Shaquille O’Neal announced his retirement Wednesday. He was for all intents and purposes the most dominant center in my lifetime. Shaq came into the league as the number one overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft to the Orlando Magic and didn’t disappoint (just check out some Youtube videos of Shaq’s time with the Magic). Within two years, he had led the Magic, with the help of Penny Hardaway, to the NBA Finals where he lost to another all-time great center, Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. Shaq finished his career ranked in the top 15 in points (fifth), blocks (seventh), rebounds (twelfth), and field goal percentage (second), which, of course, are the most important statistics when categorizing centers in the NBA. When compared to all centers Shaq ranked third in points, seventh in blocks, tenth in rebounds and second in field goal percentage. Shaq was one of the best players in NBA history. Personally I have him as the third best center of all-time behind, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-jabbar and just in front of Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Bill Russell. I know that some people will want to crucify me for putting Bill Russell so low on this list, but I just don’t see how playing with a team full of Hall of Fame players to win eleven championships should make Russell a better player than Shaq. Also, Russell was a bad free throw shooter, which is Shaq-haters biggest knock against him, and he also was not a good scorer, averaging only 15 points and shooting .440 from the field. That’s not impressive. Hence Shaq’s higher placement on the all-time list.
Now, despite all of this, Shaq’s career was still somewhat of a disappointment. His raw size and athleticism may never be duplicated in the NBA. When he came into the league he measured 7’1” and 303 pounds with a 7’7” wingspan and an incredible 36” vertical leap. Shaq showcased that wonderful talent in his first ten years in the league, reaching his apex in 2000 when he was voted Most Valuable Player and winning three championships with the Lakers and one with the Heat. Honestly, it should have been more, especially considering the talent that played alongside of him.
Shaq never learned to take care of his body. After his MVP season in 2000, Shaq only averaged nearly 20 games missed every season. Jared Dudley gave a little insight into Shaq’s work disciplinary habits via twitter when he said that he lost wait after Shaq left because he stopped going to eat chicken and waffles before plane rides. In another tweet Dudley reminisces about the times where Shaq would make the rest of his teammates rehearse their starting lineup introductions, which needed to be perfect, according to Shaq. His increasing size contributed to foot and toe problems. Shaq also never put in the time to master his free throw shooting. He was a career 52.7% free throw shooter. Shaq claimed that he made them when they mattered most, which isn’t really true since his average dropped to 50.4% during his career in the playoffs. With work, Shaq could have been inarguably the most dominant force the game of basketball has ever seen, a true unstoppable player.
The what-could-have-beens of Shaq’s career may not be any more apparent than they are to Suns fans. Shaq was the first major step in the downfall of the “seven seconds or less” Suns. The Suns traded for Shaq in February of 2008 in part to shore up their defense against Tim Duncan and the Spurs for the playoffs, but also to rid the locker room of Shawn Marion’s whiny, woebegone attitude. When the trade happened the Suns were sitting at first place in the Western Conference. After they acquired Shaq they fell to the sixth seed in the Western Conference and were matched up against their arch nemesis, the San Antonio Spurs. Suffice it to say, the trade did not bear the intended fruits of a playoff win against the Spurs. The next year Shaq gave an inspired effort by playing in 75 games and averaging 17.8 points while making the All-Star Game which was held in Phoenix. Unfortunately, the highlight of his time in Phoenix was when he was introduced to the crowd at the All-Star game and danced with the Jabbawockeez.
Even as the first step in a painful process that saw the Suns go from championship contenders to lottery team, Shaq still cannot be blamed for what happened. He was brought in to do a job, and the Suns should have known what they were getting when he came over from Miami: an aging star who never showed the Steve Nash-like discipline it took to keep his body at an elite level. It’s no wonder that Shaq and Nash butted heads on more than just on-court philosophy. It’s just too bad for Suns fans that we only got to see the Shaq in the beginning of his twilight years, because an in-shape, motivated Shaq was truly one of the most dominating players to ever play the game.
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