pain. Shaq's storytelling ability adds authenticity to his endorsements, many of which he's spun into equity.

Like any good entrepreneur, Shaq's prowess as an investor and businessman was built off years of experience and willingness to take risks. Undeterred, his history of deals includes moves that were either unpopular or unsuccessful. Sure, 1999's Dunk.net was a flop. However, investing in a search engine called Google proved a pretty good gamble.

O'Neal's ability to be curious and malleable has allowed the rapper that exchanged bars with Biggie to now reside as a club DJ that rocks festivals.

The Laker legend who once sneered in Sacramento eventually owned a stake in the Kings from 2013 until January. It should be noted that the only reason Shaq walked away from the Kings is that he became the "ShaqPot" face of WynnBet ad campaigns.

Despite his enormous size, Shaq is as flexible as they come when it comes to making money. He's savvy enough to reach the middle-American market through food franchises and viral videos, and he's curious enough to put money into tech platforms like Lyft and Ring.

Since trademarking the Dunkman logo back in college and signing with Reebok as a rookie, the prospect once touted for his body is now profiting off his mind.

As an investor in Authentic Brand Groups, O'Neal is reeling in royalties from all angles.

"Who owns Marylin Monroe?" Shaq asked on the Earn Your Leisure podcast. "Who owns Elvis Pressley? Who owns Forever 21? Who owns JCPenney? Me. My real business is I own 50 brands."

At ABG, Shaq can make money off the sale of an Elvis Pressley souvenir the same way Michael Jackson made money off The Beatles' catalog. If a t-shirt with the image of Marilyn Monroe sells at JCPenney, Shaq makes money twice.

"When I was retiring, I was looking around asking how Michael Jackson lives forever," O'Neal continued on EYLP. "Joint ventures. So I called the three companies that help people live forever, and they bought my brand for a lot of money. I took half that money, put it back in the company, and now I'm the No. 2 guy in the company."

In 2022, Shaq's seat at ABG proves even more powerful as the group just brought the brand that paid Shaq all the way back in 1992: Reebok.

Because of Shaq's own likeness and leverage, he's a favorite among ABG brass. Naturally, his big network and big personality possess the power to move mountains with one quick dial.

"Everyone takes his call," ABG President and CMO Nick Woodhouse told Complex. "Everyone stops talking when he talks, and everyone listens. Having Shaq on your squad is unbelievable from the door opening, from the press, from publicity. He's a great businessman. He has a lot of tremendous ideas and connections."

From FaceTiming corporate colleagues to personally delivering pizzas, Shaq is a force of nature in the front office just like he was in the frontcourt.

At 50 years of age, he's as accomplished as much as any athlete can when crossing over from basketball to business.

Only one question remains: When it's all said and done, which arena will Shaq have dominated the most?

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Shaquille O'Neal has made a name for himself in the sports, entertainment and investment worlds. On his 50th birthday, we review his storied rise. At February's NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland, Shaquille O'Neal took center court at the NBA 75 ceremony, shimmying his shoulders in shaded glasses.

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Dwight Howard responds to criticism from Shaq

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Dwight Howard responds to criticism from Shaq

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Paints Shaq in an immature light (2022)

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Basketball Network - Your daily dose of basketball

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Ever since Dwight Howard won his first NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, there has been a lot of criticism pointed his way from none other than Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq is known to be someone who often speaks whatever is on his mind without any filter, and it seems he still holds a grudge toward Howard. After his criticism towards Howard, it caused many NBA fans to call out Shaq for his negativity, after which he doubled down on his statements and made the situation even worse.

Howard had the opportunity to respond to Shaq's comments in a recent interview with Etan Thomas, in which he had nothing negative to say about Shaq. Howard was unbelievably mature about the whole situation and said he wasn't raised in a way to discredit someone in front of millions of viewers. He thinks there is no point in them continuing this argument because of their families and kids involved in this process.

I was happy because he was a big men, he was killing everybody, and I still think he is probably the most dominant player to ever play the game. If I had anything negative to say about him, I will never say it in the public eye for people to hear it, and I don't think it's necessary. He has family, he has kids, people who love him, and I wasn't brought up that way. I respect him for all the work he has done. I wish we could play each other again so I could end this beef. I have a lot of love for him and the things he has done for the sport, and the way to beat him is to continue to play at a high level and not allow anything that is negative to seep in and stay focused.

Dwight Howard, via BasketballNews

Unlike Shaq, who sounds like a bitter old man, Howard showed incredible maturity in this situation and didn't want to discredit Shaq in any way, shape, or form. He politely said he still has a lot of respect he has for Shaq, and even to this day considers him one of the most dominant players in NBA history, which is entirely the opposite reaction to Shaq's, which was extremely negative. Hopefully, these two can bury their hatchets because they are both great big men in their regard.

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Dwight responds to Shaq's criticism and shows greater maturity and positivity than expected

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Ever since Dwight Howard won his first NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, there has been a lot of criticism pointed his way from none other than Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq is known to be someone who often speaks whatever is on his mind without any filter, and it seems he still holds a grudge toward Howard.

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Holds immature men in relationships accoutable (2022)

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Shaquille O’Neal, Who Has Dated Multiple Women Much Younger than Him, Gets Honest about “Immature” Men in Relationships

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Shaquille O’Neal addressed the issue of age gap in relationships and revealed the real real why men and women don’t date people their age.

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States "has become such a major pop culture personality, that it is likely many people forget how he became famous in the first place. For O’Neal, a veritable giant of a man, reinvention has become an important part of his career, and it is his likability and versatility that has allowed him to endure for decades." (2012)

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Shaquille O'Neal, popularly known as Shaq, has become such a major pop culture personality, that it is likely many people forget how he became famous in the first place. For O'Neal, a veritable giant of a man, reinvention has become an important part of his career, and it is his likability and versatility that has allowed him to endure for decades.

Although O'Neal is a very wealthy man, he has a set of principles that are ingrained deeply into his being. In a recent interview, the basketball legend opened up about why he doesn't believe in giving his children money.

Shaquille O'Neal is a former basketball pro and pop culture icon

Shaquille O'Neal | Rich Fury/Getty Images

Shaq rose to fame in the early '90s as a basketball center with the Orlando Magic. Over the course of his legendary 19-year career in the NBA, he won a multitude of awards, including being named a four-time NBA Champion. O'Neal is widely considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and when he retired in 2011, many experts mourned the ending of an era.

However, O'Neal has remained a vital presence in pop culture since officially retiring from basketball, appearing in a multitude of commercials, TV shows, ads, and endorsements. He has dabbled in music, movies, and fashion, backing a variety of business deals - and proving his innate likability and charm with every new venture and project.

What is Shaquille O'Neal's net worth?

O'Neal was fabulously wealthy when he retired from basketball, and over the years, his net worth has only increased, thanks to his business dealings. Celebrity Net Worth reports O'Neal's net worth in 2021 as being around $400 million. He reportedly earns a salary of around $60 million yearly, thanks to his endorsement deals.

How many children does Shaquille O'Neal have?

O'Neal needs to make a substantial income in order to support his large family. The basketball legend has six children, including one stepchild, and according to Popsugar, most of Shaq's children share his affinity for basketball. O'Neal's children include Taahirah O'Neal, who was born in 1996; stepson Myles Baptiste O'Neal, born in 1997; Shareef Rashaun O'Neal, born in 2000; Amirah Sanaa O'Neal, born in 2001; Shaqir Rashaun O'Neal, born in 2003; and Me'arah Sanaa O'Neal, who is O'Neal's youngest daughter, born in 2006.

While Shaq is, by all accounts, a devoted father, he does have some strict rules for his children, that he outlined in a recent interview.

What did Shaquille O'Neal say about giving money to his children?

You heard the people! My new animated film, HeadNoise is out on the film festival circuit doing its thing right now. Follow @Headnoisemovie to get more updates on how you can watch it and where the next screening could be! pic.twitter.com/bFBEJiAFIG
- SHAQ.SOL (@SHAQ) October 1, 2021

In a recent interview on the finance podcast "Earn Your Leisure," Shaq opened up about why he doesn't believe in just giving his children money. As reported by Insider, O'Neal said "My kids are older now. They're kinda upset with me. Not really upset, but they don't understand. I tell them all the time. We ain't rich. I'm rich."

O'Neal went on to detail how he wants his children to make their own way in the world, stating "you gotta have bachelor's or master's [degrees], and then if you want me to invest in one of your companies, you're going to have to present it, boom boom boom, bring it to me. I'll let you know, I'm not giving you nothing."

O'Neal noted that he doesn't have a preference for what his children decide to do in life, but said that he prioritizes education above all. At the end of the day, O'Neal said, "I tell them I'm not going to hand it to you. You gotta earn it." Clearly, O'Neal's tough love philosophy has taken him far in life, and it's likely that his children will inherit his tireless work ethic.
RELATED: How Shaquille O'Neal Spent His Whole L.A. Lakers Paycheck In Two Days

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Shaquille O'Neal Is a Tough Love Parent - 'We Aint Rich, I'm Rich'

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Shaquille O'Neal, popularly known as Shaq, has become such a major pop culture personality, that it is likely many people forget how he became famous in the first place. For O'Neal, a veritable giant of a man, reinvention has become an important part of his career, and it is his likability and versatility that has allowed him to endure for decades.

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Shaqs twitter mentioned on a list of Celebrity Twitter

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Shaqs twitter mentioned on a list of Celebrity Twitter

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"Microblogging was a form engineered for Shaq, the gentle giant and goofball philosopher who once compared his game to the Pythagorean theorem because "no one has an answer." (2009)

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Im n san fran, on my way to alcatraz, i mite stay6:08 PM Feb. 3 Never celebrate until the task is complete, almost aint good enuff
7:43 PM Feb. 1 The obama speech, wow, was dat memorized,...

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Article praising Shaqs status as a celebrity

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Article praising Shaqs status as a celebrity

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"He jams, he raps, he sells—what can't this superstar do?" (1992)

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B oom! Boom! Boom! Whoooomp! Whoomp ta da whoomp! Boom! Boom!

Try to imagine a jackhammer just behind your left ear drilling into a slab of hot, greasy asphalt. The noise is so loud you can feel the air, thick with sandy particles of sound, blowing over you like jet-engine exhaust.
BOOM! BOOM! WHOOMP POW BOOOM!
It's the bass line from Dr. Dre's nasty anthem "Bitches Ain't Shit," blasting through a deck of 12 industrial-strength speakers in the back end of Shaquille O'Neals new toy, a customized Suburban (license plate: "Shaq-fu"). Shaquille is at the wheel of the burgundy Chevy, running a red light on a two-lane road a few miles from his house in a gated residential area just outside Orlando, Fla.

Whoomp! Here he is! Known to all simply as Shaq, the crown prince of the NBA is picking up speed as he heads toward the freeway.

"We're boomin'!" Shaq exclaims. He's also chatting with his girlfriend on his car phone, so accustomed to the din that he can sweet-talk her without turning the sound down a notch. After he hangs up, he turns his 7-foot-one-inch, 305-pound frame in my direction and offers a huge grin: "Whaddya think?" I tell him I can feel something melting in my inner ear.

One of Shaq's favorite pastimes, boomin' involves driving around Orlando considerably faster than the speed limit while blasting a selection of Shaq rap faves, everything from Da Lench Mob and Terminator X to A Tribe Called Quest.

