# Shaquille O'Neal retires **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 1, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000 "2011-06-01T20:11:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/1 "2011-06-01T20:11:32Z")
[Link](http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Shaquille-O-Neal-announces-retirement-via-Twitte?urn=nba-wp4211) Well, he’s one player who I have followed for his entire career. He’ll be missed. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/2 "2011-06-01T20:13:35Z")
He started playing NBA when I was in 7th grade…he had a LONG career! I guess now he’ll have more time to focus on his films…umm I mean his music…umm I mean his video games…umm, one more season, please? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/3 "2011-06-01T20:47:09Z")
ISn’t Shaq a special deputy sheriff somewhere? Seems like I remember him being interested in law enforcement. Not that he’s going to be hurting for money in retirement or anything. Good for Shaq. I wish him a long and pleasant retirement. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/4 "2011-06-01T20:48:33Z")
Probably belongs in the top 3 or so of the Best Player Ever list. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/5 "2011-06-01T20:57:35Z")
Top 3 ever? That’s a bit steep. But I always enjoyed watching Shaq…especially at the free throw line. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/6 "2011-06-01T21:05:54Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Probably belongs in the top 3 or so of the Best Player Ever list. He’s not even among the top 3 Lakers… ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/7 "2011-06-01T21:15:25Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Probably belongs in the top 3 or so of the Best Player Ever list. Meh, I don’t think so. Definitely one of the top centers, though. Who are the best centers? Wilt Chamberlain Kareem Abdul Jabar Hakeem Bill Russell Maybe then Shaq? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/8 "2011-06-01T21:21:19Z")
I’m a Rockets fan, and I wouldn’t put Hakeem above Shaq. Hakeem was much prettier to watch, but he wasn’t (quite) as completely impossible to stop as Shaq was in his prime. And Shaq’s prime was longer. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/9 "2011-06-01T21:44:45Z")
Top 3 ever? Wouldn’t you have to be able to make an eight foot jump shot to qualify for that? ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/10 "2011-06-01T22:45:33Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > I guess now he’ll have more time to focus on his films…umm I mean his music…umm I mean his video games…umm, one more season, please? Maybe he’ll finally make a sequel to Kazaam. ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/11 "2011-06-01T22:55:23Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > I’m a Rockets fan, and I wouldn’t put Hakeem above Shaq. Hakeem was much prettier to watch, but he wasn’t (quite) as completely impossible to stop as Shaq was in his prime. And Shaq’s prime was longer. But he completely schooled Shaq the one time they met in the Finals. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/12 "2011-06-01T23:02:44Z")
And Father Time is STILL undefeated! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/13 "2011-06-01T23:53:31Z")
One of the best centers and most physically dominant players ever, and the biggest NBA personality to come along since Jordan. Maybe the biggest sports personality since Jordan period- he was bigger than sports. He was breaking down the last few years for sure (and sometimes he was a jerk during that time), but it’s a little amazing to think the NBA is going into a post-Shaq era. [I remember how astonished I was the first time I saw this.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFME30bB7ok) And despite the jokes we all heard about his weight later in his career, the guy had some moves. It also goes without saying he’s the king of nicknames, both for himself and for other players. I’m not sure who the competition is in that category. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/14 "2011-06-01T23:58:06Z")
He retired LAST year. ☹ At least he seemed to enjoy his paid vacation in Boston, even if it only hurt his legacy. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/15 "2011-06-02T00:38:49Z")
If Shaquille O’Neal wanted a paid vacation, he certainly could have found better ways to manage it than by ignoring his team doctor’s advice and rushing back onto the court to play for the Celtics rather than getting surgery. I can’t really stand the guy personally, but the idea that at the tail end of a $300 million, 4-ring, open-and-shut Hall of Famer career, he was dogging it to steal one last $1 million paycheck from the Celtics is pretty insulting. He could have gotten paid more than that just to look into a camera with one eye and say ridiculous things about a couple of products. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/16 "2011-06-02T00:43:37Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > I can’t really stand the guy personally, but the idea that at the tail end of a $300 million, 4-ring, open-and-shut Hall of Famer career, he was dogging it to steal one last $1 million paycheck from the Celtics is pretty insulting. He could have gotten paid more than that just to look into a camera with one eye and say ridiculous things about a couple of products. I read a Sports Illustrated article a few months ago that said Shaq was offered $10 million to go play in Europe. Instead, he signed with the Celtics for pocket lint. It definitely wasn’t about the money. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/17 "2011-06-02T00:43:55Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > He could have gotten paid more than that just to look into a camera with one eye and say ridiculous things about a couple of products. Like the ICY HOT SLEEVE! (Those guys must be crushed today.) And yeah, Shaq definitely did not sign with Boston just to get another paycheck. He could’ve gotten more money from other teams. He was chasing another championship the same way he had been the last few seasons. When he was healthy early this season, it worked pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/18 "2011-06-02T04:57:46Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I read a Sports Illustrated article a few months ago that said Shaq was offered $10 million to go play in Europe. Instead, he signed with the Celtics for pocket lint. It definitely wasn’t about the money. There was a Bill Simmons article on [Espn.com](http://Espn.com) somewhere where he mentioned this. The speculation was that after Kobe’s 5th ring, Shaq wanted to get even. It was a pretty good article, but I can’t find it now ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/19 "2011-06-02T10:32:23Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > There was a Bill Simmons article on [Espn.com](http://Espn.com) somewhere where he mentioned this. The speculation was that after Kobe’s 5th ring, Shaq wanted to get even. When the Lakers won last year, Kobe made a point of saying he now had one more ring than Shaq. Shaq then signed a two-year contract with Boston, so I think it’s pretty clear what he had in mind. I do think Shaq also wanted the biggest possible going-away party with a lot of buildup, but it didn’t play out that way. Incidentally Shaq and Kobe are fifth and sixth on the all-time scoring list. Assuming they play a full season next year and Kobe is healthy, he’ll pass Shaq in the middle of the year. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000/20 "2011-06-02T12:12:38Z")
Hey Shaq: how’s my ass taste? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaquille-oneal-retires/584000.md?page=2)