National Basketball League (NBA) Shaquille O’Neal’s reign with the ball
Shaquille O’Neal aka Shaq was drafted as a NBA professional player back in 1992. He is considered to be one of the most dominant players of all time. Shaq is true to what his name means, Shaquille meaning “warrior “in Arabic. Weighing 325 pounds with a towering height of 7 feet 1inches, Shaquille O’Neal started his career by joining the team Orlando Magic (1992-1996) by winning the first pick in the 1992 Lottery; this improved Orlando Magic as a franchise.
Shaquille O’Neal won the NBA Rookie of the year title in 1993. It was the same award that Shaq’s idol Michael Jordon had won it back in 1985. Shaq’s sheer strength and size has aided him a lot throughout his 17-year-career for blocking tie-breaking shots from the opponents to taking rebounds with ease. After serving four years with the Magic’s, he signed as a free agent with Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 which was a real blow to the Orlando franchise. Shaquille and Kobe Bryant have done wonders for the LA Lakers as both players helped the team win three consecutive Championships. Shaquille O’Neal has won many titles over the years. Besides winning the NBA Rookie Award, he got the MVP (Most Valued Player) Award in 1999 and 2000, won the Finals MVP on three occasions along with the All-Star game MVP title on a whopping eight times.
He clashed with Brad Miller in 2002 which resulted into Shaq punching Brad Miller; starting a scuffle between the teams. Shaq had to pay $15,000 fine and was suspended for 3 months. His reputation precedes him as being an extremely ‘cocky’ player due to his robust physical stature.
Year 2004 was his last 365 with the L.A Lakers, rumours being that Shaq ended up getting into a dispute with Kobe Bryant, which resulted in Shaq joining Miami Heat. His reason for joining the Miami Heat was the upcoming star Dwayne Wade. Shaq averaged 22.9 points per game. In the same year, he made also made it to All-Star Team for the 12th time. Shaq and Dwayne’s era began as Shaq promised to win the Championship to his fans and so he did! Shaq and Dwayne played side by side in the 2006 playoffs. They made it to the NBA Finals by eliminating Detroit Pistons in the Conference finals. Playing against Dallas Mavericks in the finals was a bit of a challenge as Avery Johnson was the coach for Dallas Mavericks who had coached 47 games in the playoffs. However, Shaq and Dwayne’s pulled it through by defeating Dallas in 2006 NBA Final and keeping his promise.
In 2008, Shaq was traded by Miami Heat to Phoenix Suns for Marcus Banks and Shawn Marion. His performance at the Phoenix Suns was not so remarkable compared to his previous reign. He stayed with the franchise for a year and was then traded by Phoenix Suns to Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010 for Ben Wallace for $500,000.
The 2010 playoffs were terrible for Shaq as he broke his right thumb which he had to get operated upon. He returned in April to continue playing the season for the Cavaliers but gave an average performance throughout the playoffs. Despite Cleveland Cavaliers being the top seed from the Eastern conference they only made it to the Semi-finals. In the first round, they beat Chicago Bulls but were tipped off by the Boston Celtics in the Conference Semi-finals.
Shaq gave the poorest performance of his life no doubt but is his reign of terror over? Is he too old to play now? Is it about time he retires? Though Shaq’s future seems vague, his fans are still determined and have their fingers crossed and hope that he will make a comeback in 2012 Playoffs.
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