1) Shaqploitation: Do you remember Shaq’s Burger King commercial? You know, the one where he throws down a one-handed jam while wearing a Shaft-esque trench coat. Only Shaq could pull that off. “He’s the man who can jam over any man…SHAQ!” Can you dig it? I knew that you could.
2) Shaq’s Godfather Analogy: After arriving to Miami, Shaq described his relationship with the three star guards he had teamed up with. “The difference between those three is the Godfather trilogy. One is Fredo (Penny Hardaway), who was never ready for me to hand it over to him. One is Sonny (Kobe), who will do whatever it takes to be the man, and one is Michael, who if you watch the trilogy, the Godfather hands it over to Michael. So I have no problem handing it over to Dwyane.” No one goes to Vegas and messes with Shaquille.
3) Kazam: I can’t decide if this is something to remember or forget. Shaq doubling as a rapping genie. It must have been 1995
4) Shaq in Black: Shaq’s arrival to Biscayne Bay. O’Neal hopped out of the back of a tractor trailer that was appropriately labeled “Diesel Power.” On his way up the podium, with a water gun in hand, Shaq showered Heat fans that had been waiting in the July sun. The man made an entrance.
5) Nicknames: Shaq. Wilt Chambernezy. Diesel. Superman. Shaq Fu. M.D.E (Most Dominant Ever). The Big Aristotle. The Big Deporter. Shaqtus. The big fella is the only athlete that should ever have license to come up with a nickname.
6) Rapping: Shaq, true to form, loved to drop a few lines. “Hey, Kobe, how does my ass taste?” Priceless.
7) Breaking Backboards: Some probably forget that Shaq used to be a (relatively) skinny kid. When he played for Orlando, he was a true force-of-nature. The man even forced the NBA to put up better supports for the baskets. The one he took down at the Meadowlands Arena caused a long delay.
8) Burning Bridges: Unfortunately, O’Neal tended to go out swinging when he left town. He ditched Orlando for Hollywood and took some shots at Penny on the way out. The Lakers chose Kobe, so Shaq fired shots towards Los Angeles. When things turned sour in Miami, he nailed everyone from Chris Quinn and Ricky Davis to Pat Riley and Wade. He even stole a reality TV show from Steve Nash when he was bolting Phoenix. In his prime, Shaq said he didn’t want to turn into a ring-chasing vagabond, but that’s exactly what he became.
9) The Sacramento Queens: An all-timer from the Diesel. When referring to the possible threat from the rival Kings, Shaq said, “We're not worried about the Sacramento Queens. Not at all. I'm not gonna be doing this all year, going back and forth with them. Nobody cares that we won last year, this is a new year, so we just need to focus on a new year. Like I said, I'm not worried about the Sacramento Queens. Write it down, take a picture, send it to them. I don't care."
10) The alley-oop: The Lakers capped off an impressive, 15-point comeback with a sweet alley-oop from Kobe to Shaq. It’s a moment that will live on through forever.
11) Sheriff Shaq: While he wasn’t policing the basketball court, Shaq liked to fight crime off of it. Hopefully he didn’t plan on patrolling the streets. Couldn’t you see some guy just blow past Shaq with some old lady’s purse?
12) Bye, Stan: The seminal “Godfather” moment of Shaq’s career. Unhappy with the man he later referred to as “The Master of Panic,” Shaq had Van Gundy “whacked.” Popular narrative has Riley looking like the bad guy, but this one was on Shaq.
13) Rings!: Shaq won four of them. At the peak of his powers, he was an unstoppable force and has the hardware to prove it.
14) Shaq Claus: For all of his perceived faults, Shaq was a big kid at heart. At Christmas, he always wore a Santa Claus hat and passed out gifts to kids. I’ll always respect Shaq’s goodwill.
15) L.S.U.: When he eventually graduated from LSU, Shaq dubbed the school “Love Shaq University.” For most, it was the first place we got to see a young O’Neal throw down dunks and grab rebounds.
It certainly wasn’t the last time we saw him. For all of his immense talent, I will remember Shaq the most for his humor. He was one-of-a-kind on and off the court. Thanks for the good times, big fella.
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