Grab your drinks and raise them up to toast another memorable birthday for the most well-known “big kid” in the world: the NBA’s unstoppable Diesel, Shaquille O’Neal. The celebrated center turns 37 this week, (March 6) although it’s hard to tell with what he’s done this season.
As his career nears its end an impressive 16 years after it started, Shaq has been able to enjoy a public revival in both his game and his image, putting up numbers this year (18 points, 9 rebounds & nearly 2 blocks a game in only 30 minutes) that are higher than in recent memory and treating fans everywhere to his trademark antics along the way.
He’s second in the NBA in shooting percentage this season (61 percent) and has shot a spectacularly efficient 71 percent during his last ten games, including leading his Phoenix Suns to a win with a 45 point, 11 rebound domination of the Toronto Raptors. When Raptors star forward/center Chris Bosh suggested Shaq benefited from favorable officiating, Shaq responded with another of his classic quotes, saying “I heard what [he] said, and that’s strong words coming from the RuPaul of big men. I’m going to do the same thing (in the next meeting) I did before. Make ‘em quit and complain. It’s what I do.”
Who else but Shaq can get away with comically reducing a three-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist into a cross-dresser? Who else has websites dedicated to their endless array of quotables and try and name any other superstar who gets on his Twitter and invites his fans to meet him for a free lunch? Those are just some of his recent highlights, and it hasn’t been restricted to off the court.
Shaq the Thespian/Musician.
After the Raptors game his recent tear was capped off with 33 points and seven rebounds in a huge win over the league-leading Los Angeles Lakers. The 78 point two-game total was his highest since 2004 and added more historic marks to his resume as he became only the third player ever to score 40 points with four different teams and joined Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Alex English as the only players in NBA history over 35 to score at least 33 points in consecutive games. Oh yeah, he’s shooting a career high 60 + percent clip at the free throw line this season.
That isn’t a surprise, because when it comes to sports figures that are larger than the leagues they play for, few come with an image as unique and instantly recognizable as Shaq. Standing in at a physically imposing 7 feet 1 inch and weighing anywhere from his listed 325 to 340 plus pounds, the man known as the original NBA Superman and countless other monikers is quite a sight to behold.
Despite his large frame, most of his legendary status has always come from more than just the enormous footprint created by his size 23 sneakers. Shaq’s legacy entails the up and down career of a true giant in the game, from his physical dominance of the league to the surprising quickness and athleticism he possessed for a man of his size. His numbers are what cemented his place among the best big men of all time (with scoring, rebounding and block totals among the top 15 in league history), but it’s his inimitable personality that truly separates him from other greats. He’s been a rapper, movie star actor, spokesman, a Scrabble champion, out-danced LeBron and Dwight and is an all around unforgettable comedic presence. That charisma was missing from last year’s All-Star festivities and has turned out to be a timely asset to the association this year.
With the NBA facing the harsh realities of the global economic crisis, rapidly declining attendance and a turbulent situation for the host Suns during All-Star weekend, Shaq was able to instantly grab everyone’s attention with a memorable pre-game dance performance with The Jabbawockeez. He continued the night with a signature posterization of his would-be SuperCenter successor Dwight Howard and by collecting his third All-Star game MVP award. For one day during that weekend, Shaq did what he is quite possibly most loved for; he took control of the moment and gave another “Shaqtastic” performance.
It was evident from watching the fans and players at that game and most of this year that everyone in the NBA universe knows it’ll be losing a special figure when Shaq retires. People seem to be trying to soak up the best of him while he’s still around.
Shaq as Elvis. Possible after-retirement gig?
However, his “don’t call it a comeback” tour hasn’t gone without critics. They said he wouldn’t consistently contribute, that he was going to get injured or didn’t play in enough back to back games, but it’s hard to argue with his output as we near the 60th game of the year. He’s played in 52 and the Suns have a 32-20 record with him. They are less than two games out of the playoffs in a season that has seen them introduce two different coaches and desperately struggle to keep their window of opportunity open. With Amare Stoudemire lost for the stretch run and Steve Nash nursing several nagging injuries, Shaq’s role is more important than ever.
Granted he’s had his bad moments through the years, from his fitness issues to public dissing of former teammates and his infamous freestyle asking Kobe Bryant to describe a taste not fit to print. But none of it can overshadow the positives he contributed and he doesn’t seem to care much what his naysayers think anyway. “I never really worry about what Earthlings say,” Shaq recently said. “I know what I have to do. I know what I want to accomplish.”
They don’t make centers quite like Shaq, not now or in the past. To use his own recent words, “I think I’m the only player who looks at each and every center in the league and says, ‘That’s barbecue chicken down there.’” Like he told an ABC reporter after the win over the Lakers, “It’s what I do. I’ve been doing it since 1992. If you don’t believe it, Google me.”
Go ahead and give it a try. When the results pop up and you see the more than 27,000 points, 12,000 rebounds, 2,600 blocks, four championships, 15 All-Star selections, one regular season and three All-Star MVP awards, the Rookie of the Year trophy and a career that started in 1992 with 24 points and 14 rebounds a game and still collects 18 and 9 sixteen years later, it’s hard to disagree.
- Will.
