Shaquille O Neal

To honor one of my favorite basketball players of all-time, Shaquille O’Neal, who on Wednesday took to Twitter to announce his retirement from the NBA , here is an old-school video of Shaq tearing down the backboard against the Nets in his rookie season. He hasn’t been any good for a couple of years now, but his gregarious personality and his legendary sense of humor will be missed. His rapping skills will not .

His retirement Brian Schmitz Orlando Sentinel You're asking me — a longtime Orlando resident, writer and former Magic season ticket holder — to volunteer a favorite Shaq moment? Are you kidding? This is cruel and unusual punishment, like watching Shaq at the line. I'll tell you a great Shaq moment: Wednesday — when he retired. Orlando no longer has to look at him wearing another jersey. No longer will we be reminded of what never was. After four seasons, he bolted for L.A. in '96, taking the Magic's future with him. Yes, The Greatest Free-Agent Loss in Sports History.

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- It wasn't exactly a surprising annnouncement yesterday that Randy Pfund would succeed Mike Dunleavy as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.After all, Pfund had been a loyal, well-respected assistant under both Pat Riley and Dunleavy for the past seven seasons -- and was popular among the team's players.And the only other person that Lakers management even considered for the position, Kansas' Roy Williams, let it be known from the start that he wasn't interested.But two developments could unfold in the Lakers' orbit in the upcoming months that could be quite surprising:* Shaquille O'Neal could wind up playing for the team.

Only if he gets help K.C. Johnson Chicago Tribune Nobody should be fooled by Dwight Howard's comments and suddenly think loyalty exists in sports again. It doesn't. And if you read Howard's comments closely, he says he plans to stay with the Magic — but needs help. Translated: Better get creative, Otis Smith. The Magic general manager tried to with two bold trades last season. But they didn't really work. The Magic long have been a flawed team and Howard will realize that soon enough.

Shaquille O'Neal should star in one of those home-buying reality TV shows because he sure knows how to trade up to a classier neighborhood. Maybe call it Flip This Career. In yesterday's surprise NBA trade that moved O'Neal from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for star forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks, the biggest winner was O'Neal himself. Approaching 36, he goes from last-place Miami (Southeast Division) to first-place Phoenix (Pacific) in the third move of his career (not counting being drafted)

MIAMI - Shaquille O'Neal is planning and plotting his future. It doesn't include making many more rap albums, dumb movies or doing his own reality TV show. Another few years of basketball and O'Neal, 32, will be ready to fulfill his real dream: running for sheriff in Orlando, Fla. "Everything for me has always fallen in place," O'Neal said before a recent exhibition game there against the Magic. "Play four more years, retire and lock all you bad guys up. Right now, it's just talk, but I'd love to have the opportunity.

The Los Angeles Lakers spent the past five months proving they were capable of learning Phil Jackson's triangle offense, showing that All-Stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant could play nicely together and demonstrating an ability to dominate for weeks on end. Having won 67 of their 82 regular-season games and the grudging respect of their critics, the Lakers are certainly the team to beat when the NBA playoffs begin today. The question is, can they be beaten? In the past 10 years, only five teams that finished the regular season with the best record went on to win the NBA title.

Phil Jackson had heard all the stories about the Los Angeles Lakers being two different teams, one belonging to Shaquille O'Neal and the other to Kobe Bryant. Even before he began coaching them this season, Jackson could tell that by watching the Lakers on television during a year's hiatus at his home in Montana. He knew that getting the two stars to play together would be his most important - and difficult - task. It wasn't just that they needed the ball to showcase their remarkable talents.

Good morning --Shaquille O'Neal -- You should be rested after taking Game 1 off.

The Rockets' Yao Ming (left) guards the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal in the first quarter last night in Houston in the big men's much-anticipated first meeting. O'Neal scored 31 points to Yao's 10, but the Rockets prevailed in overtime, 108-104. (Article, 4c) Shaquille O'Neal 31 points 13 rebounds Yao Ming 10 points 10 rebounds ...........................Assists....Field....Blocks......Minutes ........................................goals O'Neal (Lakers).......4........13-26......0.