It's 3 p.m. on the day of Michael Jordan's retirement, two days before training camp opens for Shaq's team, the Orlando Magic, a lowly NBA expansion team until their prince arrived. So far, Shaq has put in a typical celebrity workday. It started with an 8 a.m. appearance on CBS This Morning, done at the local CBS affiliate, followed by a visit to another local station, where he chatted via satellite with a dozen local-TV reporters around the country. Then he rushed off to a book signing at a mall, followed by even more TV interviews - then a photo session.

At the mall, Shaq dutifully autographed 300 copies of Shaq Attaq!, which celebrates his rookie year in the NBA. By the time he left, he had gone through nine pens and collected a stack of business cards and brochures from people offering to tint his windows or landscape his back yard.

Here's what else happened today: An Orlando Sentinel sports columnist complained that, so far, Shaq has "simply enjoyed being Shaq the celebrity." USA Today's NBA preview grumbled that the Magic star "did so much traveling this summer, he never had a chance to work on his game." And just hours after the book signing, a caller on a local talk-radio show called Shaq a jerk for not signing a few hundred more books (although, in fact, it was the bookstore, not Shaq, that set the cutoff point).

Thus the necessity of boomin'. "When I'm stressed out, I get into my truck and pump up the volume," Shaq says. "I get the boom going -1,900 watts - and I go riding around, just thinking, wondering what I want to do.

"When I get into a good beat," he adds, "I get a smile, and then I get to laughing, and once I'm laughing, I'm OK. Rap and R&B are what saves me. It's always been my stress reliever."

With Jordan stepping out of the spotlight, there's plenty of pressure in Shaq's immediate future. Only 21, he has emerged as the NBA's Grand Slammer, the Air Apparent, the league's most heralded newcomer in more than a decade. Perhaps someday he'll develop a crunch-time shot, like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's sky hook or Wilt Chamberlain's fall-away jumper. But for now, Shaq is most famous for his volcanic, backboard-shattering dunk. During the last season it was hard to go a week without seeing a highlight clip of Shaq slamming the ball through the hoop, punctuated with a ferocious ninja cry.

For knowledgeable fans, the dunk is a one-dimensional weapon, little more impressive than a good no-look pass. But for rambunctious young fans - the ones who pay $130 for sneakers - the Dunk, with its shuddering violence and sudden fury, is exactly the sort of display that makes instant phenoms.

It wasn't until his senior year in high school that Shaq mastered the dunk. That's when things started to happen. "It changed the way people played me," he recalls with delight. "They started holding me and kicking me and triple-teaming me. They'd do anything so I wouldn't dunk on 'em. It was so embarrassing for them."

In his last two seasons of high-school ball, his team went 68-1. At Louisiana State University, he was hacked and attacked every game, yet he still found ways to be up among the nation's leaders in rebounds and blocked shots. After his junior year, at 20, with nothing left to prove, he turned pro, signing a seven-year, $40 million contract with the Magic The day after the Magic picked O'Neal in the draft, when fans called the team's offices, the phone system was playing the B-52v "Love Shack." The pre-Shaq Orlando Magic had been a woeful 21-61; with Shaq, they went 41-41, narrowly missing the playoffs.

"Shaq gave us a presence, a sense of self-confidence," says Magic general manager Pat Williams. "We used to think, 'Maybe we can be respectable.' We'd worry about the other teams. But now they have to worry about us."

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Shaquille O'Neal: A Celebrity for the New World

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B oom! Boom! Boom! Whoooomp! Whoomp ta da whoomp! Boom! Boom! Try to imagine a jackhammer just behind your left ear drilling into a slab of hot, greasy asphalt. The noise is so loud you can feel the air, thick with sandy particles of sound, blowing over you like jet-engine exhaust.

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People giving reasons as to why they think Shaq is popular (2019)

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Answer (1 of 5): He’s a genuinely nice guy! He isn’t pretentious, what you see is what you get! I had the pleasure of working with him on a TV sitcom and he was a natural! He blended right in with the cast and crew, knew his lines and performed like the pro he is. He talked to everyone on set and...

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Star Persona Tilts Towards The Intellectual - 2020s

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Star Persona Tilts Towards The Intellectual - 2020s

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Elements of the comedic persona still persist but there's much attention given to Shaqs buisness skills and other achievements outside of the media and proffsonal sport.

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Conclusion of the public beef with Kobe Bryant

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Both from his own broadcast career and appearances in other media. Comedic persona develops into one of his main images.

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Kobe and Shaq Start playing together on the Lakers in 1996. The public feud with Kobe Bryant starts during the peak of his athletic career in 1998. Multiple more public feuds would form too.

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Is primarily an image of physical dominance with a comedic persona developing. Shaq plays the gentle giant. Shaq also breaks out into other forms of more traditional media

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Calls into question his legacy, mainly due to his inability to play a full 82 games, and questions his "dominance" (2011)

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The big NBA news this week along with the NBA Finals, now 2-1 for Miami, was the retirement of Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal's announcement, which was greeted with the usual encomiums, set off discussion of O'Neal's place in basketball history.

My aside here, by the way, is he's nowhere close to being the 'Most Dominant,' which was self-proclaimed. They were Wilt Chamberlain and George Mikan, the only two players who caused the league to change the dimensions on court because they could not be controlled otherwise.

It's been a season of hyperbole as befits this era with every good game by Dirk Nowitzki having him in the company of Larry Bird, and similarly with LeBron James with other all-time greats like Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.

It did get me thinking about the top players of this era and where they fit in the NBA pantheon. The NBA announced its top 50 players on its 50th anniversary in 1997, and they're not about to adjust that list. The next time we'll see a top list will be in 2022 when the league picks its top 75 players.

What if you went back and wanted to make it a top 50 list now? Who is added and who comes off? That, obviously, would be too painful to exclude deserving players from the 50th anniversary team.

So first, let's take a look at that original top 50, which was done in alphabetical order. It's the media generally naming the top 10.
The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History:
Kareem Abdul-JabbarNate ArchibaldPaul ArizinCharles BarkleyRick BarryElgin BaylorDave BingLarry BirdWilt ChamberlainBob CousyDave CowensBilly CunninghamDave DeBusschereClyde DrexlerJulius ErvingPatrick EwingWalt FrazierGeorge GervinHal GreerJohn HavlicekElvin HayesMagic JohnsonSam JonesMichael JordanJerry LucasKarl MaloneMoses MalonePete MaravichKevin McHaleGeorge MikanEarl MonroeHakeem OlajuwonShaquille O'NealRobert ParishBob PettitScottie PippenWillis ReedOscar RobertsonDavid RobinsonBill RussellDolph SchayesBill SharmanJohn StocktonIsiah ThomasNate ThurmondWes UnseldBill WaltonJerry WestLenny WilkensJames Worthy

Who gets added? Not in any particular order, I'd say:

Kobe BryantDirk NowitzkiKevin GarnettDwyane WadeLeBron JamesPaul PierceAllen IversonSteve NashDwight HowardTim DuncanJason Kidd

If you are looking at the Top 50, the last guys in likely were Sam Jones, Wes Unseld, Nate Thurmond, Scottie Pippen, Robert Parish, Hal Greer, Clyde Drexler, Bill Walton, Dave Cowens, Dave Bing, Nate Archibald and Paul Arizin.

And who are the guys in this era who don't make the Top 50 cut?

Gary PaytonGrant HillChris WebberAlonzo MourningRay AllenReggie MillerVince CarterTracy McGradyAmar'e StoudemireCarmelo AnthonyChris PaulManu Ginobili

Back when the NBA announced its top 50 team, Shaq was the only relatively new player with potential, as opposed to achievements, who made the list. So are there that many players since then deserving of that top 50 status? And I'm not even mentioning the likes of Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant. It's going to be a tough vote come 2022. Start making your lists.

Looking back at Shaq's legacy

-- A word-or more-about Shaq. Even he admitted at his laugh filled farewell (from playing) press conference that he could have been more than he was. So do we punish someone, at least regarding legacy, because they weren't as good as we felt they could have been or should have been? Perhaps Shaq had it right and the crazed competitors like Jordan and Kobe and Bird and Magic didn't. Shaq enjoyed himself, devoted more energy off the court and did enough to play on four championship teams, though winning just one league MVP award. He won three in the Finals, as he generally used the regular season as a warmup for the playoffs. Never once in his career did he play all 82 games. He only played more than 75 once since leaving Orlando in 1996.

The Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel related O'Neal's ugly departure from Miami in 2008 when in an apparent attempt to get himself traded to Dallas, O'Neal appeared to have faked injury and didn't play as Miami plummeted to 15 wins two years after winning a title.

But this was nothing new for Shaq, who so alienated himself in Phoenix that Steve Nash declined to re-sign until O'Neal was traded. During the season when rumors came up of a trade to Cleveland, O'Neal began to pout and refused to even dress with teammates. In Cleveland, O'Neal often worked to separate James from the team and in the last week against the Bulls, persuaded James to begin sitting out games. O'Neal eventually feuded with all his co-stars, Penny Hardaway, Wade and Kobe Bryant, the latter effectively breaking up the three-time champion Lakers. Phil Jackson had asked O'Neal to take a subsidiary role, which could mean continued championships. O'Neal declined and was traded to Miami.

Unquestionably, O'Neal was one of the elite players of the era. But he also was a guy swept five times in playoff series, including in the 1996 conference finals against the Bulls when he failed to even show up until late for a crucial game. O'Neal was this feared physical force, yet he never led the league in rebounding. Heck, even Chris Webber did once. Shaq may have played for one of the most underachieving college teams ever, teamed with Stanley Roberts and Chris Jackson and never advancing past the round of 32. Shaq had a great career, and he was one of the elite players of the last two decades. He was a better person than most, unusually charitable and a touchable star who let fans in. Shaq was good for the game. But let's not get too carried away with what he accomplished.

Wilt Kareem Russell Mikan Hakeem Shaq Moses David Robinson Willis Reed Bill Walton

An MVP debate

-- David Stern usually has good ideas about the game, but his comments recently about awarding the MVP after the playoffs were, simply, wrongheaded. And hardly because Derrick Rose won. It's bad enough many want to dismiss the NBA regular season. Now the commissioner does as well? The regular season means a lot and in many respects is what the game is about, building a team toward the playoffs, the beauty of the journey. The Finals has an MVP. You'd have to eliminate that award because the media vote for the last best thing they saw. So the league MVP would be the Finals MVP no matter what happened in the playoffs. You wouldn't vote for a great performer whose team lost. It's ridiculous and suggests a lack of understanding of what the NBA season and the NBA is about to suggest voting the league's best player based only on playoff performance. Would anybody seriously consider the regular season in the voting? Voters support winners. It would eliminate just about everyone in the league from consideration and be basically a referendum on winning the title. I'm hoping the commissioner was just so distracted by the labor negotiations he wasn't thinking straight. Though that would be a concern as well.

NBA news and notes

-- Talk about your instability. The fired Jay Triano with 229 games was the third longest serving Toronto coach. ... Would you deal your two No. 1s if you were the Bulls for Minnesota's Jonny Flynn? I'd consider it, as most expect Flynn to be traded with the arrival of Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour a solid contributor. The Timberwolves will have numerous possibilities. ... It really is difficult to talk for almost three hours during a basketball game, though ABC's Mark Jackson apparently allowed a personal defeat to shade his analysis. Either that or he's just stupid. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. Jackson, in joining the chorus of praise for James, said James could guard all five positions and Scottie Pippen couldn't even guard Reggie Miller. Of course, Pippen shut down Jackson in the 1998 conference finals, Jackson's inept performance because of Pippen costing his team the series.

