sportsblogger

   Wondering as to what the headline is hinting towards? Well it appears that Shaquille O’Neal will retire when his contract expires in 2 years. Shaq, who is sort of a shell of his former self, is currently a member of the Phoenix Suns and will likely end his career there.

   What a career it has been for Shaq, 4 NBA Championships in 6 appearances with 3 different teams and the 1999-2000 NBA MVP. Shaq will be remembered most in the NBA for his on-again-off-again feud with former team-mate Lakers G Kobe Bryant.

   The feud between the 2 superstars likely broke up the possibility of many Championships that could have been won by one of the Best tandums the NBA has ever seen. The Shaq and Kobe feud was fueled by the Los Angeles Lakers choice to trade Shaq in 2004 Offseason.

   Enough of the feud, it is time to gush about one of the Most Dominant Centers to ever play the game! Shaq, until recent back and knee problems, was a terror for teams to deal with and cover (ask the Sacramento Kings) and even had a strategy created for him, the “Hack-A-Shaq”.

   The NBA also imposed a rule to help teams deal with Shaqs dominance in the Offensive paint by installing the Offensive 3 second rule. That was the NBA’s attempt to give opposing Centers a chance at defending Shaq, but it still did not work as he delivered 3 Championships to the Lakers and 1 to the Miami Heat.

   Although Shaq has become sort of vilified in Los Angeles after his messy departure from the city, he still returns every Christmas for his “Shaq-a-clause” event for under-privileged children. Though his character has been attacked recently, Shaq is still the media darling he has been since his Rookie season in 1992.

   Shaq will call it a career in 2010, but his impact on the NBA after Michael Jordan retired will be remembered by most who either lived in Los Angeles or by the NBA, who used “The Diesel” to carry the league after Jordan. Personally, I hope that when the contract expires in 2010, he will sign a one day contract with the Lakers and retire with the team.

J.M.Saucedo

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