Video: Shaquille O’Neal Dancing With His Sons

Shaquille O’Neal of the Phoenix Suns has set a date for his retirement, that doesn’t mean we won’t see the Big Fella around. Thanks to YouTube and Shaq’s love of the spotlight we’ll be seeing things like Shaq dancing with his kids 20 years from now.It’s good to see that even though the Diesel’s running [...]

Shaq Calls Himself “The Black Michael Phelps”

Some of you may be looking forward to Shaquille O’Neal’s retirement. I, however, am not.

I’ll be enjoying every minute of the final two years (?) because of sound bites like this. Interviewed yesterday about Phoenix Suns training camp in Tucson, Shaq shares that some members of the University of Arizona women’s swim team challenged him to a race.

“I told her I was the black Michael Phelps.”

No report on whether Shaq won the race, but I’d pay good money to see O’Neal attempting the butterfly.

HT: The Sports Culture

The 1990’s All Magic Team

G: Nick AndersonG: Penny HardawayF: Dennis ScottF: Horace GrantC: Shaquille O’NealAnd off the bench …Scott SkilesRony SeikalyDarrell ArmstrongDonald RoyalNot much depth because their best players actually stuck around. Shows how valuable the Florida tax break is. Hey, why do you think Shaq has played for both teams in the state?

Just 735 Shopping Days Left Until The Big Cactus Retires

“ESPN.com” reported Thursday that Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal has told an Orlando TV station he has already decided on his retirement date from the Association. The most dominant big man of his generation told News 13 “My basketball career will be over in 735 days. And being an educated man, I’ve always had things to fall back on. So one of my options is law enforcement.”

Lighten Up, Overeaters. This 7-Foot Giant Is in Touch With His Inner Child.

Shaquille O’Neal, the 325-pound, 7-foot-1 center for the Miami Heat, takes on obesity in his own way on ABC tonight, but not to pontificate.

Blue Chips (1994) A white basketball coach illegally recruits black players.

How Tall Will Your Child Be?

Think your kids are growing at an alarming rate?

Oprah’s got a 13-year old who’s 7 foot 3 coming on her show… She’s hooking him up Shaq’s hand me downs.  His mom is kicking out 150 bucks for a pair of jeans and $800 for special orthopedic shoes.

So — how tall will your child be?

Here’s the formula from Babyzone.com:

To calculate your son’s genetic potential, take Mom’s height plus 5 inches and add Dad’s height. Now average the two. For example, if Dad is 5′ 10″ and Mom is 5′ 3″ you would take 5′ 10″ and 5′ 3″ plus 5″ (or 5′ 8″) and divide that answer by two. The average of 5′ 10″ and 5′ 8″ is 5′ 9″. That is your son’s genetic potential.

So:

(Mom’s height + 5 inches) + Dad’s height = Son’s genetic growth potential
2

To calculate your daughter’s genetic potential, take Dad’s height minus 5 inches and add Mom’s height. Now average the two. For example, if Dad is 6′ and Mom is 5′ 2″ you would take 6′ minus 5″ (or 5′ 7″) plus 5′ 2″ and divide that answer in half. The average of 5′ 7″ and 5′ 2″ is 5′ 4½ inches. This would be your daughter’s genetic potential.

So:

(Dad’s height – 5 inches) + Mom’s height = Daughter’s genetic growth potential
2

If the math is tripping you up in feet and inches, these calculations may be easier if you convert all the heights to inches first.

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Also — Nancy and others called to say you can take your child’s height at 2 years old and double it… That will give you their full grown height.

Knicks Add Dan Grunfeld

he New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that free agent guard/forward Dan Grunfeld has been signed to a contract. As per club policy, terms of the deal will not be disclosed.

Big Shot Bob

As a prep for next week’s discussion about who the greatest athlete of the last 20 years is, I wanted to share about one of my favorite athletes (and who I think is a great athlete although many disagree) of all time. Let’s rewind to a little over 6 years ago.

Game 4 of the 2002 Conference Finals. Lakers vs. Kings, Kings leading by 2 with less than 10 seconds to go. If you are a Kings fan, there is only one person on the other team you don’t want shooting the last shot. It’s not the future MVP Kobe. It’s not even the unstoppable monster in the paint known as Shaq. Not Fisher nor George nor Rick Fox (who would want Rick Fox shooting the last shot of the game anyways? Maybe if you’re throwing the season away for high hopes in the lottery…). As the ball gets tipped out after Kobe and Shaq both miss their chance to be the hero, it takes a long hop right into the hands of the 6′10″ forward sitting at the top of the key. He releases the ball with a less than perfect form from behind the arc and at that moment, time slows down. The ball seems to be slowed down by the gaze of 19,000 pairs of eyes, fixated on the orange sphere that flies through the air at one end of the Staples Center. As the ball swishes through the net, Robert Horry becomes an instant legend.

This shot is just one of many that he will eventually have in his career. His ability to hit these types of shots and bring this intangible quality to whatever team he is playing for has allowed him to win 7 championship rings (1 more than Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar and Cousy, and the only player not part of the 1960’s Celtics to win that many rings) and make the playoffs every year of his 16 season career. He also holds the record for most playoff games played (surpassing Abdul-Jabbar in the 2008 playoffs), the most 3 pointers made in NBA Finals games (53, Jordan is 2nd with 42), and the most 3 pointers in a playoff game without missing (7 against the Utah Jazz in 1997). His season averages of 7.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 2.2 apg don’t scream Hall of Fame (HOF), but you cannot deny his ability to make other teams squirm with anxiety whenever he takes the court in a playoff game.

He is the epitome of clutch. When a game comes down to the final seconds, his blood turns into ice and he shoots every shot with a calm that most athletes could never have.

So is he HOF material? Is it really coincidence that he won 7 championships with 3 different teams? Did he just get lucky? I’m not saying that Robert Horry was THE reason why those teams won the championship, but I believe you cannot call it a coincidence either. The 1960s Celtics were just a dominant team that was playing in an era where no one was able to challenge them. To win that many championships in the league today while changing teams, where the draft and talent levels has leveled the playing field, is an incredible feat. I’m not arguing that he should be in the HOF next to Jordan, Russell and Chamberlain when he retires, but I think they should make a new wing for players like Horry. For admission into that part of the HOF, you must meet the following criteria:

1) Win at least 3 championships on 2 different teams (if you win 3 on one team or 2 on two teams, you’re not in yet)

2) Hit at least 3 game winning or game changing shots (not an exact science, but you’ll be able to tell that kind of shot by the number of hits on youtube)

3) Make it to the playoffs at least half of the season in your career (self-explanatory)

This would allow players like Posey or Fisher to make it to the hall of fame and become NBA legends, even though their regular season achievements may not warrant it. Although you need a good regular season to make the playoffs, postseason play separates the men from the boys. The people who have this extra gear in May and June deserve to be credited with their ability to step up in the playoffs.

My final point has to be that almost no other athlete has a song written strictly for him/her. Below is one of my favorite videos about Horry that shows the infamous shot I mentioned above as well as other highlights of his career.

I wasn’t sure what to write about for this blog entry, but once again, as always, Robert Horry saved the day (just watch the video and you’ll get it).

P.S. If they ever make a movie about his career, they HAVE to use Will Smith…

Denzel, Shaq As Kids Are New Faces Of Boys Club

WASHINGTON (AP) – Who’s that kid? Denzel Washington, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Martin Sheen, Wesley Clark and Shaquille O’Neal, who attended the Boys & Girls Clubs of America

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