Dude...Shaq is freakin' awesome.

I saw an "Icy-hot" commercial a couple of minutes ago with Shaq in it throwin' down some dunks and I thought to myself: 'He's the best center I have ever seen play basketball'. And it's true. I'm only 22, so I did not get to see Moses, Kareem, Wilt, Bill Russell and some of the other great centers play so I don't know if I would call him the best center ever, but hes probably top 7 of all time. But this isn't whether he's the best ever, I just want to reflect upon a career that was truly outstanding.

He has really been a catalyst to having your team get deep into the playoffs. He is the main reason those Orlando Magic teams got to the conference and NBA finals from 1993-1996. He is the reason the Lakers won 3 NBA titles in a row and made the playoffs every year he was in Los Angles. Then he gets traded to the Miami Heat and guess what, they win the NBA championship. He has not won since 2006 but he seems poised to make a serious run at a title this season in Cleveland. And he did not beat teams with a nice 15-foot jumper or being deadly from the free throw line. He beat you because you simply do not have an answer for a 7 foot 2 inch 330 pound dude with an attitude.

The fact that he has only won ONE league MVP baffles me, he should have won at least 2 or 3. His stats are nauseating.

• 15 All-Star Appearances
• 2x Scoring Champ
• 3x Finals MVP
• 8x 1st Team All-NBA
• '99-'01 NBA MVP
• 24.2 Points Per Game, 19th All time
• 28,181 Career points, 1st among actives, 5th All-Time
• 11.1 Rebounds per game
• 2,684 Blocks, 7th All-Time
• 12,893 Career Rebounds, 14th All-Time

Shaq was awesome and I really loved watching this guy play, except for when he beat the living crap out of my 76ers in 2001. Other than that, I have loved his dominance and I am just really glad I have never had to defend him.