-- Dwight Howard rejected an Orlando TV station report he was signing an extension with the Magic. He continues to say he wants to stay with the Magic. Of course, Carmelo Anthony said the same thing about Denver. The Magic has no intention of trading Howard. ... Brad Miller, who maintains his home in Sacramento, showed up at a King reunion and surprised friends with news he had microfracture surgery. Miller said he hopes to return in mid-season. Forget it. He's done. ... Lakers insiders say the reason someone like Mike Brown was hired was to purge all influence Phil Jackson had, which effectively eliminated Brian Shaw as a coaching candidate. Management's actions were not unlike Jerry Krause in 1998 declaring Jackson wouldn't be back and removing most of Jackson's influence. Current GM Mitch Kupchak apparently is being marginalized to some extent. He certainly would have called Kobe Bryant to inform him, which the Buss family didn't before hiring Brown. Brown, like he did in Cleveland, immediately was expounding how he'd bring real defense to the team, like the one played in San Antonio. He should call back when his Lakers have five titles... You figure Cleveland has to get getting nervous about Kyrie Irving, the presumptive No. 1 draft pick, who has been injured and not working out. Is he that good you can make him the top pick without seeing him play as he barely did during the season? ... Congratulations to former Bulls public relations chief and NBA media vice president Brian McIntyre, who will receive the prestigious John Bunn lifetime achievement award from the basketball Hall of Fame. Johnny Kerr received the award in 2009.

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Shaq an elite player, but let's not get carried away

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The big NBA news this week along with the NBA Finals, now 2-1 for Miami, was the retirement of Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal's announcement, which was greeted with the usual encomiums, set off discussion of O'Neal's place in basketball history. My aside here, by the way, is he's nowhere close to being the 'Most Dominant,' which was self-proclaimed.

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Retrospective on Athletic Career, explosion into the media spotlight. Joins TNT as an analyst in 2011

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Athletic Career Decline - late 2000s to early 2010s

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Athletic Career Decline - late 2000s to early 2010s

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His last All-Star appearance in 2009

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Refers to Shaq as a force (2011)

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MOST ELITE ATHLETES hang on too long.

They keep fighting Father Time even though they are fully aware it is a battle they will ultimately lose.

But when they stay around, when they keep trying although everyone knows their best days have already been lapped, they become a shell of what they were, and we begin to forget how truly great they were.

I wonder if that's what happened to Shaquille O'Neal.

Yesterday, the "Big Ending" finally came as O'Neal announced his overdue retirement after 19 seasons in the NBA.

"We did it," the 39-year-old O'Neal said in a video on the new social media video messaging tool Tout. "Nineteen years baby."

I wish he would have done it 4 or 5 years ago.

I do not enjoy watching greatness fade, so Shaq's fall from the most dominating player of his era to broken-down journeyman was painful to see.

Shaq's last two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics had him playing in just 90 out of a possible 164 games.

He wasn't very good when he did manage to get on the court.

The Big Diesel's last truly productive season was 2008-09, when he averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds in 75 games for the Phoenix Suns.

His last great season was 2005-06, when he averaged 20.0 points and 9.2 rebounds with the Miami Heat. He played just 50 games but helped Miami to the NBA title.

It's hard to say how much the last few seasons have tarnished Shaq's legacy of power.

But I do know that from 1992 to 2006, O'Neal was the most dominant basketball player I ever saw.

I don't say "best" because a guy named Jordan was still playing when Shaq started in 1992 and a kid named Kobe grew out of his shadow in Los Angeles.

But Shaq was without question the most dominant. For more than a decade, he tore through the NBA like a force of nature.

He was 7-1 and 350 pounds, with the agility and quickness of a small forward.

In an era when centers still played with their backs to the rim, O'Neal could not be stopped within 5 feet of the basket. I know that might not sound that impressive in a day when 6-11 and 7-foot guys drift outside to shoot three-pointers, but think of what it truly means to be able to do whatever you want inside the lane.

Shaq set an NBA record by leading the league in field goal percentage during 10 seasons.

O'Neal ranks second to Artis Gilmore with a career field goal percentage of .582, but he also took more than twice as many shots as the "A-Train."

That was O'Neal at his peak. He was power incarnate and nobody, including a host of Hall of Fame big men who tried, could do much to stop him.

His 13 seasons averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds are the most in NBA history.

There is only one other player I can reference who played with the power of O'Neal.

Still, my only memories of Wilt Chamberlain are of him at the end, when he was winding down with the Los Angeles Lakers. I never saw him play at his best.

People who saw Chamberlain in his prime have told me over and over that he was a more dominant player than O'Neal.

All I could ever say in response was that, "Wilt must have been one hell of a center then."

I can accept statements from those who tell me that Wilt, who finished with 31,419 points and 23,924 rebounds, still would have gotten his against Shaq.

But I draw the line when those same people claim that Shaq, who finished with 28,596 points and 13,099, wouldn't have got his against Wilt.

There was no one like Chamberlain during his era.

Boston Celtics great Bill Russell, New York Knicks center Walt Bellamy and San Francisco Warrior big man Nate Thurmond were Chamberlain's primary rivals. All were at least 2 inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter than Chamberlain.

Shaq was just as big and at least 25 pounds heavier than Chamberlain with the same agility and power.

It's hard to compare eras, but Shaq would have done just fine in that era just as Chamberlain would have done just fine in the 1990s and early 2000s.

For those who question the quality of O'Neal's competition, I'll say that he played against three centers - Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, and David Robinson - who were voted among the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996.

O'Neal's decline over the last few seasons was easy to see.

His last two seasons were spent trying to ride the coattails first of LeBron James in Cleveland and then the "Big Three" in Boston for a fifth NBA championship ring.

But while that might stain O'Neal's legacy a little, it doesn't diminish it. During his prime, everyone he went up against him called him "Shaq-Daddy."

Send email to

smallwj@phillynews.com.

For recent columns, go to

www.philly.com/Smallwood.

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Shaq stayed too long, but what a force he was

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MOST ELITE ATHLETES hang on too long. They keep fighting Father Time even though they are fully aware it is a battle they will ultimately lose. But when they stay around, when they keep trying although everyone knows their best days have already been lapped, they become a shell of what they were, and we begin to forget how truly great they were.

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Bleacher Report Article critiquing Shaqs Play

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Bleacher Report Article critiquing Shaqs Play

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refers to older "Invincible" Shaq (2007)

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With their 75-72 road win in New York, the Miami Heat managed to win for the first time since last April.

But Heat fans shouldn't celebrate just yet.

Despite the final score, the game raised concerns for the rest of the season, most notably about the ineffective play of Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal's decline is staggering-and doesn't bode well for the Heat's playoff chances.

Against the Knicks, the Heat got the ball to Shaq in prime post position a total of 22 times. Most of those times, O'Neal was defended by Eddy Curry and double-teamed by an assortment of help defenders, usually before he began his dribbles.

In the first quarter, O'Neal's five touches in the paint yielded four missed hook shots and a non-shooting foul on Curry. The first team's three possessions were centered around Shaq in the post-and by the time Pat Riley tweaked the strategy, Miami was trailing 6-0.

Shaq picked up the production a bit in the second quarter, picking up an easy dunk, a baseline spin and layup, and a smart kickout, re-post, and layup.

Still, for the half, the Big Diesel only managed six points on 3-8 shooting in his nine post touches-while being defended by one of the worst defensive centers in the NBA, and while facing constant double-teams that left teammates open all over the floor.

Where were the cross-court passes out of double teams, or the punishing power moves that overwhelm opponents?

Where was the invincible Shaq of old?

Only early in the second half did that Shaq appear. In eight third-quarter possessions, he tallied eight points on 3-3 shooting with an assist, a turnover, and two crisp passes which didn't lead to points.

The bad news is that the Heat offense became overly-reliant on Shaq's post successes, and lost the ball and player movement that allowed them to score 25 points in the first quarter while Shaq was ineffective.

While Shaq went 6-7 in the second and third quarters, the Heat managed only a combined 27 points in the same span.

Shaq struggled again in the fourth quarter, going 1-2 with a turnover-and almost committing a second.

For the game, he shot 7-13 on his 22 post possessions, drew three non-shooting fouls, and added an assist with two turnovers. He created 18 total points on the night.

For all the that, though, the most telling stat signaling Shaq's decline is his number of free throw attempts against New York:

Zero.

Shaq no longer intimidates opponents, and he no longer intimidates referees. As it stands, he looks to have finally sunk into the realm of the mortal.

Also, Shaq's presence in the paint attracted defenders keeping his Heat teammates from attacking the offensive glass, though he did use his bulk well in shielding off Curry and grabbing a handful of long rebounds.

That said, he was unable to defend Curry one-on-one, and his rotations were horrendously slow. And while he did pick up three blocks, two were on crowded layup attempts by Renaldo Balkman and David Lee-where the Knick forwards didn't have ample space to go up with any force.

Shaq's defense could become more and more problematic as the season goes on, especially against teams with agile forwards and penetrating guards. Toronto and Chicago come to mind.

The only good news?

As Dwyane Wade returns from injury, the Heat offense should be crisper off the ball, allowing Shaq to be more successful in finding teammates-and allowing him to operate against fewer double teams as opponents focus on Wade.

So how did the Heat steal a road win in New York?

Udonis Haslem was beastly around both baskets, and kept the Heat in the game with his screens, his defense, and his midrange jumpers. He played super glue defense on David Lee, brought non-stop hustle, and kept Miami alive during drive spells purely because of his energy.

Most importantly, in the final three minutes, Haslem tipped in a basket on an offensive rebound and turned a loose ball into a dunk. He also made two outstanding defensive plays, rotating and forcing a Stephon Marbury turnover and poking away a pass to Eddy Curry with only 10 seconds in the game.

Jason Williams was effective all game off high screens targeting Eddy Curry. He was also Miami's only consistent shooting threat-and hit the game-winning jumper from the left baseline with 19 seconds left.

Beyond Haslem and Williams, the Heat won because...

- Penny Hardaway played the best help defense he's played in his entire career.

- Hardaway's unselfish instincts allowed him to notch six assists.

- Despite missing seven out of his nine jumpers...despite giving up on every screen he ran into...despite having all his baskets come as a result of one-on-one breakdowns...Ricky Davis made a handful of offensive plays when the Heat offense was mired in quicksand-and played lock-down defense on Jamal Crawford in the fourth quarter.

- Alonzo Mourning's screen defense was exceptional, especially over the last few minutes.

- The Heat defensive rotations (minus those of Shaq and Davis) were timely and well executed.

So what will the Heat need to do to sustain any kind of future success?

For starters, they desperately need a creative guard scorer.

Davis was a bust for the first three quarters, and Hardaway has no juice left in his legs. Chris Quinn is a scrub, and the only unselfish pass Smush Parker made was a fast break jump pass to Quentin Richardson.

In a perfect world, none of those guards would play for winning teams. Parker and Davis will lose more games than they'll win, and Hardaway and Quinn can't do anything right now.

But given how limited the Heat roster is, Hardaway should be kept as a fourth guard, Quinn should be banished to the Developmental League, and two among Davis, Parker, and Dorell Wright should be traded for some kind of dependable guard scorer.

