Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O’Neal is on the verge of entering his 17th season in the NBA and even though he is not as dominant as he used to be, Shaq still considers himself to be the best center in the game.
“Because I’ve done the most,” O’Neal said. “I’m not worried about guys winning dunk contests and doing stuff like that. You still have to outdo the shogun to become the shogun. When I leave, it’ll be because my time is up, not because someone is outplaying me or someone has done more than me. The only one who has even done close, and I don’t really consider him a center, is Mr. (Tim) Duncan. Any other center, the things that they have done, I invented.”
Shaq also mentioned that he told Suns General Manager Steve Kerr that he would be fine with getting nights off (especially on back-to-back nights) but that he would not ask for any himself. Last season, O’Neal tied with Amare Stoudemire for the second most fouls per game in the NBA and as a result, he is now more concerned about staying in games. Some critics believe that the the reason why Shaq is getting more fouls than usual is a result of him slowing down due to his age.
“I really didn’t start winning until I started losing my lift. When I was doing all the spectacular (stuff), I was going home early, too. The day I got 30 and 31, started losing my lift and started getting smarter, that’s when I started winning. Jumping high and being exciting is not going to get you a win. It may get you some press, but it’s not going to get you where the shogun is at.”