Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most popular and polarizing character the world has ever seen. He was always giving unpopular takes and was one of the most famous person in the world. You will not find a person who doesn’t know who Shaquille O’Neal is. He is a larger than life personality, he is as rich as they come and is always funny and make everyone laugh. But what about Shaquille O’Neal the basketball player?
Shaq is the undisputed most dominant center of the modern era and one of the greatest players of all time. The ‘Big Diesel’ has 15 All-Star selections, 14-All NBA selections, he was a three time All-Star Game MVP, won 1 Most Valuable Player Award and he is a four-time NBA champion and a three-time Finals MVP during his illustrious 19-year career that spanned on 3 decades.
He was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft coming out of a dominant college career playing for LSU. He was immediately thrusted forward as the face of the franchise that was in need of a superstar to carry their brand.
On his rookie year, he had a season for the ages. He recorded an average of 24 points and 14 rebounds per game, earning him a spot as an All-Star starter which is a rare occurence for rookies to acconplish. He won the Rookie of the Year award and on his Orlando tenure, the team reached heights that they never reached before with Shaq along with his co-star in Penny Hardaway and competed in the playoffs againts great teams such as the Micheal Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.
The Orlando Magic achieved a great feat that will always be remembered; they are one of the teams who can say had stopped Jordan and the Bulls from going to the NBA Finals after Jordan’s return from his basketball hiatus on 1994. They proceeded to enter the 1994 NBA Finals but was bested by another great bigman in Hakeem Olajuwon and they lost to the Houston Rockets in a four-game sweep.
On the 1996 NBA offseason, after an ugly exit with Orlando, Shaq joined the Los Angeles Lakers on a 7 year 120 million dollar contract while he was competing in the 1996 Olympics. It was during his time in LA that Shaq became one of the best centers ever and solidified himself into the Hall of Fame.
Together with his co-superstar in Los Angeles Guard Kobe Bryant, they formed one of the best duos of all time and proceeded to win three championships in a row, accomplishing the vaulted three-peat that to this day was not yet replicated by any team of the modern era. Together with players like Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Rick Fox and under the tutelage of the great Phil Jackson as coach, they dispatched the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets and Shaq proceeded to win the Finals MVP with averages of 35 points and 14 rebounds. He also won the 2000 MVP award and was one of the few MVPs who should’ve had unanimous votes in the MVP voting award. Unfortunately, chemistry issues between Shaq and Kobe began and soon their partnership was dismantled as Shaq left for Miami Heat on 2004. He claimed that it was Kobe that kicked him out of the Lakers.
Shaq was already out of his prime but was still a productive player when he won his fourth championship, joining the rising guard Dwyane Wade and beating the favored Dallas Mavericks on the 2006 NBA Finals with averages of 14 points per game. He joined Alonzo Mourning to form a bruising froncourt thay stifled the Maverick’s big men during the series and was proud that he had 4 rings to Kobe’s 3 before the latter proceeded to win 2 more to edge Shaq in that category. After his stint in Miami, he bounced around in the league as a journeyman and even became teamates with Cavaliers forward Lebron James before retiring for good during the 2011 NBA season.
So why was Shaquille O’Neal the top 10 player of all time? It could be argued that he must be higher on this list but the players ahead of him in my personal rankings that had longevity, accolades, trophies and statistical marvels that edgs outweighs the legendary Shaq. It was always a thought that he could have done more in the game given his otherwordly talent, which was absurd considering the acconplishments he achieved during his legendary career. He will always be the most dominant center ever and he was already inducted into the Hall Of Fame.
He will always be remembered as the player every big man feared the most during his primetime.
A Kunyareng Sports Journalist's Blog 