Shaquille O'Neal

The Penny Shaq FAQ

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About five years ago, ESPN did a fun documentary called “This Magic Moment” about  the mid-1990s Orlando Magic, led by Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal.  I didn’t really catch this doc at the time but saw it in rerun over the holiday season.  The documentary examines how Orlando almost ruled the NBA and poses the hypothetical question of what would’ve happened had Orlando kept the Shaq/Penny core together.  The doc ends with Shaq and Penny sitting on lounge chairs by a … [Read more...] about The Penny Shaq FAQ

Q&A with Wilt Author Robert Cherry

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Since 2005, when we interviewed Robert Cherry, the author of “Wilt: Larger Than Life,” he has published two books. “Cherry Delight” is a memoir of his family and while, as he points out, neither of his parents ever led the NBA in points or rebounds, they are still worth writing and reading about. The other book is “Living Liberia: Laughter, Love and Folly,” a memoir/travel book of his life as a Peace Corps volunteer in a West African village. He was also asked in 2019 by the Library of Congress … [Read more...] about Q&A with Wilt Author Robert Cherry

Q&A With Jeff Pearlman on Three-Ring Circus, Kobe, Shaq, and More

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On September 22, 2020, Jeff Pearlman released “Thee-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty.”  Jeff is a prolific sports writer who has written books on the 1986 Mets, Walter Payton, the 1990s Cowboys, Brett Favre, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens.  On the basketball side, he wrote the well-received “Showtime” in 2013 about the Magic Johnson Lakers, for which he sat down with me for a fun interview.  The book was a fascinating and detailed account of … [Read more...] about Q&A With Jeff Pearlman on Three-Ring Circus, Kobe, Shaq, and More

The Kobe FAQ

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It’s hard to fully process the terrible circumstances surrounding Kobe Bryant’s death last week.  Yes, there are other tragedies in the world that are worthy of note (as well as eight other people, including young children who died with Kobe) but this was horrid on many levels.  Rather than dwell on this terrible part of his story, I thought this would be a good time to do a detailed FAQ (as we have with a bunch NBA greats who have retired), remembering his story and some of the forgotten … [Read more...] about The Kobe FAQ

Revisiting Shaq’s 1999-00 MVP Voting

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Apparently, even uber-successful stars are just like the rest of us.  They are frustrated by the “what if” moments of life and focus on the regrets.  To that end, on Monday, Shaquille O’Neal told an interviewer that he still detests the only NBA reporter who didn’t vote for Shaq as MVP for the 1999-00 season.  O’Neal called reporter Fred Hickman, “Fred Idiot Hickman” and said that “I hate him.  I don’t need to talk to him.  There’s nothing to apologize about because he destroyed history being a … [Read more...] about Revisiting Shaq’s 1999-00 MVP Voting

Revisting Kobe & Shaq: How Many More Titles Should There Have Been?

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In the depths of the NBA off-season, fans and former players turn their thoughts to the what-ifs.  Specifically, last week, Kobe Bryant, speaking off-the-cuff at a convention in Las Vegas, expressed admiration for Shaquille O’Neal’s ability (“[t]his guy was a force like I have never seen”) but regretted that Shaq didn’t always work as hard as Kobe did.  Bryant opined that “I would’ve had f-------- 12 rings” if O’Neal would have been so dedicated to working hard. These statements woke Shaq, … [Read more...] about Revisting Kobe & Shaq: How Many More Titles Should There Have Been?

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