Maybe one of the Rockets leftover point guards would suffice for Davis and Wright? Maybe Luke Ridnour or Earl Watson can be pried out of Seattle?

Barring any significant roster surgery, only Dwyane Wade's consistent brilliance can propel the Heat to a low-seeded playoff berth.

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Heat Breakdown: The Decline of Shaquille O’Neal in Miami

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With their 75-72 road win in New York, the Miami Heat managed to win for the first time since last April.But Heat fans shouldn’t celebrate just yet...

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Athletic Career Peak - Late 90s - Early 2000s

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Athletic Career Peak - Late 90s - Early 2000s

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First All-Star appearance in 1993

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Paper on the effect on retirement of an Athletes brand

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Paper on the effect on retirement of an Athletes brand

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Mentions that Shaq made more money after retirement. (2018)

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Shaq supports the constitutional recognition of indigenous voices in Australia. Here the choice for Shaq to be the celebrity endorsement is criticised due to his star image being contradictory to the more serious nature of the issue. (2020)

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Article talking about rivalry with Yao Ming

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Article talking about rivalry with Yao Ming

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NBA likes promoting 1 vs 1 rivalry as its good for ratings, the "battle of the giants" theme is pitched here (2003)

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? Classic NBA matchups: Russell vs. Chamberlain. Bird vs. Magic.

Shaq vs. Yao?

History must answer that question. But if these two giants from opposite ends of the globe do produce the NBA's latest one-on-one marquee showdown, then mark today's game between the Rockets and Lakers at Houston's Compaq Center as the official debut.

Even Yao, the Rockets' 7-foot-6 rookie center from China, understands that the 38th game of his NBA career will be unlike his first 37. That's because Shaquille O'Neal will be unlike any other opponent he's ever faced.

"I'm not going to be looking at it as a normal game," Yao recently said through his interpreter. "I'm going to look at it as a more important game."

The league thrives on marketing one-on-one matchups, so it's no surprise that special interest is being paid to today's game. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN at 8:30 p.m., an overload of media coverage is expected and tickets are at a premium. Two seats behind the visitors' bench reached the $1,000 range Thursday on eBay.

There hasn't been this kind of pre-game buildup since, let's say, Wednesday's game between the Mavericks and Kings in Sacramento. That game between the Western Conference's two best teams turned into a lopsided affair for the Kings.

Today's game between the Western Conference's two best centers could well end up in similar fashion.

O'Neal, still trying to fend off criticism after he made fun of Yao by mocking the Chinese language, will come in highly motivated. Not only will he probably lose his spot as the West's starting All-Star center when final voting is announced Thursday, but also O'Neal will want to set a tone that he can push around the new kid on the block.

"I've played against both Shaq and Yao Ming," said Phoenix Suns rookie Amare Stoudemire. "Shaq is a monster, and Yao is developing. Look for Shaq to have a big game."

The 7-6 Yao knows that while he has the height advantage on the 7-1 O'Neal, he's also giving up about 40 pounds. While Yao does have a sturdy lower body, Lakers coach Phil Jackson has joked that Shaq could break Yao in two.

Expect Shaq to be at his most physical, to see if Yao can measure up to the rigors of an NBA beating.

"He hasn't gone up against the Boom Boom yet," said Shaq, who was sidelined from toe surgery the first time the Rockets and Lakers played this season.

Is Yao ready for the kind of punishment O'Neal plans to dish out? Even the rookie has his doubts.

"I think I need a suit of armor for Friday night," he said.

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shaq vs. yao could mean classic matchupsports

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Dallas ? Classic NBA matchups: Russell vs. Chamberlain. Bird vs. Magic.Shaq vs. Yao?History must answer that question. But if these two giants from opposite ends of the globe do produce the NBA's latest one-on-one marquee showdown, then mark today's game between the Rockets and Lakers at Houston's Compaq Center as the official debut.

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Shaq on him being defined as a celebrity

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Shaq on him being defined as a celebrity

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Claims he doesn't want to be a celebrity. "I don't want to be in that category. Celebrities are crazy, they really are. Don't call me that anymore," he said. "These people are out of their freaking mind with how they treat people, what they do, what they say. That's never been me. I never want to be looked at like that." (2022)

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Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most celebrated NBA stars of all time, but he's also someone who has managed to find success in the mainstream media as a household name - thanks to his celebrity status, and of course, all of his multi-million dollar endorsement deals. According to Sports Illustrated, there's a long list of endorsements that Shaq has attached his name to over the years, including everything from a sleep apnea mask, Radio Shack, Zales, Nintendo, Taco Bell, and so much more.

But in an interview with the New York Post, O'Neal said that if there's anything that he doesn't want to be, it's a celebrity. "I don't want to be in that category. Celebrities are crazy, they really are. Don't call me that anymore," he said. "These people are out of their freaking mind with how they treat people, what they do, what they say. That's never been me. I never want to be looked at like that."

And while O'Neal insists that he's not like the other athlete-turned-endorsers out there, he did find himself in the middle of controversy when he announced that he would be joining the board of directors for Papa John's Pizza back in 2019.

Like a good stuffed-crust pizza, Shaquille O'Neal rises above

Marcus Ingram/Getty Images

A year before Shaquille O'Neal announced that he would become a board member for Papa John's Pizza, the company's founder, John Schnatter, found himself in some very hot water. That's because he was heard using the N-word during a conference call back in 2018, according to Forbes. To make matters worse, he confirmed the allegations in a statement by saying, "News reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media training session regarding race are true." He added, "Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society."

Despite the controversy, O'Neal took on the position as a board member for the company anyway, but admitted that Schnatter's comments were a huge misstep. "Sometimes people don't know when to keep their mouths shut," he said about Schnatter in an interview with CNBC in 2019, "I'm not going to go back and forth with this guy. It doesn't matter what he has said about me. I don't care. I'm on a mission to make [Papa John's] the No. 1 brand. We don't worry about him. He has bigger problems." But that's not the only issue O'Neal has had with Papa John's Pizza.

Shaquille O'Neal only sells goods he believes in

Roger Kisby/Getty Images

In 2020, it was reported that Shaquille O'Neal was under fire for missing several Papa John's Pizza board meetings. According to Fox Business, there were even calls for O'Neal to get fired. One report from the company said, "A vote against Shaquille O'Neal is warranted for failing to attend at least 75 percent of his total board meetings held during the fiscal year under review without an acceptable reason for the absences." O'Neal did not get fired. Instead, he has continued to work with the company behind the scenes to come up with some clever marketing tools for their latest collaboration, the Shaq-a-Roni pizza, with larger-than-life sliced pizzas just like O'Neal himself.

But whether or not O'Neal orders the pizza himself is unclear, as he recently told Men's Health that he is trying to incorporate more moderation in his diet. This includes more fruits and vegetables and less snacking, of course. Either way, it sounds like O'Neal is someone who believes in what he sells. "I can't not like a product and then turn around and make you like it. It's not good business," he told the publication, adding, "It's unethical, and it's something I would never do. I have enough money where I don't have to take your money and then fake people out." Now that's said like a true non-celebrity.

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Why Shaquille O'Neal's Papa John's Deal Was So Controversial - Nicki Swift

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Ethan Miller/Getty Images Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most celebrated NBA stars of all time, but he's also someone who has managed to find success in the mainstream media as a household name - thanks to his celebrity status, and of course, all of his multi-million dollar endorsement deals.

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He shows humilaty and responsability by admitting to his faults during his marriage, and confesses the part he played. This shows his grasp on being a male role-model and his value for learning from mistakes. (2022)

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‘It Was All Me’: Shaq Owns Up To Causing Breakdown In Marriage To Shaunie O’Neal

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The NBA legend admits he didn’t honor his vows in his marriage to the producer and TV personality. See photos from that time in their lives.

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He has 300,000 monthly visitors and 4 singles released in 2022 (2022)

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Compilation of Shaq's fights during games

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Compilation of Shaq's fights during games

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Dominant both athletically in the sport and as an aggressive entity (Multi)

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(1992)

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Watch Shaquille O'Neal's 1992 March Madness triple double

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Demonstrates both brain and brawn (2012)

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Shaq graduates from Barry University - Picks up his Professor! (in HD)

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urban dictionary definition of hack-a-shaq

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urban dictionary definition of hack-a-shaq

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His free throw issues were so well known there was a term coined for when teams would specifically foul him. Showed vulnerability in his professional game. (2004)

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to intentionally foul Shaquille O'Neil near the basket, sending him to the free throw line where he will probably miss one or more free throws

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2000 article on the dominance of Shaq in that year's finals

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2000 article on the dominance of Shaq in that year's finals

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"the" Shaq immediately plays on his identity as something grander than just the person, painting him as a separate entity from the typical sports star (2000)

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It was, of course, Shaqnificent, so much so that if the first two episodes of the NBA finals had been a cop show Larry Bird would have spent all his time screaming for back-up.

Bird is the coach of the Indiana Pacers, a scared, scrawny-looking bunch of rubes who came to LA and lost their way amidst the bright lights. While they were blinking, nudging each other and stealing glances at Jack Nicholson sitting courtside, they were being roughed up by Shaquille O'Neal.

At last the big guy has arrived and looks like adding a championship win to the long list of endorsement deals, low-selling records and naff movies which flesh out his curriculum vitae. After eight years of playing in the NBA, eight years when his improvements have never seemed to catch up with his potential, Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal is about to become King.

O'Neal scored 40 points in game two on Friday night and took 24 rebounds off the backboard. In game one he had helped himself to 43 points and 19 rebounds. The series moved to Indianapolis last night and unless Bird has found a legal way to stop this pillaging the Indiana Pacers will be 3-0 down in a best-of-seven series by the time you read this.

There is 330lb and seven feet one inch of O'Neal, and even though you know he is big and you have prepared yourself for encountering his bigness, seeing him for the first time is like visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time. The immensity is more than you were prepared for.

It's hard not to like O'Neal, a megastar in a league where stardom is a byword for being out of control. He could be a Love Shaq, spreading himself about among the ladies, but his life heretofore is scandal free. At the other end of the spectrum he could be a Caddy Shaq, betting large on every golf hole, like Jordan before him, but he knows the fairways are for his dotage.

Shaq's eccentric. He's been painting his toenails since 1994 when he did it for a joke and knocked down 53 points against Minnesota. He is famously obsessed with Superman. When, four years ago, he gave up his 25,000-square foot domain in Isleworth, Florida, to leave the Orlando Magic and come to Los Angeles, he decided his devotion had to go way beyond the Superman room he had at his old place. So every downstairs window in his Santa Monica house has the Superman logo engraved into it.

The great oak which serves as Shaq's left arm has the logo tattooed onto it with "Man of Steel" underneath. The other arm is decorated with the phrase "The World Is Mine". That hasn't necessarily been true until now, but the world can rest easy: O'Neal's will be a benign dictatorship.

O'Neal was born with an overactive pituitary gland and an underdeveloped ego. His stepfather, one Sgt Phil Harrison, was an old-style army man who passed on a lot of tough love and discipline. Shaquille was six feet eight inches by the time he was 13 and he tiptoed through the world of his adolescence mortified by his size.

Basketball always beckoned, and his life was altered when a college coach, Dale Brown, for whom O'Neal would later play at Louisiana State University, visited Phil Harrison's army base in Wildflecken, Germany. O'Neal approached Brown for advice on how to dunk. Brown mistook him for a soldier and dispensed the advice, before asking which unit O'Neal was serving with. O'Neal announced he was 13. . Brown decided then and there that he would be recruiting O'Neal to whatever college he was coaching at five years later.

