Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 at 3:14 pm  |  108 responses

Video: Shaq Announces Retirement

The Big Fella’s NBA career is over.

Assuming this is real, it appears Shaquille O’Neal’s long and illustrious NBA career is finished.

(H/T: The Basketball Jones)

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  • JTaylor21

    The only problem I have is why Shaq decided that this was the right time to announce his retirement. I mean he had to do it during the NBA finals? I remember a couple years ago, A-Rod was taken behind the woodshed by the media and fans for announcing he was opting out of his contract during the World Series. He was heavily criticized and everyone claimed he was trying to steal the spotlight from the series but Shaq does the same thing and everyone’s praising him. Talk about a double standard.

  • robb

    @nbk tell your cousin how Hakeem Olajuwon whopped his @ss in 1994′s finals.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Robb I am aware of everything major in the NBA since atleast 1990, don’t worry my cousin is no longer an ignorant little idiot. he’s just an idiot

  • fruizm

    haha hes so sick….after hes done talking, the camera shows the window…and it appears to me it is a big lake outside shaqs house!!

  • robb

    @nbk tell your cousin how Hakeem Olajuwon whopped his @ss in 1995′s finals.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Cheryl

    Damn, if you guys “grew up” on Shaq, I’m too f^kin old to be hanging out here. Good luck, Big. Enjoy your retirement. Will be looking out for your next move.

  • ripslam

    Good for him.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    You and Eboy are old as dirt Cheryl. I thought that was established a while back.

  • Halo

    The Brett Favre of basketball

  • http://fkjslf.com Jukai

    Everyone is talking about Shaq’s haydays. You know the thing that impressed me most about Shaq? 19-years in the NBA, contributing in all of them. I don’t know about everyone else, I figured he’d be gone half a decade ago. Dude’s a warrior and deserves all the recognition he got.

  • Khalid Salaam

    btw, Dream didn’t exactly whoop anything. Shaq’s averages for the series–
    28 (59.5% shooting), 12.5 rebounds, and 6. Shaq gave him a fair one even at Dreams peak….. Another oft-forgotten Shaq fact–three-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team member (1999-00, 2000-01 and 2002-03…do the knowledge fakers

  • Stainless

    saddest news of the day, but jay triano isn’t going to be head coach of the raps so i guess its all good.

  • SikhWitIt

    Now he can get rid of “that other guy” on “Inside the NBA.” Thanks for the memories big fella; I feel sorry for these young guys who never got to see Orlando/L.A. Shaq. The Golden Days will officially be over when J. Kidd retires.

  • HAMMER

    Did somebody seriously just bring A-Rod n2 this convo? Haha! F√¢k A-Rod. Mark Whalberg shoulda shot him. Haha!

  • http://slamonline.com Chris O’Leary

    Most Dominant Entertainer. Shaq4ever.

  • S_kemp

    An absolute monster and one of the best things to ever happen to the NBA- Stern should give him a 500million golden handshake…look after yourself big guy stay away from the donuts!!!

  • shuref00t

    Damn, time flies! I remember watching Shaq getting drafted out of LSU. His was the first NBA jersey I ever had. He’ll definitely be missed.

  • fizzbucket

    Thanks for 19 great years, big fella.

  • http://slamonline.com Tracy

    Shaq’s retirement=The day we never wanted to see happen,but the day we knew would happen sooner rather then later. Real talk though, Y’all gotta do a Shaq commemorative cover with his best moments, player opinions, etc. The NBA lost it’s greatest entertainer.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Ha, a coworker of mine just said Shaq’s retiring, so the Celtics are gonna go get Dwight Howard.
    Yeah…sure.

  • Vince5

    LONG…..LIVE…..THE BIG ARISTOTLE!!!!!!!!

  • Double J

    anybody else been out to nba.com and seen their shaq pole? who the hell thinks shaq is not in the top 5? 24% of them polling idiots thinks he’s no better than top 10… who better than shaq at center? Wilt, Russell, Kareem… ?

  • http://www.fiba.com Darksaber

    So long, little warrior.
    You will be missed.

  • add

    it’s always sad to see one of the GOATs retire but he had one of the best careers and established himself as one of the best centers of all time

  • DRob

    If Shaq played in any other era of NBA basketball, he would be dominant. If he played during Wilt’s time, when Big Men were by default no. 1 on offense; and guards(point or shooting) were obligated to dish to Big man on almost every possession….Shaq would be considered as the Best Basketball Player of all time….you think guys before or after Shaq’s time could handle him…make em all look like CHumps…

    Ppl are searching for the next Jordan…forget that, I want the next Shaq!!!

  • http://twitter.com/smileyoufckers Bryan

    The worst part is that he stayed around long enough for people to forget how great he was. That he stayed around long enough for a guy with 65% of his ability to steal his nickname. This was Dwight Howard’s best season and it wasn’t even as good as Shaq’s rookie season, individually. Respect.

  • http://itsahardwoodlife.blogspot.com omphalos

    I hope Shaq goes the “Dream” route and gives lessons to aspiring young Cs. Maybe he could teach Dwight how to really be Superman.

