The Big Aristotle
Honestly, today is just going to be an explanation of why Shaquille O’Neal is by far my favorite NBA player ever.
First, a list of some of his nicknames (mostly given to him by himself)
- Big Baryshnikov (Mikhail Baryshnikov is one of the best ballet dancers of all time, and Shaq likened his own footwork to Baryshnikov’s)
- Big Fella
- The Diesel
- L.C.L. aka Last Center Left
- M.D.E. aka Most Dominant Ever (he gave himself this nickname after 3 consecutive NBA Finals MVPs including the year he averaged 36 against Utah in the finals)
- Shaq Daddy
- The Big Agave
- The Big Cactus
- The Big Shaqtus
- The Big Shamrock (he briefly played for the Celtics)
- Shaq Fu
- Superman
- Wilt Chamberneezy
- The Big Aristotle — my personal favorite. He earned this in an interview:
For all my friends in the media who like quotes, mark this quote down. From this day on I’d like to be known as ‘The Big Aristotle’ because Aristotle once said, ‘Excellence is not a singular act; it’s a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.’
Other fantastic quotes
That is why one day I said my game will be like the Pythagorean Theorem — hard to figure out. A lot of people really don’t know the Pythagorean Theory. They don’t make them like me anymore. They don’t want to make them like that anymore.
Our offense is like the pythagorean theorem: There is no answer!
There is no answer to the Pythagorean theorem. Well, there is an answer, but by the time you figure it out, I got 40 points, 10 rebounds and then we’re planning for the parade.
If I were a painter, you’d be calling me Shaqcasso.
Because I’m so big, you have to look at me. I think of myself as a monument. But sometimes I like to feel small.
I’m like tax. You’re going to pay one way or the other.
I do what I do. Always.
Me shooting 40% at the foul line is just God’s way to say nobody’s perfect.
Note: Shaq may have been a terrible free throw shooter, but he had a 58% field goal percentage, second all-time. He was 1 for 22 from 3 in his career. Also, free throw percentage was as high as 70 to 80% in practice and claimed his poor free throw shooting in games was all in his head.
Other than that, Shaq typically referred to the Sacramento Kings as the Sacremento Queens and once claimed to not know who Kobe was for months following their beef.
Basketball
Shaq was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in 1992. He played there for 4 years, followed by 8 years with the Lakers, 4 years with the Heat, then 1 year each with the Suns, Cavaliers, and Celtics. Before we get into the stats, let’s learn about how he made his way to LA.
The 1996 offseason featured Shaq as the crown jewel after Michael Jordan signed an extension with the Bulls. His incumbent team, the Magic, had one of the most disasterous offseasons of all time. On the other hand, the Lakers did everything right. The Lakers started by trading a veteran center in return for Kobe Bryant whose contract was smaller than the center whose name no one remembers. Then, they started gunning for Shaq. Realistically, there is absolutely no way that any team other than the Magic should have been able to sign Shaq. They had good, young players (the main one being Penny Hardaway) and would be able to pay Shaq far more than anyone else would. At the time, teams could go over the salary cap to sign returning players without penalty. Other teams, however, would have to stay under the salary cap to sign Shaq. Instead of ending the conversation before it started, Orlando gave him an initial offer that was less lucrative than the deals that people like Juwan Howard were getting.
Then, the team told Shaq his defense and rebounding weren’t even that good and he wasn’t worth the $100 Million he was asking for over 7 years. The local newspaper ran a poll asking fans if Shaq was worth that money, and people overwhelmingly said no. Once the Lakers made cap space and were able to offer Shaq $120 Million over 7 years, the Magic started to feel the pressure. They offered him the money he wanted but refused to give him an opt out at 3 years instead of 4 (really, Orlando?). The low balling and feeling that he was unwanted by the organization and the fans did not compare to the glamour of LA, the future they had built, or the deal he was offered.
It was at that point that the Shaq — Kobe dynasty was born.
Shaq has his share of Championships (4), Finals MVPs (3), All-Star accolades (15), and backboards broken (
).
Random Shaq facts
- Shaq’s stepfather was Muslim and apprently Shaq is too, although he was asked about it and responded “ I’m Muslim, I’m Jewish, I’m Buddhist, I’m everybody ’cause I’m a people person.”
- Among many business ventures, Shaq invests in an eSports company
- He has a Bachelor’s Degree from LSU and an MBA from U of Phoenix
- “Shaq Diesel”, Shaq’s first rap album, is certified platinum
- He has a fighting video game for SNES and Sega Genesis called Shaq Fu
- He has been on countless TV shows, including multiple reality TV shows of his own creation like Shaq VS, in which he competes against other athletes in their own sport
- He was a reserve office for the LAPD, an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshal, and a Sheriff in Jonesboro, Georgia
- He has been in well over a dozen movies, usually playing himself
- He has his own line of sodas