By the time O'Neal hit the NBA in 1992 they were speaking of him eclipsing Michael Jordan in commercial as well as basketball terms. Neither has happened as yet, but in LA they are keen to point out that O'Neal is only the same age now as Jordan was when he won the first of six championships with the Chicago Bulls.

He has added to his game bit by bit, and has at last found a coach and a team which can work around him.

That the coach is Jordan's old mentor, Phil Jackson (or Big Chief Triangle, as one of his rivals calls him on account of his trademark style of play and fondness for Native American artefacts and philosophy), is no coincidence. When the Lakers were looking for a new coach last summer, O'Neal put his rather large foot down and insisted that Jackson be the appointed. He has been proved right.

O'Neal has yearned for somebody to be impressed with. Despite the manchild image and the commercial distractions, O'Neal is about decency and respect. In a league where everyone is getting theirs before they've given anything back, O'Neal used to march up to the Orlando Magic front desk as a rookie player and offer them his latest ideas for charitable gigs. Over the years his money has always been where his mouth is when it comes to community work and spreading his fortune around the place.

In LA, and under the wing of Jackson, he has found a city and a coach which provide the climate for the right type of growth. His relationship with Orlando, where a penny-pinching franchise never quite spent enough to achieve dominance, turned sour eventually, and when an Orlando newspaper asked readers to vote on whether $115 million to keep Shaq in town was worth it, Orlando, which makes good dollar off a rodent, decided that one icon was plenty. Over 90 per cent voted no.

Wisely, Jackson augmented the Lakers lineup not with stars but with a couple of old guys, journeymen Ron Harper and Brian Shaw, and the team became less brash and more efficient as the year developed and the two big stars were encouraged to knuckle down.

Relations between Bryant and O'Neal have never been happy, and even as late as this spring they fought at one practice over what O'Neal regarded as Bryant's ego-driven selfishness when he has the ball. By this week, however, with glory in the offing, the Lakers have been showcasing their happy clappy sense of peace and unity, with O'Neal playfully piggybacking the injured Bryant around practice sessions and an atmosphere of mutual admiration growing between the two stars.

So Shaq O'Neal's boys are about to become the first great American sports dynasty of the millennium. The new regime brings the glamour and glitz which the NBA has been craving.

Pretty soon all boats will be rising, 'cos in Los Angeles, Showtime is Baq!

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It was, of course, Shaqnificent, so much so that if the first two episodes of the NBA finals had been a cop show Larry Bird would have spent all his time screaming for back-up. Bird is the coach of the Indiana Pacers, a scared, scrawny-looking bunch of rubes who came to LA and lost their way amidst the bright lights.

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Even the advert for his show states his accolades and paints him as "dominant" (2007)

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Article where Kobe accuses Shaq for spending over a million on women's hush money (2004)

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NEW YORK -- Separating Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal on
different teams on different coasts has done nothing to lessen the
animosity between the one-time Los Angeles Lakers teammates. If
anything, the feud is escalating.

On Wednesday, O'Neal dismissed as "ridiculous" Bryant's
allegations that O'Neal had paid up to $1 million in hush money to
various women and then took his own shot by saying, "I'm not the
one buying love."

O'Neal made the remark to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith after the Los Angeles Times quoted a police
report as saying Bryant told detectives in Eagle, Colo., "he
should have done what Shaq does ... that Shaq would pay his women
not to say anything" and already had paid up to $1 million "for
situations like this."

The comment was written down by Det. Doug Winters but not recorded on tape.

"He stated he, Bryant, treats a woman with respect, therefore they shouldn't say anything," Winters wrote.

O'Neal's agent, Perry Rogers, told the paper on Tuesday that the allegation, which was fought successfully to have inadmissible at trial, was untrue and "undeserving of a response."

"This whole situation is ridiculous," O'Neal told ESPN. "I
never hang out with Kobe, I never hung around him. In the seven or
eight years we were together, we were never together. So how this
guy can think he knows anything about me or my business is funny.
And one last thing -- I'm not the one buying love. He's the one
buying love."

Bryant's statement came near the end of a lengthy interrogation about a hotel employee's complaint that Bryant had raped her.

The incident report, a portion of which was reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, is part of the sealed file in the criminal case that was brought against Bryant last year and dropped earlier this month. A Colorado judge Wednesday cleared the way for the release of those sealed documents.

The Times said it was unclear precisely what Bryant meant by his
remarks.

Prosecutors dropped the felony sexual assault charge against
Bryant earlier this month at the accuser's request, but the woman
has filed a federal civil suit against him in Denver, seeking
unspecified damages for pain and suffering since the case began.

O'Neal was informed of Bryant's allegation last September, and
the relationship between the two was cool throughout the 2003-04
season. O'Neal was subsequently traded to the Miami Heat.

There have been no published reports of O'Neal ever being
accused of any sex crimes. He was charged with misdemeanor battery
in Orange County, Fla., in 1998 after a 23-year-old Walt Disney
World employee claimed he grabbed her neck, but the case was
dismissed in 2000.

It is unclear precisely what Bryant meant by the remarks attributed to him. There have been no published reports of O'Neal ever being accused of any sex crime.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Shaq on Kobe report: 'I'm not one buying love'

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NEW YORK -- Separating Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal on different teams on different coasts has done nothing to lessen the animosity between the one-time Los Angeles Lakers teammates. If anything, the feud is escalating.

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Just has the headers: "About", "Philanthroppy", "Privacy Policy" and "Terms of Use" (2022)

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TNT's compilation of Shaq being charitable

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TNT's compilation of Shaq being charitable

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While still acts of kindness, the procured nature of this compilation shows the attention Shaq and TNT pays to his image of being charitable. (2020)

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3 million views, Against David Robinson (1995-2005)

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Shaq's 10-year beef with David Robinson included the pettiest 71-point game and one huge lie

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773K views. Against coach Stan Van Gundy (2005 - 2012)

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Shaq's beef with Stan Van Gundy exploded when his former coach accused him of flopping

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1.3 million views. Against JaVale McGee (2008 to 2018)

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The Shaq-JaVale McGee beef became so nasty their moms got involved

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3.3 million views. Dwight Howard (2008 to present)

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Shaq started beefing with Dwight Howard over who deserved the title of Superman...and never stopped

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Has been viewed 18 million times. Shows the appeal of his strength to audiences. (multi)

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Plays into his image of being a friendly giant. The video has 8.9 million views (multi)

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Shaq taking part in the roast of Justin Beiber

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Shaq taking part in the roast of Justin Beiber

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This is an interesting appearance as the comedians play on Shaqs image and therefore identify and deconstruct it in the name of comedy, commenting primarily on his size and intellegence (2015)

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Devastating Burns from the Roasts of Justin Bieber, Bruce Willis & More

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Appears on Logan Paul's podcast showing a cross over from traditional media. His relationship with Kobe is still significant to be used as clickbait to advertise the podcast(2022)

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Shaq Talks Kobe Regrets, Why LeBron Isn’t GOAT, Says Logan Is Next Jeffrey Dahmer - IMPAULSIVE #346

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His relationship with Kobe and his entrepeneurial skill is used as a primary selling point (2022).

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Shaq Opens Up About Kobe, Creating Wealth & Life

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Sports publication ESPN critisizing Shaqs age and health. Still claims "On the other hand, most NBA pundits are saying Shaq remains the most dominant player in the league" (1999)

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By David Schoenfield
Page 2

The Miami Heat are the latest team to ask themselves the $30 million question: Are there any championships left in Shaquille O'Neal' s large but aging bones?

It's been reported both ways. Last week, SportsCenter ran a statistic showing this year at age 32, Shaq's scoring average had decreased 21 percent from the previous season. Page 2's Bill Simmons wrote that, "Next year will be Shaq's 13th season. Just about every Hall of Fame center started declining between seasons 12 to 14 ..."

On the other hand, most NBA pundits are saying Shaq remains the most dominant player in the league and how the team that lands him instantly becomes a title favorite.

Which is it? Is Shaq still capable of being the center of attention for a championship team? Or will he become a $30 million albatross?

After comparing Shaq to six other Hall of Famer centers who also won MVP awards (leaving Willis Reed and Bill Walton out of the discussion) and seeing what happened to their careers after they turned 32, the answer is clear: Any team trading for Shaq is taking a huge risk, gambling not only that he can reverse last year's scoring decline, but that he can remain healthy and productive enough to be the best player on a title contender. This is rare: Of those six Hall of Fame centers, only Hakeem Olajuwon was the focal point of an NBA championship team beyond the age of 31.

Is Shaq actually in decline? That's debatable, although there is no denying his defensive prowess has slipped a notch or five. While his scoring average dipped from from 27.5 to 21.5 from '03 to '04, his field-goal percentage was slightly above his career norm. And his rebounds per game actually increased from 2003.

What happened is that Shaq's field-goal attempts dropped by four per game -- and, no, not because of Kobe. Bryant's field-goal attempts decreased by five per game from '03; it was Karl Malone and Gary Payton who were taking shots away from Shaq, not Kobe.

Then again, it could be argued that Shaq is merely getting too old and too large to run the court effectively and position himself for as many shots. That's the big question his new team will have to answer.

OK, here's what happened to those other Hall of Fame centers after they turned 32:

Bill Russell
Age 31: 12.9 ppg, 22.8 rpg, 43.4 minutes
Age 32: 13.3 ppg, 21.0 rpg, 40.7 minutes
Age 33: 12.5 ppg, 18.6 rpg, 37.9 minutes

Russell's role, of course, was primarily defensive -- he never averaged more than 19 points per game. He did win titles as a player-coach when he was 33 and 34, and then retired. He won five MVPs -- but the last when he was 30.

Analysis: Slight decline in abilities, but still surrounded by Hall of Fame teammates who could carry the offensive lead for him; retired early before he became too old.

Wilt Chamberlain
Age 31: 24.3 ppg, 23.8 rpg, 46.8 minutes
Age 32: 20.5 ppg, 21.1 rpg, 45.3 minutes
Age 33: injured, played only 12 games
Age 34: 20.7 ppg, 18.2 rpg, 44.3 minutes

Chamberlain was traded from the Sixers to Lakers for his age-32 season. The Lakers lost the NBA Finals in seven games with Wilt -- same as the year before. They did finally win it all in 1972, when Chamberlain was 35 and averaged just 14.8 points per game (and Gail Goodrich and Jerry West were the primary offensive weapons). Chamberlain won four MVP awards, but the last when he was 31.

Analysis: Could have scored more on another team, but remained a formidable presence. Other than his injury in 1970, however, he was an extremely durable player -- something Shaq has not been. Chamberlain played at least 70 games every season except 1970, and played 79 or more 11 times in 14 seasons. Shaq has played as many as 79 games just four times in 12 seasons, and just once in the past nine.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Age 31: 23.8 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 39.5 minutes
Age 32: 24.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 38.3 minutes
Age 33: 26.2 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 37.2 minutes

When Kareem turned 32, the Lakers drafted a rookie named Magic Johnson. But Kareem did win the last of his six MVP awards that year and scored 23.4 points per game at age 38.

Analysis: Kareem certainly remained one of the best players in the league through age 34 (although not the MVP-caliber player of the past), at which time his rebounding and defense started to nosedive. He remained a key offensive weapon all the way until age 39, but clearly was not the dominating force of his 20s. And, of course, having Magic and Co. helped out. Bottom line: Kareem didn't win any titles with the Lakers until Magic came on board.

