No Nickname Necessary: Shaq Retires

Shaquille O’Neal’s presence in Boston could be described in one word: flamboyant.

Arguably one of the most colorful athletes in any sport, the sure-fire Hall of Famer brought his talents to Boston in a season plagued with injuries.

O’Neal came to the Celtics at a heavily discounted price, sacrificing millions offered from multiple NBA teams and overseas, to get one last shot at an NBA title. His flashy personality was shown from his opening press conference, rocking the black tie, to posing as “Shaquetta” on Halloween.

The Big Shamrock brought into Boston was originally described as a “side show” player who couldn’t produce on the court anymore. Shaq immediately silenced doubters in a huge performance against the Heat on opening night in South Beach. A solid seven boards and nine points, emphasized by a booming dunk from a Rajon Rondo assist, shook the American Airlines Arena floor and any notion that Shaq couldn’t perform to a high level. O’Neal started off hot and was thought to have brought a “flash from the past” type play to the veteran Celtics unit.

Shaq played huge through the first half of the season before numerous injuries derailed his season, starting with a February 1 game against the Sacramento Kings with a calf injury. O’Neal played only 16 minutes before leaving the floor in California. He would return to the Garden in Boston for an April 3 tilt with the Detroit Pistons, this time only playing five minutes before injuring his Achilles.

Unable to play most of the second half of the season and the entire first round of the playoffs against the Knicks, Shaq returned against the Miami Heat in the second round. Obviously injured, O’Neal struggled to gain any sort of momentum, coming up limping after playing less than 30 seconds. His inability to move on offense and pick up rotations on defense caused him to play minimal minutes throughout the series.

Overall, his season could be looked at as a disappointment due to the amount of injuries he was hit with and the length of time he took to recover.

If you read his stat line for the season though, you might think otherwise. He shot 67 percent from the field, easily his highest throughout his career. His free throw percentage was the second highest it has been in the previous 10 years—56 percent.

Regardless of Shaq's performance in Boston, his legacy will always be cemented as a showy player that was one of the all-time greatest on the court, but even better off it.

Thanks Shaq, for a hell of an 18 years.

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