Shaquille O'Neal: Please Retire Now Because You're Embarrassing Yourself
Dear Mr. O'Neal:
You have never met me before, but I implore you to listen to what I have to say. It's not going to be easy for you to hear, but trust me. It has to be said.
Mr. O'Neal, out of respect for both the game and yourself, please...PLEASE...retire from the NBA.
At this point, you are finishing up the first year of a two-year contract you signed with the Boston Celtics last summer. In a backup role, you have averaged a career-low 9.2 points a game and 4.8 rebounds. That isn't the Shaq that fans have come to know and love, and you know it!
I have been a fan of yours since you first burst onto the scene with the Orlando Magic in 1992. Forget about the Derrick Roses and Kevin Durants in the game now. To this day, your rookie campaign was, and still is, the most electrifying I have ever seen.
Honestly, how many players today will average not only 23.4 points and 13.8 rebounds a game, not to mention 3.5 blocks, and put up numbers that match or exceed those for 13 consecutive seasons? In today's guard/forward-friendly game, not many.
The sad truth is, Mr. O'Neal, that the game doesn't allow for your style of play anymore. Today, big men are required to not only be effective in the paint, but also have a good mid-range jump shot.
Take Amare Stoudemire, for example. He is a force on the inside, as he can drive to the basket and draw fouls well, but he can also shoot mid-range jumpers when necessary and, in some cases, a three-pointer.
Don't get me wrong. Your career offensive stats are great. A career average of 23.7 points is nothing to sneeze at, nor is a 58 percent career field goal percentage.
Yet, you achieved most of those stats through short-range hooks, layups and lots and lots of slam dunks. In today's NBA, the types of offenses employed just don't allow for a 7'1", 325-pound man to control the scoring that way, let alone at all. Were that the case, your numbers would not have taken such a strong dive over the past two seasons.
What makes me sad, though, Mr. O'Neal, is that you don't seem to be playing for the love of the game any longer. Rather, as you said to ESPN's Jackie MacMullan, ""If Tim Duncan gets five rings, then that gives some writer the chance to say 'Duncan is the best,' and I can't have that."
So, basically, you're playing because you want to have the same amount of championship rings as Tim Duncan and, though you didn't mention him by name, your ex-Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Kobe Bryant.
Honestly, if that's all you're playing for, then I've just lost a lot of respect for you. The Shaq that my friends and I grew up watching would know when to stop. He would realize that at 39 years old, it was time to hang up his sneakers and enjoy retired life.
You already have four rings and a Hall-of-Fame career. Would one more really mean that much? I think not.
On top of that, has this season really been what you wanted it to be? You have only played in 37 games because of a variety of injuries, the latest being a "right calf strain."
That being said, suppose the Celtics do in fact make the NBA Finals and win a championship. With no guarantee that you'll be able to suit up for the postseason, will you have really earned that fifth championship game? Plus, I don't care how good the Celtics are. There are no guarantees in the playoffs.
So, Mr. O'Neal, I think I've said everything that needs to be said. After a long and successful career, it's time for you to stop making a fool of yourself and retire.
You have nothing left to play for. I'll level with you. Wasn't starring in both Kazaam and Steel enough of a career low point?
Bad movies are things that I can forgive. Heck, I actually enjoyed those movies when I was a kid. Yet, what I can't forgive is a basketball player I once idolized continuing his long-over career for selfish reasons.
Hopefully, if you ever see this letter, you will take its words to heart.
Sincerely,
Josh Benjamin