Moses Malone
Age 31: 24.1 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 34.1 minutes
Age 32: 20.3 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 34.1 minutes
Age 33: 20.2 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 35.5 minutes

Can you believe Malone was only 28 when the 76ers won the NBA title in 1983? Even Dr. J had just turned 33. Their starting guards were 25 and 26. They drafted Charles Barkley in 1984. True, Doc got old and Andrew Toney got hurt and they had to beat the Celtics . . . but still, they never reached the Finals again.

Analysis: Definitely started to hit the wall at 32. Malone was in his ninth NBA season in 1983 and won the third of his MVP awards that year, but he was traded to the Bullets when he 31 and to the Hawks when he was 33. He was done at 36.

Hakeem Olajuwon
Age 31: 27.3 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 41.0 minutes
Age 32: 27.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 39.6 minutes
Age 33: 26.9 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 38.8 minutes

Hakeem won his two titles at age 31 and 32, and his only MVP in 1994 at age 31. He clearly remained a dominant player through age 34, at which time he suffered a series of injuries the rest of his career.

Analysis: So far, the only center on the list who maintained his peak value at age 32 and beyond.

David Robinson
Age 30: 25.0 ppg, 12.2 rpg, 36.8 minutes
Age 31: Injured, played only six games
Age 32: 21.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 33.7 minutes
Age 33: 15.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 31.7 minutes

Of course, Robinson's two titles coincided with the arrival of Tim Duncan, who was clearly the No. 1 guy for both Spurs' titles teams. Robinson's lone MVP season came at age 29. After that, injuries helped lead to a decrease in Robinson's scoring, and he was no longer the same great player.

Analysis: Merely a very good complementary player after turning 32.

There you have it: the six other greatest centers in NBA history besides Shaq -- and only Olajuwon maintained his peak ability at age 32.

You know what's even more incredible? Of all these guys, only Olajuwon ever won an NBA title without another Hall of Famer playing alongside. Russell teamed with a slew of Hall of Famers on the Celtics, Wilt had Hal Greer and Billy Cunningham in '67 and West and Goodrich with the Lakers, Kareem had Oscar Robertson in Milwaukee and then Magic and James Worthy, Malone had Dr. J, and Robinson won only when Duncan joined the Spurs and became the team's best player. Shaq? He didn't win a title until Kobe blossomed into one of the best players in the game.

But Olajuwon won in '94 with Otis Thorpe, Vernon Maxwell and Kenny Smith, who never made a first-, second-, or third-team all-NBA team between them. The Rockets did add Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler in '95, but even Drexler was 32 by then.

The bottom line? Shaq is signed for two more years; and considering he's never been as durable as the other great centers to begin with, odds are he'll continue to pile up as many injuries as bricks from the free-throw line.

And even if Shaq does remain healthy and productive, he'll need another Hall of Fame alongside him.

Maybe the question for the Heat is this: Is Dwyane Wade that man?

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By David Schoenfield Page 2 The Miami Heat are the latest team to ask themselves the $30 million question: Are there any championships left in Shaquille O'Neal' s large but aging bones? It's been reported both ways. Last week, SportsCenter ran a statistic showing this year at age 32, Shaq's scoring average had decreased 21 percent from the previous season.

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He's labeled the "next great center at only 19" (1991)

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It's hardly astonishing that Louisiana State center Shaquille Rashan O'Neal, an Army brat who has suddenly turned into a one-man basketball battalion, is so young, so big, so good or even so mature, composed and polite. The surprise is that he's all of those things at once.

Staff Sergeant Philip Harrison, a convert to Islam, and the former Lucille O'Neal have raised a young man gifted enough on the court and sufficiently personable off it to rival not just other athletes but his adopted state's effervescent party city as well: The Big Easy come to joyous, uninhibited life. Moreover, only a few months into his sophomore season, O'Neal no longer merely plays basketball at LSU, he is basketball's future. And for those salivating agents and NBA scouts eager to whisk away The Shack, which is just one of the monikers he has given himself, to untold millions-be still, your hearts and wallets-he is also, as King Lear said of Cordelia, "so young, and so untender?"

Forget O'Neal's points and his rebounds, his blocked shots and his field goal percentage-categories, by the way, in which he led the Southeastern Conference at week's end. Three times this season the 7'1", 295-pound O'Neal has come a breath away from his ultimate goal of ripping a basketball goal asunder. It's not just shattering the glass backboard that he has in mind-that's child's play, although he hasn't actually broken one yet. We're talking bringing down the whole works-the net, the rim, the backboard, the basket stanchion-everything! He almost did it in mid-November in an exhibition game against the Newcastle (Australia) Falcons. On that occasion everyone in LSU's Maravich Assembly Center gave thanks that, after O'Neal's two-handed dunk not only moved the base of the basket support a good five inches but also broke the chain anchoring it to the floor, he wisely let go of the rim so the entire structure wouldn't topple over. "The night I get one, you'll really see some dancin'," O'Neal says.

It's not that The Shack suffers from an identity crisis: A Baton Rouge family named Long recently christened its newborn Shaquille O'Neal Long, and O'Neal soon turned up at the front door of these total strangers to pose for pictures with the baby. But he does have this thing about names.

"Don't call Shaquille the next anybody," warned Abdul-Jabbar, who later that night taught O'Neal the basics of the sky hook, which he has yet to master. "Let him be the first Shaquille."

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O'Neal names everything, including his victory dances. Who can forget the Shaq-de-Shaq, the hip-hop step he segued into following the outrageous breakaway jam that clinched Louisiana State's 92-82 December upset of then second-ranked Arizona? O'Neal made sure the assembled media in Baton Rouge spelled that one with a q rather than the more mundane ck. In that victory O'Neal destroyed what was presumed to be the best front line in college basketball with 29 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks in 28 minutes of play. While surviving the final 12 minutes with four fouls, O'Neal blocked 6'11" forward Sean Rooks three times, dominated 6'11" center/forward Brian Williams and did everything but eat the visitors' bus. "The tapes don't do him justice," Wildcat forward Chris Mills said afterward. "It's kind of amazing to see him in person."

"Fouling him out of here would be like fouling Kareem out of the Forum," said Arizona coach Lute Olson, who had undoubtedly noticed Abdul-Jabbar in the Maravich Assembly Center crowd.

"Don't call Shaquille the next anybody," warned Abdul-Jabbar, who later that night taught O'Neal the basics of the sky hook, which he has yet to master. "Let him be the first Shaquille."

O'Neal names his studies, too. Not his classroom studies, where he has excelled; he led the LSU team with a 3.0 (out of 4.0) grade point average as a freshman business major but slipped to a 2.0 this fall. "Too much Nintendo," he says. O'Neal's preferred subject is something he calls "rimology," which consists of his detailed investigation of the rims and backboards and basket supports at each foreign court the Tigers visit. The first thing O'Neal does is peer at the basket hardware and its moorings. He took one look before LSU's Nov. 24 meeting with Villanova at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, Mass., in the Hall of Fame game, and knew there would be trouble. There was. Following an early Shack attack, the game had to be delayed for five minutes while a four-man crew realigned the basket support back into place.

"When Shaquille found out the rims at Illinois weren't breakaways, he got so excited I thought we'd have to give him a tranquilizer," says Madrid-born guard Mike Hansen, O'Neal's fellow co-captain of the Tigers. Alas, O'Neal got into early foul trouble at Champagne-Urbana-the free throws were 41 to 19 in favor of the home team-LSU lost 102-96, and the Illini buckets survived.

O'Neal even names his names. He favors a black baseball cap bearing the inscription I AM THE SHAQNIFICENT, which was made for him, he says, "by a homeboy back in San Antonio." Besides simply The Shack, his names include The Love Shack and various other Shacks. His favorite is Shaquille the Real Deal, a nonbasketball moniker he invented in high school while playing cards with his buddies at Fort Sam Houston, where his father is based. Surreal may be a truer description of a kid who, though he will be a teenager for another 14 months, is already the fifth or sixth best center on the planet.

Experts have unanimously named O'Neal as the heir apparent to the throne now shared by the ruling Olajuwon-Ewing-Robinson axis. Another great center, Bill Walton, who spent a week working with O'Neal in the preseason, likens him to a different-size NBA player. "Charles Barkley," says Walton. "Shaquille has that quick, unrestrainable explosion, like Barkley. It's a raw power you don't get in the weight room. It comes from somewhere else, deep in the soul. This guy may have the physical talent and personal discipline to be the best. But I told Shaquille, it's not the numbers or the stats. It's how he controls the flow of the game."

But O'Neal has had to stockpile some fairly auspicious digits to carry what is otherwise a mediocre LSU team. The Tigers went into the season missing 60 points and 24 rebounds a game from the 23-9 team of a year ago. As of Sunday, The Shack led the NCAA in rebounding, with 15.2 a game and was sixth in scoring (28.5 points), fourth in blocked shots (4.8) and 14th in shooting (63.9%). While O'Neal has cut down on his fouling from last year-he was disqualified nine times in 1989-90, even as the SEC tested the six-fouls rule (now abandoned)-he has been unable to stem the flow of fouls called against him on the road. In addition to the Illinois defeat, LSU lost while away from home to Villanova when O'Neal got into foul trouble; the Tigers' 96-84 victory over Auburn last Saturday-O'Neal grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots but scored a very sub-Shack 14 points-was their first road win. LSU's record stood at 10-3 as the Tigers headed toward a midweek meeting at Alabama.

Surely it was a historical rarity when possibly the two best players of their generation at their positions met in Louisiana State's final game last season, the Tigers' 94-91 NCAA tournament loss to Georgia Tech and point guard Kenny Anderson, in which O'Neal had 19 points and 14 boards but committed four fouls. While that game offered a disappointing conclusion to O'Neal's fluctuating rookie season-he had 17 points and 14 rebounds against NCAA champion UNLV (which LSU beat during the regular season), but only 10 points and eight rebounds in an SEC tournament loss to Auburn-his breathtaking, unrefined skills were obvious to those NBA folks who vowed he would have been the first draft choice if he had left school last spring.

Getty Images

It was obvious that sharing the ball with spectacular little guard Chris Jackson and another 7-footer, Stanley Roberts, in a virtual no-pass offense restricted O'Neal's development as a freshman. But now Jackson has left school for the Denver Nuggets, and Roberts, who became academically ineligible last August, is starring in Spain for Real Madrid. That everybody in the arena knows to whom LSU is going these days and that The Shack still continues to run the table makes manifest his striking improvement.

Last summer O'Neal played pickup ball for three hours nearly every day and did calf-raises every night in his room until he fell asleep. The results include an eight-inch improvement in his vertical jump; from a standing position, The Shack can now touch a mark nearly 2½ feet above the rim. At the Olympic Festival in Minneapolis in July, O'Neal was not merely a man among boys; he was a monster. In four games he had 98 points, 55 rebounds and 27 blocks.

"There's no comparison to him as a freshman," said Vanderbilt coach Eddie Fogler after O'Neal had 34 points and 11 rebounds in an 87-70 LSU victory on Jan. 2. "Trying to stop Shack now is a joke." Georgia coach Hugh Durham was equally forlorn after O'Neal (34 and 16, with seven blocks) helped put away the Bulldogs 83-76 on Jan. 7. "Last year you could play behind him and know he wasn't going to get the ball from those other guys," Durham said. "Now you have to front or side him, and he muscles you out of the lane anyway. They just keep going to the mountain, going to the mountain. Shack may be unguardable."

