Since the blog started off with Kobe, it is only logical to continue it with Shaq. Though Shaq and Kobe have played alongside each other for years in Lakers, they still have a conflicting past where they went from being friends to not being able to stand each other. This however, isn’t a blog to highlight their friendship, but rather to dive into the basketball legend Shaq and his life, achievements, and moto.
Shaq was known for being big since high school. In fact Shaq admitted this openly that he was used to using his size to bully people until one day a scary incident happened. One day when Shaq was abusing a guy all of a sudden this person got a panic attack. This left a mark on the conscience of Shaq. When he got back home and told his mother about it, she told him that he is a child gifted with an amazing physique from God; participating in such behaviors he is insulting this gift. Ever since then Shaq changed himself completely. He never bullied a person ever again, using his body to play basketball instead of bullying.
Shaq played basketball for his high school team in San Antonio, Texas, and gathered a lot of attention. He continued to play the sport for Louisiana State University. His performance was so good that in just one year he was able to leave school and join the NBA in 1992. In his very first year in the NBA, he won the Rookie of the year for 1992-1993. In 1994 he won the scoring title and played in the NBA against the Rockets. He made a reputation as the “Big Player ” NBA, weighing more than 300 pounds and standing 7ft 1inch tall. When he was in an offensive position, it was truly impossible to stop him.
One funny thing about Shaq is that he is really bad at shooting. His opponents realized that and started to foul him before he could get too close, causing a free throw. His shots were so bad that in a whole season Shaq would only be seen making a couple of free throws. This tactic of fouling Shaq was famously called the “Hack-a-Shaq”.
In 1996 Shaq and his team won the Olympic gold medal for basketball for the USA and in the same year he joined the Lakers and got to play side by side with Kobe Bryant. Shaq had a hard time playing for the Lakers in the years 1999 to 2000 due to Phil Jackson becoming the new coach of the team. Jackson reshaped Shaq’s game style making him a team player instead of a loner. For the first time you would see Shaq playing defensively. The coach also made him practice on his shooting and rebounding skills which significantly improved his performance.
To Shaq this was a big change; he had transform his mentality by putting the teams before himself. This change, along with a few others, resulted in the Lakers winning in 2001, 2002, and 2003 NBA championship. In the 2000s he went back to his university and completed his studies. In 2004 Kobe and Shaq faced refutes and Shaq was eventually traded to the Miami Heat. Shaq going to Miami Heat, didn’t affect his performance as he won a championship with them in 2006. However, in 2008 he was traded again to the Phoenix Suns, then again to the Clevelander Cavalier. He then left Cavaliers and signed in with the Boston Celtics, but gave up on the sport after an injury in 2010.
All his achievements probably wouldn’t have come to reality if that day Shaq’s mother hadn’t talked to him. He made himself a better person and used his gifts wisely which didn’t only stop the harm he was causing to others, but it also benefited him as a person. Spider-Man says that “with great powers comes great responsibility”, and Shaq understood his responsibility.
Really great content, organization, and media usage! Feel free to add even more (a highlight reel?). Keep up the good work!
I really enjoyed the flow of this biography. I love how he evolves over time from being this bully and instead putting this energy into a sport that made him famous. He had to transition multiple times, first from being a bully to a basketball player, to next from being a solo player to a team player.