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| O'Neal at times seemed to be larger than the game itself. |
A New Jersey native, O'Neal played his college ball at Louisiana State University and won the National Player of the Year Award in 1991 while playing for the Tigers. After playing three seasons at LSU, O'Neal entered the 1992 NBA Draft and was selected with the number one overall pick by the Orlando Magic.
In his rookie season in Orlando, O'Neal was selected to start the All-Star Game in Phoenix, the first rookie to receive that honor since the great Michael Jordan did so in 1985 representing the Chicago Bulls. After averaging 23.4 point per game and 13.9 rebounds that season, he would be voted the '92-'93 Rookie of the Year, becoming the first time Magic players to win the award.
In only his third year in the NBA, O'Neal along with his sidekick Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway led the Magic to their first Finals appearance in franchise history. It was not the magical ending Orlando was hoping for as O'Neal was outplayed by another future Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon and the Magic were swept in four straight games, giving the Houston Rockets their second straight NBA title.
The following year would be his last in Orlando. The Magic won their second straight division title and also reached the Eastern Conference Finals in as many years only to be swept by Jordan's Bulls. O' Neal was set to hit the open market as a free agent for the first time and with a new dynasty building in Chicago and Eastern Conference, he thought his best chance to win was elsewhere and bolted for the West Coast.
Prior to the '96-'97 season O'Neal was wooed by general manager and Laker legend Jerry West to join the Los Angeles Lakers, signing seven-year contract worth $120 million. His first three seasons in Los Angeles were productive making the postseason every year, but had yet to make a Finals appearance since his arrival only escaping the second-round once. That was all about to change with another brilliant move by the Los Angeles GM.
West lured former Bulls head coach Phil Jackson out of hibernation and come to Hollywood paving the way for the next Lakers dynasty. In 2000, O'Neal finally got the bad taste out of his mouth reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since his Magic lost in '95. That same season O'Neal would be named the NBA Most Valuable Player for the first and only time in his career.
With Jackson's championship pedigree, O'Neal's dominating presence in the paint and a young Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles would win three straight NBA titles from '00-'02.
After the final piece of confetti had fallen and the last glass of champagne have been drunk, it got very dark in the City of Angels as their once dynamic duo began to feud. Los Angeles's run at a 4-Feat would come up short in the second-round against the San Antonio Spurs. The younger and more athletic Bryant , whose work ethic has become legendary, felt they needed to work even harder to recapture their title and dethrone the Spurs. O' Neal's thinking was a bit different, claiming they would be just fine and continue their dominance.
It looked that way as Los Angeles would represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals for the fourth time in five years, but Bryant proved to be right.
O'Neal's Lakers would lose to the Detroit Pistons in five games having their dynasty and his time in Los Angeles come to a close. With the then-twenty-four-year-old Bryant was currently saddled with an expiring contract and O'Neal showing signs of aging at thirty-two, the Lakers decided to build their future around the shooting guard trading O'Neal to the Miami Heat. Leaving many to wonder what they may have accomplished if they stayed together.
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| O'Neal, right won his fourth and final NBA title with Wade left, in Miami. |
O'Neal's time away from the top would be short lived. In only his second year teamed up with Dwayne Wade and Pat Riley, the Heat were able to overcome an 0-2 Finals deficit to the Dallas Mavericks and win their first NBA title in franchise history in 2006. The championship was the fourth of O'Neal's career in his six trips to the Finals.
O'Neal would eventually wear out his welcome in South Beach and after playing three and half seasons in Miami he was traded back to the Western Conference joining Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns.
Really his only shining moment as a member of the Suns was in the '09 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix when he was named the game's MVP for the third time in his career sharing the award with Bryant. His final two seasons in the NBA were spent with his fifth and sixth different teams, but they were injury riddled as O'Neal only played 90 regular season games for the Cavaliers and Celtics combined.
Even though O'Neal was heavily criticized throughout his career for not staying in shape there was a method to his madness.
Shaq leaves the game as the fifth leading scorer in NBA history with 28,596 career points. His 58 percent field goal percentage is good enough for second all-time. O'Neal is the only player in NBA history to average 20 point and 10 rebounds for thirteen straight seasons and was a fifteen-time All-Star. That ranks second in NBA history only to Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar's nineteen.
His postseason resume is even more impressive. O'Neal made the postseason in seventeen of his nineteen years in the league reaching the Finals six times. Of the four titles won by O'Neal, he was named the Finals MVP three times.
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| O'Neal, left and former teammate Bryant, right might have accomplished even greater things if they stayed together. |
The Lakers have already stated publicly they will retire his No. 34 jersey eventually, leaving a footprint in our hearts we won't soon forget.
His personality was as big as he was and will truly be missed. Although he may have underachieved with his god given ability, Shaq was second to none during his career and will go down as one of the greatest ever to play the game.
O'Neal will hold his retirement press conference at his home in Isleworth on Friday and can be seen on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.
With diesel gas prices at an average of $3.95 a gallon throughout the United States it was time to park the Big Diesel in the garage for good.
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