Shaquille O'Neal was the NBA's most dominant player through much of his 19 seasons, winning four championships along the way.
The 7-foot giant benefited by playing beside elite talent, including Kobe Bryant, Penny Hardaway, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade. O'Neal praised the latter as an all-time great, deserving of his upcoming retirement tour.
"Every great, historic player deserves one. D-Wade is a historic player," O'Neal said, according to the Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman. "And there's a lot of barbershop talk of him being the second- or the third-best two-guard in the game. And when you bring his name up, there's nobody even close, as far as three, four, five, six and all that. So he is one of the top two-guards to play the game.
"I'm happy for him that he can have this farewell tour, especially here in Wade County."
Wade announced he will return for "one last dance" with the Miami Heat on Sunday, re-signing for one year. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports the deal is worth the veteran's minimum of $2.4 million.
O'Neal suited up with Wade after being dealt to the Heat in 2004. They reached the NBA Finals in 2006, where they defeated the Dallas Mavericks thanks to some heroics from the superstar guard. He averaged 34.7 points and 7.8 rebounds in the six-game series.
"He's one of the best two-guards to ever play the game," O'Neal continued. "He came in quietly, worked his way up to become one of the best players ever."
"... He wasn't really talked about coming in ... The funny thing is, before I came to Miami, I never knew who he was. I don't think I played against Miami that year, so I'd never seen him, never heard of him and we were out of the playoffs and they were in the playoffs, and like then, 'Who is this kid?' So when it came time for me to make a move, I know I needed somebody who was as good as Kobe or close, that I could bring to the next level. So I chose to come (to Miami). I think it was one of my better business decisions ever."
