It's not as if Shaquille O'Neal needed another moniker to add to his seemingly endless number of nicknames, but following Monday's announcement in Houston, basketball fans can now refer to the lovable 7-foot-1 giant as "The Big Hall of Famer."
There was never any doubt that O'Neal was going to one day find himself gracing the hallowed halls of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Very few players in NBA history can match his credentials, and even fewer can say they left a footprint on the game as large as his size-22 tracks.
O'Neal had charisma oozing out of every orifice in his body. Whether or not you respected his somewhat arrogant and overconfident demeanor, you couldn't help but be drawn to everything he did on the hardwood, followed by everything he said on the microphone. Sure, he thought awfully high of himself, but he had every reason to, and he conveyed it in a way that it never became bothersome.
He was an entertaining fella who was just looking to have some fun.
His legacy isn't defined by catchy one-liners, though. Simply put, O'Neal was an unstoppable force of a man during his 19 seasons in the league, placing himself high atop the hierarchy of great centers with the likes of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
At a colossal 325 pounds, O'Neal was a tank in the paint who had little trouble getting what he wanted around the rim. His game was catered to his power, yes, but even at his size, the 15-time All-Star moved as if he were 100 pounds lighter during his prime years, astonishing those fortunate enough to catch him in action.
Selected first overall by the Orlando Magic in 1992, O'Neal spent his first four seasons as a professional out of LSU with the franchise before heading to the City of Angels to join the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 1996. It was at Staples Center, under the tutelage of head coach Phil Jackson and alongside megastar teammate Kobe Bryant, where O'Neal began accumulating some serious hardware, including three straight championships from 2000-02.
He added a fourth Larry O'Brian trophy to his mantle as a member of the Miami Heat before concluding his career with short stints with the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. It was during his time in Los Angeles, though, when O'Neal found most of his success.
Shaquille O'Neal's Career Numbers
| Games | MPG | PPG | FG% | RPG | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1207 | 34.7 | 23.7 | 58.2 | 10.9 | 2.3 |
Being revered and respected was extremely important to him. O'Neal understood that if he didn't start winning titles, he was just going to remembered as another big guy who had every opportunity in front of him to be one of the greats, but just couldn't get the job done when it mattered most.
Teaming up with Bryant, Penny Hardaway, and Dwyane Wade along the way certainly helped O'Neal in his quest, as he formed dynamic duos with high-profile guards who could carry the load offensively when defenders swarmed in on him down low. Everyone needs a helping hand along the way, and the quality of talent he had surrounding him shouldn't put an asterisk next to anything he's done. Michael had Scottie, Magic had Kareem, and Shaq had (most notably) Kobe.
The Hall of Fame cut the wait time from five seasons to four before retired players could be enshrined, allowing candidates like O'Neal to potentially get in a year earlier.
O'Neal was always going to get his due, whether it was this year or next. The Basketball Hall of Fame is where he belongs, where he deserves to be, and where he'll forever be remembered.
