He has been a great representative of LSU. I don't know why he deserves being run-down on his own school's board because he wasn't THE greatest to ever play the game. Let's not make him sound like Jamarcus Russell...
Shaq played 19 years with a body frame never seen in any sport. He won a championship in his 15th season playing at a high level. The surgery that was referenced in 2002 was apparently a good decision as it allowed him to win two more championships leading the way as finals MVP. Even though he's like a little kid at times, I have no doubt that Shaq worked hard throughout his career. He was always a great locker room guy and teammates loved him. When he arrived at LSU, he was considered second to Stanley Roberts. Now THAT'S a guy that should have worked harder. You have to be grasping for straws to knock a top five center of all-time.
Shaquille O'Neal made his teams win. With the Magic, he took them to the Finals (Eastern Conference Champs). With the Lakers...well, you know. Then he went to the Heat and won another title. The Celtics success can't be attributed to Shaq, but that's about when father time caught up with him. He made every NBA team that he was on DOMINANT. ...and that's what Shaq's legacy is...the most dominant player to have ever played the game.
actually if you saw the celts first game against the heat when shaq was relatively healthy both teams actually looked a lot different. Shaq clogged up the middle and exposed a huge weakness for the heat. I rarely watch regular season but that was very noticeable from the beginning. If shaq could have stayed semi-healthy i think the celts make it to the finals. Then he would be scaring dirk back to bolivia currently.
When I was a kid, this was absolutely mesmerizing to me: YouTube - shaq breaks backboard‏ and YouTube - NBA Shaquille O'Neal Breaks Basket Again!‏ and YouTube - Shaquille O'neal Shatters Backboard During His Draft Combine‏
C'mon now. It was the TIMING of that surgery that was questionable, right before the season instead of 2 months before. Had they won another ring in 2002-03, it would have been 4 in a row, only done by Bill Russell's Celtics. He won ONE more championship with the Heat, but Wade was the Finals MVP.
