Shaq Talks Back

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the best basketball players in history. He published an autobiography called Shaq Talks Back. When he played the game of basketball, It was easy to him. He could easily score whenever he wanted too, and got a lot of rebounds. He could a be a funny person, but could also be serious when in game. Shaquille O’Neal inspires me because I love to watch him play. He changed how the sport of basketball was played and the funny thing is he didn’t shoot three pointers. He was a post player and changed the post game with his drop steps and disrespectful dunks on people. Shaquille O’Neal stood as 7’1” and was 324 pounds, so he was a big guy and he was very difficult to guard and try to stop. Shaquille O’neal was one the NBA’s

most prolific scorers and dominant big men of all time.
Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal was born on March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey. His biological parents were Joseph Toney and Lucille O’Neal. Joseph Toney was where he got his basketball background from. Shaq was given his mother’s last name when he was born. Joseph Toney left Shaq from birth. His mother then found a man by the name of Philip Harrison, who had two children of his own when Shaq was two years old. Phil was the one who taught him to play sports just like every other dad did. Shaq met with his biological father when he was ten and they talked and didn’t see him until a long time. If Shaq didn’t have a good relationship with Phil, he believes he wouldn’t have played basketball. Phil told him when he was little “Don’t catch the ball when I throw it.” (O’Neal 8).Shaq believes this is why he had good hands. Shaq was bullied when he went to school because of his height. He could never maintain one school because his family always moved from army base to army base because Phil was in the army. Shaq got into a lot of fights because he was getting made fun of and also got really bad grades. He stopped beating people up when he kicked this kid and had an epileptic seizure. His mom told him he was smart because he had skipped the first grade, but stopped trying when he got to fourth grade. Early in his life he had a hard time finding a job so he watched his siblings for money. When he got to high school, he failed to make the basketball team freshman and sophomore year. He looked up to people in the NBA such as Julius Erving, David Robinson, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Going into senior year, he only got letters from two colleges. He ended up being a Mcdonald’s High School All-American. At the end of his senior year he had letters from many schools and ended up choosing Louisiana State University. After his college year it was time for the pros.
Shaquille O’Neal was the first overall pick in the 1992 draft going to the Orlando Magic.

He signed the largest rookie contract in the history of sports being forty-one million for seven years. He had won Rookie of the Year in 1992. He went to the finals in 1995 losing to the Houston Rockets. When Shaq was a free agent, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers with young star Kobe Bryant. “The last time any of their sports teams had won a title was back in 1988, when the Lakers beat the Pistons in the finals and the Dodgers won the World Series (O’Neal 57). Shaq thought the Lakers were good, but needed a little more help to win a championship. He ended up winning three championships with the Lakers in 2000, 2001, 2002. “When I looked out on the crowd, all of the sudden it hit me: We were Champions.” (O’Neal 245) Shaq was very excited he had won and started crying tears of joy. In 2000, the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers in a 4-2 series. In 2001, the Lakers beat the Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in a 4-1 series. In 2002, the Lakers beat the New Jersey Nets in a 4-0 series. Shaq was the Final’s MVP in all three of these finals. He was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, and a first-round pick in 2004. He won a championship in Miami in 2006 with Dwyane Wade. He then traded to the Phoenix Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. The next season he was then traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, and second-round

pick to play with LeBron James. He was then signed with the Boston Celtics in 2010. Shaquille O’Neal then retired on June 1, 2011.
Shaq was one of the best players to step foot on a basketball court.

Shaq is one of my favorite players to ever play. It was fun to watch him because he was such a dominant player. He has four championship rings, three Finals MVP, and league MVP in 2000. He was a fifteen time All-Star and was on All-NBA first team eight times in his amazing career. His number was also retired on two teams. His number thirty-four was retired on the Los Angeles Lakers and his number thirty-two was retired on the Miami Heat. He is also eighth all-time in scoring, fourteenth all-time in rebounding, and eighth all-time in blocks in NBA history. Shaquille inspires me to do the best I can, even if you don’t have a lot of money. Shaq managed to become a superstar even though he grew up poor and didn’t have many friends. He went through many injuries in his life, such as his knee injury in 2006. He was also the worst free-throw shooter in NBA history. He was so bad that players fouled him on purpose just to send him to the free-throw line. They called it Hack-A-Shaq. He is one of my idols that I look up to and I give him all the respect in the

world.
Shaq as a human being, professional athlete, and a role model, He is an influence to everyone that watched him play. He dedicated so much to his community and the National Basketball Association. He was one of those people who everybody knew, just like Michael Jordan and Lebron James. Shaquille O’Neal knew what is what like to grow up poor and tried to give money and help people who were in his situation. It’s very easy to forget where you came from and who helped you along the way. Shaquille O’Neal has inspired to be a better person and has also taught me a few post moves. Overall, Shaquille O’Neal is a very respectful individual and I give him a lot of respect.