BOSTON He was a prolific producer of rebounds and record albums. And nicknames, too, as if at 7-foot-1 and 350 pounds he was too big for the simple "Shaq" that made him an instantly recognizable, one-name star in all of his endeavors.
A 15-time All-Star, four-time champion and the 2000 NBA Most Valuable Player, the 39-year-old O'Neal announced his retirement on Twitter on Wednesday after spending most of his 19th season on the Boston Celtics bench, in street clothes because of leg injuries.
Along with a mid-afternoon tweet saying, "im retiring," O'Neal included a link to a 16-second video of him saying, "We did it; 19 years, baby. Thank you very much. That's why I'm telling you first: I'm about to retire. Love you. Talk to you soon."
An inveterate prankster who gave himself a new nickname or several in each of his six NBA cities, O'Neal did not notify his latest team, leaving it wondering about his plans. He played just 37 games this season, the first of a two-year deal at the veteran's minimum salary, making just three brief appearances after Feb. 1.
"He's a giant," commissioner David Stern said Wednesday at the NBA finals in Miami. "He's physically imposing; he has an imposing smile. In the game, he imposed his will, and he has done it for quite a long time. It's been a great run, and we're going to miss him greatly. We hope we can find ways to keep him involved in the game."
O'Neal, 39, retires fifth all-time with 28,596 points, 12th with 13,099 rebounds, and a .582 field goal percentage that is second only to Artis Gilmore among players with more than 2,000 baskets. His free throw percentage of .527 well, now is not the time to dwell on that.
"I'm a little bit sad," said Heat president Pat Riley, who also coached O'Neal when he won a title in Miami and watched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning when they retired. "It's been an honor to be part of coaching great, great players. And he will go down as one of the greatest of all time."
"Shaq not only dominated the game of basketball but also dominated off the court w/ his big personality. Hes 1 of the greatest entertainers," Magic Johnson said. "Thank you Shaq for leading the Lakers to 3 titles. We loved every minute of it!"
O'Neal spent three years at Louisiana State and was the big prize when the Orlando Magic won the 1992 draft lottery and selected him first overall. He took them from the lottery to the playoffs in two years, and then led them to the NBA finals in his third year before they were swept by the Houston Rockets.
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