Bronze Statue of Shaquille O’Neal unveiled by
Louisiana State University – NBA Update
Shaquille O’Neal was burly centre – there is no doubt about that.
However he did not weigh as much as the 900 pound bronze statue of himself, which was unveiled at the alma mater Louisiana State University. The legendary NBA centre was visibly delighted at the ceremony and thanked the LSU for
the great honour.
The ceremony was attended by LSU coach Trent Johnson, hundreds of fans, and former players and coaches. The statue depicts a young Shaquille O’Neal performing a two handed dunk at the school's practice facility in Baton Rouge,
La.
O’Neal played for LSU between 1989 and 1992. He was a star attraction at college and a stand out player. During his time with LSU “The Diesel” was a two-time All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year. He was drafted by the
Orlando Magic as the first overall pick in 1992 and started his NBA career.
"I had no idea it was that big because Coach Johnson sent me the email pictures and I thought it was going to be some little thing. I think it's beautiful. It's fabulous," O'Neal said after the ceremony.
He became an NBA legend in a 19 year career that only ended this summer. O’Neal started out with the Orlando Magic and guided them to an NBA Finals. He left to join the Los Angeles Lakers and won three consecutive NBA World Championships
with the franchise, winning the Finals MVP award all three times.
A feud with Kobe Bryant and his high salary demands saw Shaquille leave the Lakers to join the Miami Heat. He won another NBA World Championship playing with Dwyane Wade. O’Neal ended his career with the Boston Celtics playing
with such champion players as Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.
His impact on the game of basketball cannot be understated as Shaq inspired a whole generation of players with his jaw dropping dunks and his powerful game. For the majority of his career opponents failed to stop the big man through
fair means and resorted to fouling him consistently, forcing him to shoot free throws. This gave birth to the term “hack-a-shaq” which has become part of basketball lingo.
O’Neal’s colourful personality and straightforward style have also endeared him to millions of fans. The Diesel also made forays into a wider public forum by doing everything from movies to rapping and many, many commercials.
He has though always remained true to his roots and was very honoured at being recognized by LSU.
“I don’t think anything will compare to it. But I am going to say this a million times, but there could have been a lot of other guys that LSU could have made a statue of. I am just blessed and honoured they chose me. They almost
caught me off guard with how big the statue was. This right here will probably be in the top two moments of my life.”
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