Shaq Really Needs To Finally Grow Up And Enjoy Retirement

IT’S REALLY PAST TIME FOR SHAQ TO GROW UP AND START ENJOYING HIS RETIREMENT

Full disclosure: I never liked Shaquille O’Neal. Like, ever. And as a fan of basketball, I’m pretty dated these days, which means I remember pretty clearly when Shaq hit the NBA basketball scene as a rookie with the Orlando Magic. I thought he was a grandiose personality at best, and that was just made all the worse when the NBA invested heavily in his superstar commercial persona. That hasn’t changed these days with “Superman” being a TV personality in recent years. But it’s finally, really, actually time for Shaq to grow up (just a little bit would be helpful at this point) and enjoy his retirement as a player.

SHAQ’S INSECURITY ISN’T AGING WELL, AND DISTRACTS FANS FROM TODAY’S NBA GAME

Shaq has always been insecure. He’s a multiple NBA champion and despite all his successes, still needs to feel relevant, even dominant, in a game he can no longer play. His recent comments about how he’d dominate today’s skinny NBA stars Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama came out of left field this week. And I’ve got to say it took me back to everything I hated about Shaq and made it live in the present. Why does he need to do this now? How could he be threatened by contemporary stars who play a totally different game than he did? The answer is: easily and constantly.

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SHAQ’S NEED FOR RELEVANCE TODAY WILL ONLY TARNISH AND DIMINISH WHAT’S LEFT OF HIS LEGACY

And it’s sad, really, because every time Shaq does this, it diminishes his legacy (as flawed as I think that is) and distracts from today’s game and today’s players. And while Shaq isn’t alone as a former NBA player in opening his mouth to create some kind of relevance and copy in both media and social media, he is the biggest. What other heralded as an all-time great former player does this? None. Not Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Dominique Wilkins, Charles Barkley, Vince Carter, etc, etc, etc. All of whom, by the way, would absolutely DOMINATE in today’s game.

And would Shaq dominate in today’s game? Probably, in the few years he had where he could move laterally on defense. Right up until he picks up 2 quick fouls guarding a Wemby or Holmgren, or has to switch off to guard someone smaller. So it’s time for Shaq to enjoy retirement. But even more, it’s time for us to enjoy him retiring his fragile, aging ego. It’s been a long time since the NBA has been stacked with referees making the game easy for him to get his numbers. And rings.