Shed a Tear for Shaq

I remember when Shaq came on the scene as the big guy on the Orlando Magic. He had the silly rap and the even sillier movies but was quite an admirable player. When he came to Los Angeles to play for my hometown Lakers – I was so pumped! The Big Aristotle was awesome to watch and added to the mystique and legend of the team.

Later, the feuds with Kobe Bryant were quite depressing. The year that the team lost both Phil Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal was one of the low points in the team’s history. I remember feeling very pessimistic about the future… Well, Phil Jackson returned but Shaq did not. I remember that first pre-season game that Phil came back to us. Lucky to be in attendance, I was part of the standing ovation that rejoiced in his homecoming.

As I was perusing the web I came across an article that gave me that sad feeling again. The Miami Heat have lost 14 in a row. The rumblings now are that Shaq should retire instead of “limping through his last years”. At 36, he is definitely ripe for NBA retirement. I can’t help but feel sad, as I have watched the Heat simply because he was there (well, that and I went to college in Florida). He certainly has nothing to lose and is a prime candidate for a successful career in being an NBA analyst. Whatever he decides, he has been an asset to the game and has nothing to be ashamed of!