Generally agreed, he was not only a great rep for LSU, but he was also the greatest physical specimen to ever play the game of basketball for sure. That line "I got hurt on company time, so I’ll rehab on company time." is tending toward Jamarcuseque, you must agree. I loved him on every team he played for, except the Celtics, because after all, they're the Celtics.
My most memorable game Shaq played for LSU was against Arizona in 1990... Enjoy.. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG2UBpGcXCI]YouTube - LSU 92 Arizona 82 Shaq Dominates 12/8/1990‏[/ame] Or the triple double vs. Loyola Marymount, Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EfzQvFtlT0&NR=1"]YouTube - Shaquille O'Neal Triple-Double vs Loyola Marymount‏[/ame] It's amazing how athletic he was. It's also amazing how much wear and tear his body took. He was the most hacked player in the history of the NBA other than Alan Iverson. Thank You Shaq.
I don't know the specifics of that particular injury, but often (more times than not) the recommended advice is for an athlete to undergo phsyical therapy or other non-evasive procedures to allow for the injury to heal more naturally. Going under the knife is often the final option. Regardless, most Laker fans had to choose whether to support Shaq or Kobe in the fall-out. I chose to support Shaq and enjoy rooting against Kobe. Phil Jackson even went off on Kobe a bit before coming back. Nothing is wrong with remaining a Laker fan and siding with Kobe but I think you are really reaching with the criticism of Shaq. I don't think anyone on this earth doesn't know that Wade was the finals MVP. Shaq definitely contributed to the championship.
I was 13 yrs old and went to the Arizona game in 1990. 'Zona had that dominant front line (Rooks, Stokes, and B. Williams?) but Shaq outplayed all of them. Then he started doing the cabbage patch after dunking the nail in the coffen. As soon as we got back home, we watched the entire game again and I think Vitale was calling that game. I want to say I remember him saying, "The Big Fella is doing a dance, look at him dance". *Can't see the clip at work but will check it out later
People forget how spectacular Shaq was at LSU playing at 7-1 and under 300 pounds. I once saw him block a shot in the paint, recover it at the top of the key, dribble the court, and do a windmill dunk. I think playing at 350 pounds shortened Shaqs career.
The talking head talk since Shaq tweeted has been about where he ranks with the greatest of all time. The conventional wisdom says: 1. Russell 2. Chamberlain 3. Abdul Jabbar 4. Hakeem 5. Shaq I have a different take: 1. Abdul Jabbar 2. Russell While I agree with Russell ahead of Chamberlain, I move KAJ to the top for a better all-around game. Russell was seen as one of the great shot blocker and rebounders of all time, maybe the greatest, but he was almost a liability on offense. Jabbar really didn't have a weakness to his game. 3. Shaq 4. Chamberlain Two very similar players, both relied on their size and strength to beat their opponents, and didn't develop into more well-rounded players. I give Shaq the nod over Chamberlain because of the overall quality of the position at the time they played. Significant dropoff after Russell in the Wilt era, although I could be under-rating Willis Reed and Nate Thurmond. Shaq had to face Hakeem, Ewing and Robinson (3 HOF'ers) in their prime, along with Mourning and Mutombo. 5. Hakeem 6. Robinson 7. Mikan 8. Moses Malone 9. Bob Lanier 10. Ewing
I like the mctiger list for the most part. I didn't see much of a younger Kareem but the career stats, titles, and MVPs seem to be enough to push him over the top. Russell is the hardest to rate in my opinion because the Celtics organization was so far ahead of everyone else at the time. If Wilt plays for them instead of Russell, do they still win 11 out of 13 championships? The last championship for Russell as a player/coach when they were a big underdog appears to be a huge factor in his status. Living in Houston, most Rockets fans have been arguing that Hakeem should be ahead of Shaq. I think career numbers and accomplishments clearly put Shaq ahead. However, the fact that every possession down the stretch went through Hakeem (either to score or pass) while Shaq often would not get touches late in games is a significant element in the evaluation. Rockets fans always bring up the finals when Hakeem outplayed Shaq although Shaq did put up big numbers in the series. If Nick Anderson hits those FTs in gm 1, Orlando wins and the series could have gone differently.
I wonder where Shaq would rank on the scoring list had he been a good free throw shooter? Back in the hack-a-Shaq days, he would have probably scored 8,000 more points.
good question. I also wonder how much better he would have been if he would have worked out more and took fitness more seriously.