About three years ago, another young center with a lyrical name, Alonzo Mourning, was proclaimed basketball's next great hope. Recently, however, Mourning has been the second-best center on his Georgetown team. Still, O'Neal didn't hesitate when asked what team he most wanted to play. "Georgetown," he said. "Alonzo was the guy I always heard about. I've always wanted to measure myself against the best."

That was why O'Neal got so excited about playing Arizona. "I'd heard stuff from out there that I was just another player, that I was too young. I wanted to show I could play with anybody," he says. Similarly, after Kentucky's gifted freshman forward Jamal Mashburn suggested before the Wildcats' Jan. 5 appointment with LSU that O'Neal was merely "all right" and could be "stopped," The Shack mumbled, "Yeah, with four guys," and proceeded to stick Mashburn for 28 points and 17 boards. Later, a stunned Mashburn corrected himself by saying O'Neal belonged "in a higher league."

Long before O'Neal, who was born in Newark, N.J., went to high school for two seasons in Texas, he was already prominent on LSU coach Dale Brown's wish list. Five years ago, during a European tour of coaching clinics, Brown came across the then 6'6" Shaquille at an Army base in Wildflecken, West Germany, where his father was then stationed.

"What rank are you, soldier?" Brown asked.

"No rank. I'm 13 years old," O'Neal answered.

"Uh, your dad around?" asked Brown.

Harrison, or The Sergeant, as Brown always refers to The Shack's 6'5", 280-pound drill instructor father, is from Newark and played some junior college ball before he "messed up and didn't take care of business." After joining the Army and getting married, he was posted back and forth overseas until the family-which includes daughters LaTeefah, 13, and Ayesha, 12, and son Jamal, 11 and already 5'2"-settled in San Antonio, where The Shack led Cole High to a 68-1 record over two years. As for The Shack's given names, Lucille O'Neal gave him her maiden name while Harrison picked the others. In Arabic, Shaquille means "little one" and Rashan means "warrior"; that leaves The Sergeant batting .500.

"All you have to do is see Shaquille around his dad-he's 'yes sir, no sir,' and that's it-to know how he got so tough and disciplined," says LSU forward Vernel Singleton.

"In junior high in Germany I fought kids all the time," says O'Neal. "I had such a bad temper, I almost got thrown out of school. A few lickings from my dad got me out of that scene. He wore me out with a paddle."

"I always told Shaquille the world has too many followers. What he needed to be was a leader," says Harrison. "He'd see guys hanging out on the corner, and he'd know they were followers. I told him I'd whup him rather than have the guys on the corner whup him. I told him there's no half-steppin' in this life."

Harrison once grabbed Shaquille at halftime of a high school game that the kid was dominating and ordered him to tuck in his uniform shirttail. And he once lectured an NCAA investigator who was snooping around Cole High and rebuked him for what Harrison called "unprofessionalism." Harrison says that his son will not leave school early, that he will finish his eligibility at LSU. "Money is materialistic," he says. "What Shaquille needs is spiritualistic. We want him to get an education so he doesn't need basketball."

Who do you take in the when-will-The-Shack-turn-pro tug of war? The Denver Nuggets or The Sergeant?

Merely grabbing a glimpse of this gargantuan Greek-god Goliath-beat that, Vitale!-is enough to forget for a moment that O'Neal is still a kid. "I don't ever want to grow up," he says. "I guess I'm like Peter Pan. Grown-ups have problems. I want to stay happy."

As a team comedian, The Shack shares a background and closeness with his new teammate, Hansen-a transfer from Tennessee-Martin and the son of a traveling P.E. instructor for the U.S. Defense Department. They work for the same construction company in Baton Rouge in the summer and drive the same kind of van.

O'Neal keeps his teammates up until the wee hours by mixing records on two turntables in his dorm room, usually playing Suzanne Vega's headache-inducing Tom's Diner as the backbeat for YZ's Who Is the Man With the Master Plan? He playfully mocks the local media with his postgame "ratings" of himself and his team. Or with his one-word responses, which he calls SHAM. "And that's in capitals," O'Neal says. "It's code talk for my Short-Answer Method."

Peter Pan? Or is this guy testing material for a guest shot on Arsenio Hall?

The other evening The Shack revealed to a totally suckered journalist that the cellular phone ringing in his van was actually a fake, a toy "cellular clone" that he had used to fool his coach and athletic director on an LSU team flight.

A short time later O'Neal downed a Blimpie sandwich-Hawaiian Punch dinner, the size of which would take out 14 Roseanne Barrs, not to mention her husband. The Shack says he skips training-table meals on game days for this very same nutrition at Blimpie.

"That personality profile you signed before the season?" the journalist said to O'Neal. "It asked for your most humbling experience, and you answered, 'I've never had one.' You weren't serious, were you?"

"Notf Fyet," O'Neal said in a Blimpie-muffled version of a blocked shot.

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Shaquille O'Neal burst onto the scene at LSU

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It's hardly astonishing that Louisiana State center Shaquille Rashan O'Neal, an Army brat who has suddenly turned into a one-man basketball battalion, is so young, so big, so good or even so mature, composed and polite. The surprise is that he's all of those things at once.

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Shaq being one vote away from the first unanimous MVP

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Shaq being one vote away from the first unanimous MVP

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In line with his dominant image (2000)

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Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Shaquille O'Neal was dominant again, this time at the ballot box.

Shaquille O'Neal's first MVP award was a slam dunk.

There was no doubt the powerful Los Angeles Lakers center would win his first NBA Most Valuable Player award for his terrific work this season, with the only question being whether he would be the first-ever unanimous selection. He missed, by one vote. "The first thing I did was call my mother and father," O'Neal said Tuesday at the Los Angeles Lakers' practice facility in suburban El Segundo, where he was presented the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the NBA's 45th MVP. "My father started crying." O'Neal, a 7-foot-1, 315-pounder who led the league in scoring and field goal percentage, received 120 of 121 votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters, with the remaining vote going to Philadelphia's Allen Iverson. O'Neal's 99.2 percentage was the highest for any player since the league introduced the award in 1955-56. Michael Jordan received 96.5 percent of the vote in four years ago. "That was kind of hard to believe," O'Neal said. "I've always thought that Michael Jordan, Magic and Kareem and Wilt were the greatest players in the NBA." O'Neal received 1,207 points in the voting. Minnesota's Kevin Garnett was second with 408 and Miami's Alonzo Mourning was third with 367. Iverson was seventh with 132.

Tuesday, May 9
Shaquille O'Neal lifted his entire game this season, and I think part of that was due to Phil Jackson, who challenged Shaq to play a Wilt Chamberlain kind of game. That means big minutes and a more complete game, with assists, shot blocking, rebounding and scoring. And Shaq has done that. The best part of his improved play was that he became a much more active defender -- as a rebounder, shot blocker and intimidator -- and he focused on his passing. He has become the best passing center in the league, leading all centers in assists. Remember, Shaq led the league in turnovers as a rookie, so he has made significant strides. Playing within the triangle offense has helped Shaq because it's easier for him to pick out where his receivers are going to be. Plus, Chamberlain had a season in which he averaged more than 48 minutes a game. And Shaq averaged 40 minutes, the most of his career. He led the league in scoring and field-goal percentage, was second in rebounding, and was fourth in blocked shots and minutes played. I can't imagine anyone voting for a player other than Shaq. He is the clear MVP.

"He's playing at a level rarely seen in the NBA," Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss said.
O'Neal was practically a sure thing, having led the Lakers to a 67-15 record, second best in franchise history, and making them prohibitive favorites to win their first title since 1988.
"This is a very special day for a very special player. I think we're all very excited he was able to win this award in such unprecedented fashion," Lakers VP of basketball operations Jerry West said. "God, I feel sorry for the one guy who didn't vote for him." That was Fred Hickman of CNN/SI, who opted to vote for Iverson. "You take Shaq away from the Lakers and you've still got a great team," Hickman said. "You take Iverson away from the 76ers and they are the Clippers, the Hawks. They are no longer contenders." O'Neal laughed off questions about not getting every first-place vote. "The one guy who didn't vote (for me): Thank you, too," he said with a grin. "I appreciate it." Lakers coach Phil Jackson, Jordan's coach when he won four MVP awards in Chicago, said O'Neal "certainly deserved it this year." "I think his leadership has been the most important thing for us," Jackson said. "This is the honor that everyone wants in this league, but we don't have a championship, yet." O'Neal won his second scoring title this season, averaging a career-high 29.7 points on 57.4 percent shooting. He was second in rebounding with a 13.6 average, and averaged 3.03 blocks and a career-high 3.8 assists. "The only person who can stop Shaquille O'Neal is Shaquille O'Neal, and that hasn't happened this year," Lakers forward Glen Rice said. "He's been leading our team all year long," said guard Ron Harper, a member of three championship teams in Chicago, who, referring to Jordan, added, "I played with one before, huh?" "He had a tremendous, tremendous season," guard Kobe Bryant said. "He played at a high level every night." O'Neal, 28, is the first Laker to win the award since Magic Johnson did so for a second straight time in 1990. O'Neal is in his fourth season with the Lakers after playing his first four NBA campaigns with the Orlando Magic.
"This is the first time I've been knick-knack injury free in Los Angeles," he said. "The ultimate goal is to win the championship. This is the best team I've ever played on. If we can get it done this year, my plate will be full as a player."
After signing as a free agent with the Lakers in July, 1996, O'Neal missed 53 games over his first two seasons in L.A. because of injuries. He struggled with a strained groin last season. He missed only two games because of injury this season, both last month because of an ankle sprain after the Lakers had clinched the NBA's best record and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.
O'Neal has averaged an NBA-high 30.7 points and 16.8 rebounds in six playoff games. The Lakers take a 1-0 lead over Phoenix into Wednesday night's Game 2 of their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals.

O'Neal succeeds Utah's Karl Malone as MVP. The NBA's Rookie of the Year Award will be announced Thursday. Steve Francis of the Houston Rockets and Elton Brand of the Chicago Bulls will share the honor, a league source confirmed.
They will be the third co-winners for the award following Jason Kidd and Grant Hill in 1994-95 and Dave Cowens and Geoff Petrie in 1970-71.

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ESPN.com - NBA - Shaq receives all but one vote

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Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Shaquille O'Neal was dominant again, this time at the ballot box. Shaquille O'Neal's first MVP award was a slam dunk. There was no doubt the powerful Los Angeles Lakers center would win his first NBA Most Valuable Player award for his terrific work this season, with the only question being whether he would be the first-ever unanimous selection.

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Labels Shaq as "The hottest property in basketball" (1993)

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Plays on the image of his dominance but also shows him as hardworking, earning his sheriff status raher than it being handed to him (2022)

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Shaquille O'Neal is undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever play in the NBA. His physicality in the game made him a force to reckon with. Apart from a glittering career in the NBA, his business ventures and media presence have made him one of the most recognizable men on the planet.

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Shaq is a man of many talents. Apart from basketball, he is also a very successful businessperson, DJ, and also a police officer. He is a designated sheriff and a reserve police officer with agencies in Miami.

