A ShaqFu Farewell - By KD

Perhaps my Daily Rant entitled "Will We (Ever) See Physical Dominance Again?" was a bit premature. Shaquille O'Neal has officially retired, via Twitter yesterday, as the NBA's 5th All-Time leading scorer. Perhaps, he was the greatest player of all-time (just ask Dwight Howard), certainly the most dominant, and had he been fully committed to offseason conditioning, who knows how well he would've been. 19 seasons spent with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics later, the Diesel has finally hung 'em up.

I'm not sure we'll ever see a superstar with the charisma of Shaq ever again. Peyton Manning? Ken Griffey Jr? Sidney Crosby? I don't think they'll ever match what O'Neal did, not only in the NBA, but in the entertainment industry. Even as a statue or an orchestra conductor , better known as Maestro Shamrock, O'Neal could do it all. He appeared in movies "Blue Chips", "Kazaam", and had a cameo in "Space Jam". He delivered some absolute gems behind the mic, and at this point I'm not talking about his rap career.

He had many nicknames throughout his career. Superman. Shaq. Diesel. ShaqFu. Fu Schnickens. The Big Aristotle. Self-proclaimed G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time). The Big Shamrock. The list can go on. He even had a verbal spat a few years back because Dwight Howard infringed upon the Superman moniker that adorns O'Neal's arm. He was so big that he changed the game. His rookie year, playing against Robert Parish and Kevin McHale on the Celtics, O'Neal threw down a power dunk over the Chief. On the way back down the court Parish said to McHale, "It's probably time we hang 'em up". Not a bad impression for a rookie to make as a Hall of Famer.

O'Neal was dominant in Orlando, ripping down backboards and breaking hoop superstructures. He won multiple titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, while rapping all about it afterwards. He won again in Miami alongside Dwyane Wade, bringing the Heat their only NBA Title.

Looking back on his career, the numbers are undoubtedely Hall of Fame worthy. I've summed it up in these 15 points for you:

1) 28,596 points - good for 5th all-time.
2) 13,099 rebounds - 12th all-time.
3) 2,732 blocks - 7th all-time.
4) 23.4 ppg average his first 11 seasons in the NBA.
5) Avreaged 10.7rpg in those 11 seasons.
6) Averaged 29ppg three times throughout his career.
7) Four NBA Championships - 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2006.
8) 3-Time NBA Finals MVP - 2000-2002.
9) NBA MVP - 2000.
10) NBA Rookie of the Year - 1993.
11) 15 All-Star Game Appearances and 3 MVPS.
12) Two-time NBA Scoring Champion - 1995, 2000.
13) Eight appearances on the All-NBA 1st Team.
14) 1994 FIBA World Championship MVP.
15) Must I continue?

Yes, he had some incidents on the court involving: the Houston Rockets, Brad Miller, Charles Barkley, Dennis Rodman, Andrew Bynum, and he took his fighting talents off the hardwood and into the ring against Oscar De La Hoya, and The Big Show on WWE Raw. But that's what made him so great. He could physically dominate anybody, whether in straight up basketball or in street brawling. He could do it lyrically as he rapped about Kobe Bryant, or by producing music videos.

Shaq did it all. He did it on and off the court. He did it for a long, long time, and was at the top of his game, if not the entire NBA, for most of that tenure. He'll be missed by just about everyone in the league, except maybe Kobe, and as Steve Nash said on Twitter last night, I can't wait to see what's next from the Diesel. He'll be at the top of the list of athletes that I tell my kids and grandchildren about. My dad told me stories of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, and the Big Red Machine. He told me tales of Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird. Of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Of Vince Lombardi and the Packers teams of the 60's. Of The Beatles. I think Shaq is the athletic equivalent of our generation to what the Beatles were musically, to our parents generation. And, at 39 years young, he's still got so much left to do.

I'd urge you all to watch a few Shaq highlights, just so you can remember, at least for a day, the most physically dominant athlete of our generation. He was relevant nearly every year of his 19 year career, and my gut says that he'll continue to be relevant well into the future. But, for now, from a basketball perspective, you'll be sorely missed Shaquille O'Neal.

The Daily Rant: Will We Ever See (Physical) Dominance Again?

Last night while I was watching the Magic vs. Hawks game, Dwight Howard put on another show with 33 points and 19 rebounds and threw down some thunderous dunks. Say what you want about Howard's abilities or how much/little improvement he's shown in his offensive game, I think there's one thing we can all agree on. He's the most dominant center the NBA has seen since Shaquille O'Neal's glory days.

With O'Neal on the mend in Boston, I started to wonder if we've seen the last of Shaq. While his roles as Kazaam and Neon Boudreaux (Kazaam and Blue Chips) weren't dominant, his play in the paint for Orlando, Los Angeles, and Miami was. He still showed flashes in Phoenix and Cleveland, and for a time this year, Boston.

My question is, will we ever see someone as physically dominant again? Dwight Howard stands 6'11" and 265lbs. Shaq stood 7'1" 302lbs when he entered the league in 1992 and started ripping down backboards. O'Neal averaged at least 23.4 ppg his first 11 seasons in the NBA, including three times having an average over 29 ppg, and no fewer than 10.7 rebounds per game in those 11 seasons. Has career totals are very impressive as well, averaging 23.7ppg, 10.9rpg, and 2.3bpg, for totals of 28,596 points, 13,099 rebounds, and 2,732 blocks. Respectively those totals are good for 5th, 12th, and 7th all-time.

No one could guard him, and Hakeem Olajuwon stands as the only center who ever really took it to Shaq. Olajuwon hit jumper, fadeaway, and hook after jumper, fadeaway, and hook in the 1995 NBA Finals. That was the zenith of Olajuwon's career while O'Neal's was just starting to peak.

O'Neal will probably be the only 7'1" man capable of driving the entire length of the floor. Don't believe me, watch this. He was able to post-up against anyone. He had a powerful drop step move; he could shoot a hook over you; execute an up and under; or just simply go through you on his way to the rim. He could power 340lbs into the air and thunder home an alley-oop that shook not only the rim, but the entire arena. He took out nearly the entire Rockets team in this brawl, and probably would've ended Brad Miller's life had he connected on this haymaker. He threw around Andrew Bynum, and even wrestled the Big Show. Plain and simple, Shaq was a beast. If he could've learned to shoot foul shots, he'd probably have a shot at overtaking Kareem Adbdul-Jabbar or Karl Malone for 1st or 2nd all-time in points scored.

Yeah, his rap career flopped (Fu Shnickens), and his clothing line, T.W.I.S.M. (The World Is Mine - stolen from Scarface) failed. But, Shaq will remain the most physically imposing athlete of all-time, and I don't think there's a real comparison. Bo Jackson was the most physical and athletic running back I've everseen, and the Giants' Brandon Jacobs stands at 6'4" 264lbs. Frank Thomas was the biggest baseball player I've ever seen standing 6'5" 270lbs, but neither of them were as dominant as O'Neal for as long a stretch of time. Dwight Howard might be close, but I'll always remember Shaq. If this is the last we've seen of him on the hardwood, so be it. He got his rings, he left a legacy, and there's probably evidence of a bloodtrail in the paint on NBA floors around the league. Shaq is a living legend. Seriously, who else could do this? And no, I'm not talking about Mark Madsen dancing. Shaq, if this is the last of you, you'll be missed.

***An update to the Shaq blog, as my roommate gave me this little gem yesterday. Shaq gives the DDT to Sir Charles Barkley. Enjoy!***