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    Shaq had a good career, but people acting like he was a force of nature for a long time are kidding themselve. Yes he was the leader of the Lakers and won three straight rings with Kobe, but before his first ring he flamed out alot and after his last ring as a Laker he flamed out alot. I personally feel his career was way way lower than what it should have been if he concentrated on working out and not waiting till company time to get himself back in shape. I truly feel he costed himself three rings with the Lakers, because of him not staying in shape. People can come up here and hype him up, yes he had a great personality with people on his team, but to only have three and half rings and 1 MVP, and yall call him a force of nature is ludicrous. Also people forget yes he dominated the NBA Finals, because the East had no centers to guard him, so he looked awesome, but please watch the West Finals each year to get to the NBA finals and it is a different story. He is a great player and is behind Russell, Kareem, Wilt and Hakeem on my list of all time centers. If only Shaq was dedicated to his game as he was to making movies like Kazaam. Shaq underachieved in his career and anyone who states he did not are a prisoner of the moment. Shaq stayed to long playing for wack franchises like the Suns, Cavs, Heat and Celtics to chase rings and should have just stayed on the Lakers collected some more rings and became Kobe’s co partner. Sounds more like the BIG DUMMY to me. BOOK IT!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    Come on Seed. I’m a big Kobe fan too, but you’re taking it a little too far. Shaq is Top-10 all-time player; one of the greatest Centers to ever play. That doesn’t look like overachieving to me.

  • http://thosefishtacosarethetits.blogspot.com Chris_Griff_3

    My only response is that both Kareem and Russell were lucky to play when they played, because The Diesel would have dominated both of them. Wilt, too.

    Kareem was taking L’s (and getting swept) every time he played Bill Walton’s Portland team or Moses Malone’s Rockets team. There was a reason he never won a Championship as a Laker until Magic Johnson came along, and even after Magic’s rookie year when a Kareem Lakers team finally won, they still got swept the next year by Malone’s Rockets. Hakeem single-handedly took two Rockets teams to back-to-back Finals, taking home Finals MVP honors each time. Kareem also has 2 Finals MVP awards, his first was with the Bucks in 1970. He never even reached the Finals again until he played next to Magic, who earned 3 Finals MVP awards (James Worthy earned the other). Just a history lesson, mostly for Omar, since he wanted the facts.

    Also, for one of Kareem’s MVP seasons, his Lakers team didn’t even make the Playoffs. I don’t recall Shaq in his prime ever missing the Playoffs.

    Regardless, I’d take Shaq over anybody not named Michael Jordan. Thanks for the career Big Fella. You’re the Rodney Dangerfield of basketball, still get no respect.

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ KB8

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • madterps

    @Khalid Salaam Sweeping the Orlando Magic out of the NBA Finals say otherwise. We’ll all miss the antics of Shaq, but imagine if Shaq actually practiced his free-throws? He’d probably be 2nd in term of points to Kareem.

  • buzzkut

    The notion that Shaq would have dominated Bill Russell is actually laughable.

  • BIGBLUE

    best of luck shaq you were truly the most dominant big man of your generation

  • Jake

    Shaq would have dominated russell. He has 6 inches and 80 lbs on him easily.

  • Heals

    I was hopin he would give it 1 more run. Other than the championship in 08′, the first half of this years Celtics season was as entertaining on and off the court as any I’ve seen. I would’a had no problem being hostage to another season of “wait n’ see” because there was always an unique energy when the Big Fella was in the building…

  • Yesse

    Can’t believe he has retired. Feels like something is missing from the league right now.

  • http://Slamonline BossTerry

    Cosign Jose @3:20.. Shaq was a huge influence to me in my early teenage years (his early years with Orlando). I had his jersey (which I wore about 3 times a week) had the shoes with the pumps, and always lowered my hoop to about 8.5 feet so I could try to dunk like him (tear that effing rim off). Though I am a Laker hater for life, Shaq was no exception, but once he got out of L.A., found it VERY hard to dislike him.. Thank you for a brilliant career Diesel!!!!

  • http://www.stonesthrow.com Michael NZ

    The only NBA I’ve ever known has Shaq in it. Gonna miss him.

  • Towelie

    The Seed: why hasn’t your mother swallowed you yet????

  • JD

    this guy was perhaps the greatest active player in terms of career, gonna miss you shaq, hope we’ll still get some nicknames and opinions of him in the future, he was the first nba player i’d heard of after michael jordan.

  • mj23

    nice place shaq

  • http://slamonline.com Saviour

    I too grew up on Shaq and how he dominated hasn’t been seen since. Those who are basing judgement on stats or highlight videos won’t get it…when this guy was on form he was more unstoppable and game-changing that any other play I’ve ever seen.

  • http://slamonline.com GlobeTrotter

    Thanks for the memories…

  • Mike From Spain

    I also think that for the gifts he had, Shaq underachieved… if he’d kept a better shape, or worked more on his free throws he’d probably got his 5th and 6th ring. I am not sure if it was the best for him to play in fast-paced Suns. In any case, perhaps the best big man of his generation. And I’ll never forget his dance with the Jabbawoockeez in the All Star game :)

  • http://www.slamonline.com Max

    ^^ The suns fixed his career, they have wonder doctors.

  • Hambone

    Superman 1.0

  • http://slamonline.com The Black Rick Kamla

    yo Slam give us a Throwback Thursday of the record “Im Outstanding”……classic golden era ish

  • http://slamonline.com The Black Rick Kamla

    peace and love Shaq, God bless

  • Eddie1

    Damn earlier this year we lost Kobe. Now Shaq. damn.

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