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 14: Professional basketball player and NBA sports analyst, Shaquille O'Neal ESPN Gala: '30 For 30: This Magic Moment' Screening during the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival at SVA Theatre on April 14, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)

Talking in a recent interview, Shaquille O'Neal talked about his career with the police forces and what it means to him.

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Shaquille O'Neal on joining the police force

When asked about why Shaq decided to join the law enforcement forces, he said, " This was on my list as a youngster. I said one day, I wanna be a cop. I think I can lead a force."

According to Shaquille O'Neal, a lot of people give him badges just for him being Shaq. He says, " Like a lot of people would give me badges. You know what, if you give me a badge when I go out on the street, the officers are not going to respect me."

Shaq makes it clear that he doesn't want to be a cop just for the sake of it. O'Neal being his usual self wants to attain the badge of a police officer the old-fashioned way.

Shaq's career as a cop

Shaquille O'Neal has always had a fascination for a career as a cop. In fact, during a private ceremony in 2005, he was sworn in as a reserve officer with Miami Beach. According to reports, his career with Miami Beach would earn him a salary of just $1 yearly!

ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 24: Shaquille O'Neal attends Shaq's Papa John's Pizza Grand Opening on August 24, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Although Shaq might be one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA, he was asked to go through tests to become a cop.

According to Bleacher Report, a city spokesperson said, " If he passes, he will then have to do everything else to be certified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, just like any of our other officers, reserve or no reserve. "

In 2019, he finally became an auxiliary sheriff with Broward Sheriff's Office.

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Basketball legend @SHAQ goes by many nicknames, and now added to that list is Deputy Shaq. The big man now works as an auxillary deputy with the #BSO. Sheriff Tony sat down with Shaq and the two talked about the different ways law enforcement works to keep communities safe. pic.twitter.com/H8j2lwUm0B
- Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) March 15, 2019

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WATCH THIS STORY: LeBron James Leaving Cavs For Miami Heat, Kevin Durant Ditching OKC For Golden State and Other Trades that Shook the NBA
What is your favorite memory of Shaquille O'Neal? Let us know in the comments below.

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Shaquille O'Neal on His Journey to Becoming a Police Officer:"if You Give Me a Badge and I Go Out on the Street, the Officers Are Not Gonna Respect Me"

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Shaquille O'Neal is undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever play in the NBA. His physicality in the game made him a force to reckon with. Apart from a glittering career in the NBA, his business ventures and media presence have made him one of the most recognizable men on the planet.

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An article referencing the harmful racial stereotypes propagated in sport (2000)

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The price of “black dominance” - ProQuest

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Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.

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A paper analysing the evolution of the star status in the NBA. Both are useful for looking at Shaq compared to his peers but also for directing the conversations about stardom to sports stardom (2011)

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Abstract

This article describes an empirical study of the rise and fall of star athletes, using data from the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1987 to 2008. We measure star status by the number and share of all-star votes, and we apply both Tobit regression and hazard models to investigate the determining factors for star status. We find that the attainment of star status begins with the athlete's exceptional individual performance. We also find that having won a championship in the past can have a long-lasting effect on a player's popularity. The popularity of an athlete depends on his team in two ways: the attainment of star status is associated with strong team performance, and star teammates can reinforce each other's popularity. Interestingly, whereas stars can move from a losing team to a winning team to extend their star life, a team change can be very risky for new stars. Our results also suggest that teams with a large fan base, winning records, and star players should leverage these assets in attracting and retaining star players.

Highlights

► We apply Tobit and hazard models to examine the evolution of athlete stars. ► We quantify the impact of the determining factors on the rise and fall of stars. ► Exceptional individual performance and championships speed the rising of stars. ► Star teammates reinforce each other's popularity. ► Changing team can be very risky for new stars.

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Rise and fall of stars: Investigating the evolution of star status in professional team sports

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This article describes an empirical study of the rise and fall of star athletes, using data from the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1987 to 2008. We measure star status by the number and share of all-star votes, and we apply both Tobit regression and hazard models to investigate the determining factors for star status.

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A paper investigating the impact a star may have on the revenue stream of a franchise. Possibly relevant to Shaq as his image as a star would have enhanced the ratings of the Lakers (2004)

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a paper investigating the number of NBA stars that end up bankrupt  (2012)

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24 Pages Posted: 9 Mar 2013

Abstract

The financial troubles of professional athletes are an ongoing topic of intrigue. In general, the zealousness brought to private equity schemes are a common factor in observed financial insolvency. Considering the behavioral attribute of self-confidence I propose a simple model which explains entrepreneurial activity and adverse financial outcomes. The model implies that investment effort increases with self-confidence, while promoting financial solvency. Constructing a unique database of NBA players affords a singular opportunity to measure confidence directly from behavior, avoiding bias from self-reported surveys. In addition, I observe for-profit business ventures and use this data to test the model's implications for the outcomes of both entrepreneurial activity (investment effort) and bankruptcy. Without correcting for endogeneity it does appear that starting businesses causes bankruptcy. After using charitable foundations as an instrument, however, the data confirms the model's prediction - that investment effort is associated with financial solvency. That said, I also find that the effect of confidence on bankruptcy to be non-monotonic. Having some confidence decreases the probability of bankruptcy, but high levels increase this probability.

Keywords: self-confidence, bankruptcy, athletes, entrepreneurs influence, entrepreneurship

JEL Classification: D10, I20, J13

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and beliefs: the financial demise of nba stars

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Business, Bankruptcy, and Beliefs: The Financial Demise of NBA Stars

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24 Pages Posted: 9 Mar 2013 The financial troubles of professional athletes are an ongoing topic of intrigue. In general, the zealousness brought to private equity schemes are a common factor in observed financial insolvency. Considering the behavioral attribute of self-confidence I propose a simple model which explains entrepreneurial activity and adverse financial outcomes.

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Shows Shaq's more humorous side in his response to a reporter (2006)

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Article talking about the collection of Shaqs endevours

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Article talking about the collection of Shaqs endevours

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essentially lists Shaq's achievements to build an image of someone who would succeed in every aspect of his life (2009)

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Over the years, Shaquille O'Neal has deemed his penetrating post-game insights worthy of some of Western civilization's greatest philosophers, specifically Aristotle and Friedrich Nietzsche. Of course, everything about Shaq-a seven-foot-one, 325lb. colossus-is hyperbolic. On Twitter, where the Cleveland Cavaliers' superstar centre boasts a staggering two million followers, O'Neal regularly tweets inspirational quotes by everyone from Ben Franklin and Bill Gates to a barber from Orlando named Kurt Cooper. But there is no one he likes to quote more than himself. In a promo for his new reality TV show, ABC's Shaq Vs., in which he faces off against top athletes in their own sport, Shaq spells out to the camera how he plans to get inside the heads of his competitors, who include Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, tennis star Serena Williams and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals: "I study everybody's game," he says. "To beat them, you have to become them." He flashes a half-smile at this impromptu nugget. "Remember that, America. A classic Shaquille O'Neal quote."

Shaq-a man with a million nicknames: Shaq-Fu, Shaq-a-Claus, Shaqqie Robinsonis often referred to as one of the most gifted basketball players in the history of the NBA (although he prefers the pithier epithet, "the greatest athlete ever formed"-"Look it up," he says, "Google it"). On the court, he is so tank-like that other players appear to bounce off him like rubber bullets. He has won four NBA championships-three with the L.A. Lakers and another with the Miami Heat-and he's among the top-paid athletes in America, pulling in US$ 35 million in salary and endorsements. But more than being just one of the greats of the game, Shaq will go down as having created one of the most endearing personal brands in professional sports-a family man with a humongous heart, a 12-year-old's sense of fun, and killer comedic timing.

"He's one of those people who's found a way to make himself much bigger than the game itself," says Dan Durbin, a professor at USC's Annenberg School for Communications, who specializes in pop culture...

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A real Shaq of all trades: Shaquille O'Neal, showbiz star, hobbyist cop, the 'greatest athlete ever formed,' prepares to leap into his post-NBA career

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Over the years, Shaquille O'Neal has deemed his penetrating post-game insights worthy of some of Western civilization's greatest philosophers, specifically Aristotle and Friedrich Nietzsche. Of course, everything about Shaq-a seven-foot-one, 325lb. colossus-is hyperbolic.

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Several things that build and maintain his image. Him betting large sums of money and myths relating to him builds on his image of dominance while the reference to Kazaam humbles him (2021)

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Shaq on Joining Tinder, $1 Million Bet, Kazaam’s 25th Anniversary & Myths About Him

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Paints himself with humility where he owns up to past mistakes. Gives him more validity to criticize people for their basketball skill as he tries to maintain that he's speaking from a position of wisdom as he considers himself to be one of the greatest players of all time. (2022)

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Shaq is letting it be known that he won't be commenting on Celtics coach Ime Udoka's cheating scandal because he was once a "serial cheater."
"I am going to step down from this conversation. I was a serial cheater. It would be crazy and blasphemous for me to get up here and say, 'Boom, boom, bam.' I can't do that. I know these guys personally. I know they're going through a lot because I went through a lot. RELATED:Nick Young Reacts To Ime Udoka Cheating On Nia Long: 'It Doesn't Matter About The Woman, Men Just Get Bored Sometimes' "I just wish that certain parties weren't involved. I've known Nia Long for a long time and I like her...They're going through a lot of family stuff. I'm never the guy that's gonna get up here because of my platform and fake it."

#Shaq says he will not comment on the #ImeUdoka incident as he admits that he was a "serial cheater" pic.twitter.com/T6mO33FG2e

- Virtual Celebrity News Network (@ddukelantern) September 28, 2022

In the clip Shaq is referring to his past infidelities during his marriage to Shaunie O'Neal, who recently remarried. Shaquille has been open about the mistakes he made as a husband, even going as far as to admit that he felt "lost" following his divorce to Shaunie.

Furthermore, two of the Boston Celtics star players recently spoke on the incident but didn't want to comment too much. "If you read the statement and you watch the press conference, apparently there are a lot of things that they can't speak about, so I think I'm kind of in the same boat," said Tatum. "I don't know, so it's hard for me to answer if things were handled the right way or if they weren't, because I don't know all the details."
RELATED:Lil Duval Believes Nia Long Will Stay With Fiancé Ime Udoka Despite His Alleged Scandal - Social Media Reacts
"Not a lot of information has been shared, so there's a lot of confusion going around, a lot of speculation going around, which makes it difficult on the guys who have been here and the guys who are here now," said Tatum's co-star, Jaylen Brown. "I guess what we do is do our jobs, and that's what we're here for."

adam levine cheating on behati, ime udoka cheating on nia long, ned fulmer cheating on ariel fulmer....it just has been a month of male celebs being exposed for cheating on their significant others... pic.twitter.com/utfGsvXs0p

- 𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗬𝗝𝗔𝗬 (@theaveragericky) September 27, 2022

Both Tatum and Brown said they have not spoken to Udoka since the investigation concluded.

"It's been hell for us," added the veteran Smart. "Just caught by surprise. Nobody really knows anything, so we're just in the wind like everybody else. The last couple days, as far as this, it's been confusing."

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Shaq Says He Can't Speak On Ime Udoka's Cheating Scandal Because He Was A 'Serial Cheater'

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Shaq is letting it be known that he won't be commenting on Celtics coach Ime Udoka's cheating scandal because he was once a "serial cheater." "I am going to step down from this conversation. I was a serial cheater. It would be crazy and blasphemous for me to get up here and say, 'Boom, boom, bam.'