L.A. Lakers: Shaquille O'Neal Was a Giant Among Men

Cue Frank Sinatra's "My Way."

Today, the 39-year-old Shaquille O'Neal hung up his sneakers and called it a career. And what a career it was.

Shaq Diesel amassed 28,596 points, 13,099 rebounds, 2,732 blocks, four championships, three NBA Finals MVP awards, one regular season MVP award, three All-Star Game MVP awards, and was a two-time NBA scoring champion as a center.

The Big Fella was at one point the most dominant player in the game. When he played with the Lakers, he was absolutely unstoppable. Laker game plans were very simple. Get the ball to Shaq and watch him steamroll passed the defense and score.

Shaq's most successful season came in the 1999-2000 season where he scored 29.7 points per game and 13.6 rebounds per game. In the playoffs that season, he did what great players do. He stepped up his game to a higher level against tougher competition. He scored 30.7 points per game and 15.4 rebounds per game in that playoff season. He eventually lead the Lakers to their first championship since 1988 and won his first NBA Finals MVP award.

In fact, Shaq's career average for points and rebounds is higher in the playoffs than in the regular season. This exemplifies his tendency of raising his game when it mattered most. Shaq is truly the greatest big man to play in our generation and he was a marvel to watch.

Shaq may have been injured a lot throughout his career but it really is amazing how long he was able to play given his size. We see guys like Yao Ming and Greg Oden who can't stay healthy at all ever because of their massive builds. But Shaq was able to play and obliterate the competition for years.

Players would hang on Shaq and he would still go up with three guys clinging on him and dunk the ball. It was a joke to think that anyone could guard him.

Teams like Portland tried to implement the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy to stop him. They would simply just foul him to put him on the line to make him shoot free throws because if there was one weakness Shaq had, it was shooting free throws. But none of it ever worked. Shaq and the Lakers dominated the competition and went on to win three straight titles.

Before Dwight Howard became Superman in Orlando, Shaq was Superman. He lead the Orlando Magic to their first NBA Finals appearance. After an unceremonious breakup with the Magic, Shaq signed a lucrative seven-year, $121 million contract with the Lakers. 

Surrounded by budding superstar Kobe Bryant and legendary head coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers opened up Staples Center with three straight titles. One of the most memorable moments from the title years was Game 7 against Portland in the Western Conference Finals.

Kobe Bryant laid up an alley-oop to Shaq, who slammed it down and ran down the court with both arms raised in the air, eyes and mouth wide open as the Lakers completed a comeback and advanced to the NBA Finals.

Unfortunately though, with success comes ego. And when two large egos collide, tension arises. As Kobe developed into a star, the Kobe-Shaq feud started and O'Neal was shipped to Miami where he won another title.

However, Shaq and Kobe have mended their relationship fortunately and the Laker nation is anxiously awaiting to see O'Neal's No. 34 hang from the Staples' rafters.

Shaq is a sure-fire hall of famer and he should be considered as a candidate as the greatest center of all time. People may bring up Kareem or Wilt Chamberlain, but the fact of the matter is they played in generations where players were not as strong as they are today. Shaq had stiffer competition.

Sure Wilt was able to score a 100 points in a game. But if Shaq played in his era, he would probably be able to do that numerous times. His immense size and strength was an unstoppable force.

It's a shame the feud with Kobe cut his career in LA short. The Lakers could have won several more titles if the chemistry between the two legendary players existed.

Nevertheless, Shaquille O'Neal is one of the greatest Lakers of all time and he will forever be remembered for the joy he brought onto Laker fans' faces at the turn of the century and for bringing back Showtime.