To honor one of my favorite basketball players of all-time, Shaquille O’Neal, who on Wednesday took to Twitter to announce his retirement from the NBA , here is an old-school video of Shaq tearing down the backboard against the Nets in his rookie season. He hasn’t been any good for a couple of years now, but his gregarious personality and his legendary sense of humor will be missed. His rapping skills will not .

You loved him in purple and gold in Los Angeles. You missed him when he put on the red, white and black in Miami. You might have lost track when he was the Big Cactus in Phoenix before donning wine and gold in Cleveland, where he was going to "win a ring for the King. " But now … green? Et tu, Shaquille? Yes, Shaquille O'Neal is a Celtic, even if it's not the way it was. He's a role player in the shadow of the Big Three, bound for the bench as soon as Kendrick Perkins is in shape.

Let me introduce to you, the band you've known for all these years ... The Magic? No. 3 in glamour in the Eastern Conference, the new land of titans, it remains to be seen where the Magic will finish in the standings — or, more important, the conference draw. Nevertheless, the Magic start with several advantages: They're younger than the Celtics (but who isn't?). They will have fewer distractions than the Heat (but who won't?). They have Dwight Howard.

Shaquille O'Neal paid for the funeral of a 5-year-old North Carolina girl after being moved by national news coverage of the case of Shaniya Davis , whom police say was kidnapped and killed. The Cavaliers center got in touch with the family to see what he could do to help, a spokeswoman for O'Neal said Thursday. More than 2,000 people attended the girl's funeral Sunday. Her body was found Nov. 16 beside a rural road. Her mother, Antionette Davis , who had reported the child missing six days earlier, is charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution.

Tracy McGrady returned to practice Monday for the first time since undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee in February, but the seven-time All-Star doesn't know when he will play for the Rockets. McGrady said he's "ready to play basketball," but the Rockets aren't so certain. McGrady said the difference of opinion is not a problem, but he's upset people have faulted him for wanting to return now. "Everybody wants to make a big deal that I'm this diva. ... It's crazy," McGrady said.

Michael Kenny hoisted his 4-year-old son Bam-Bam onto his shoulders and waited with anticipation for two of the world's most recognizable athletes - Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Phelps to enter Loyola University's aquatics center. "Put your hands up! Put your hands up!" Kenny urged his young son. "Why?" Bam-Bam asked softly. "You might be on TV," Kenny said with a laugh. A few minutes earlier Kenny and his son were in danger of missing the two athletes go head-to-head in a series of swimming events for O'Neal's new ABC show "Shaq Vs.," which pits the basketball star against athletes in their own sports and airs Sept.

NBA Spurs@Heat 8 p.m. [TNT] Obviously, no one thinks this game can be even remotely competitive. We have the defending NBA champions against a Miami team that is 8-32, on a 14-game losing streak and now without Shaquille O'Neal (hip injury). Actually, the whole entertainment value here is TNT's Charles Barkley.

Shaquille O'Neal vs. Phelps in Baltimore A new ABC sports reality series starring NBA center Shaquille O'Neal will be filming a segment Sunday at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Called "Shaq Vs.," the show pits O'Neal against other top athletes. Sunday's taping will find the wide-bodied O'Neal competing against Baltimore's Olympic champ Michael Phelps in the pool. Members of Meadowbrook, where the pool is housed, were told in an e-mail this week that they would be able to watch the competition - with only the area where the ABC crew is filming closed off. No date has yet been set for the swimming segment with Phelps.

1 Want fries: with that dunk?: Maybe he'll be a Terp, so watch Lance Stephenson in the McDonald's All-American Game (8 p.m., ESPN). 2 World view: The U.S., leading its group, faces Trinidad and Tobago in the final round of World Cup qualifying, in Nashville, Tenn. (7:30 p.m., ESPN2). 3 Quotatious: Maybe Shaquille O'Neal (left) will get a technical for dissing a ref via Twitter during the Suns-Rockets game (10 p.m., ESPN). 4 Ace place: It's like tennis' fifth Grand Slam, and the Sony Ericsson Open from Key Biscayne, Fla., is in the quarterfinals (1 p.m., Comcast SportsNet)