By Alex Kennedy
During halftime of the 2022 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, the NBA honored the legends who are part of 75th-anniversary team.
Following that ceremony, Shaquille OāNeal gave an emotional speech thanking the individuals who helped him become one of the greatest centers in NBA history. He thanked a number of all-time greats including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius āDr. Jā Erving, Magic Johnson, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Jerry West and Kobe Bryant.
Hereās a transcription of Shaqās moving speech (or you can watch the video below):
āMy speech is going to be a little lengthy,ā OāNeal said. āIād like to thank Sgt. Phillip Arthur Harrison. Heās the guy who told me that one day, I would be here. I was a medium-level, high-level juvenile delinquent. I was always told that I would never, ever, ever make it. He convinced me to do well in school ā doing well in school for me was all Cs. I get all Cs and he takes me to Madison Square Garden, and [I see] Dr. J go baseline and throw it down and the crowd goes crazy. I looked at him and said, āSir, this is what I want to be when I grow up.ā His exact words were, āIf you listen to me, Iāll make you one of the most dominant big men ever.ā And he named Bill Russell and he named Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and he named Wilt Chamberlain. And I never knew those names. I knew Dr. J because prior to that, there was a movie called āThe Fish That Saved Pittsburghā and I watched that. I got in trouble in high school for trying to be like Dr. J. and my father said, āNo, I need you to be a big man.ā
āSo here comes another big man, and heās 6-foot-9, flashy, hip-hop and has style: Magic Johnson. I wanted to be like Magic Johnson. I want to thank another guy: Mitch Riles. We played in Germany together [as kids] and he was a white guy; he loved [Larry] Bird, I loved Magic, and we used to have seven-game series every day. We used to fight. Iād also like to thank Floyd McMerchy because when I didnāt make the varsity team, he helped me. Then, Dale Brown comes along and everyone knows that story, but when I get to San Antonio, thatās the guy [who recruited me to LSU]. Iām the best big man in the city and then thereās another guy, David Robinson, who comes to town and I go watch him play and I say, āOh my God, Iām not that good!ā In high school, you know, [weāre] 36-0 and Iām averaging 40 and 22, but I see David Robinson and I go, āOh my God, Iām not that good.ā I wanted to be like Patrick Ewing.
āI wanted to be like all of these guys, and Iām sitting there in the [75th anniversary] photoshoot like, āOh my God, thereās Dr. J! Thereās Magic! Thereās the great Charles Barkley!ā Charles taught me how to be ferocious and not give a damn what anybody said. Throw them bows, knock some teeth out! Once I saw Charles do that, I said, āOkay⦠itās okay to be like this.ā Jerry West helped me become that. When I first came to LA, Iāll admit: I was all about my gold chains, I wanted to do movies, I wanted to do rap albums. He did one thing: He sat me down and the lights went off in The Forum and he said, āMr. OāNeal, when this is all said and done, you can be up there, and [the jerseys of] all of the greats [lit up]. Or, you could be a bust.ā Because Jerry West told me that, I was like, āYou know what? I have big shoes to fill.ā
āKareem Abdul-Jabbar ā I love the man to death, one of the best big men ever. Iām glad he didnāt baby me; Iām glad he told me like it was. I read an article one day that still hurts my heart to this day: Iām averaging 29 and Iām doing my thing in LA, and they say, āHey, Shaqās one of the greatest big men.ā And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says, āHow great is he? He hasnāt won a championship yet.ā Instead of crying and complaining, [I got better]. All of those guys made me persevereĀ and helped me get to this point. Iād like to thank the great Dr. Lucille OāNealā¦
āI donāt really get emotional, but it was a really emotional moment because [there are] all of these guys that are greater than me, and I canāt believe Iām sitting next to them. Even when I look at myself play, I was not as good as Hakeem [Olajuwon]. I was not even as good as Chief (Robert Parish). I was not even as good as Bob McAdoo. But for the people who want to say, āShaquille OāNeal, youāre great,ā I didnāt do it by myself. I did it with all of these guys, all of my teammates ā Dennis Scott, Penny Hardaway⦠What really saddens me about today is that my father couldnāt be there, my sister couldnāt be there and my main man Kobe Bryant couldnāt be there. That, like, really⦠Because a lot of people helped me get there, but those three [were big] ā my dad pushing me, my little sister covering for me, and me and Kobe going back-and-forth and making each other great. It was a great moment for me and a great honor, and if I missed you in the thank youās, I apologize⦠But I want to thank everyone who helped me become who I am. I love you guys and I appreciate you very much.ā
.@SHAQ delivered a powerful, emotional tribute to all of those who inspired him to become one of the most dominant NBA big men ever. @NBAonTNT #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/DzUgKkm0r6
ā TurnerSportsPR (@TurnerSportsPR) February 21, 2022
After Shaq finished, Ernie Johnson summed up what everyone was thinking: āShaq, thatās one of the greatest things Iāve ever heard.ā
OāNeal finished his career with four NBA championships, three Finals MVP awards, an NBA MVP award, 15 All-Star selections, 13 All-NBA selections, a Rookie of the Year award and two scoring titles. The Hall-of-Famer racked up 28,596 points (10th-most in NBA history), 13,099 rebounds (16th-most) and 2,732 blocks (9th-most) throughout his legendary career.
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