Shaquille O'Neal, former center for three Los Angeles Lakers championships and current NBA analyst, had his No. 34 jersey retired by the Lakers Tuesday night before their game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Shaq, beloved for his humor and outspoken nature, was openly warm toward Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant, with whom he had a falling out following Los Angeles' NBA Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons in 2004. The Lakers sent O'Neal packing and kept the younger Bryant. O'Neal won another championship in Miami with Dwyane Wade, while Bryant won two more in 2009 and 2010 with Pau Gasol at center.
During the halftime ceremony, the hatchet was clearly buried between the two. Bryant recorded a message that was played in which he said, "Congratulations to you, the most gifted physical specimen I've ever seen play this game with size and agility."
Now, Shaq's Laker "feud" is with current center Dwight Howard, who shares much in common with O'Neal. They both started as physical marvels starring for the Orlando Magic, and Howard even usurped Shaq's "Superman" moniker, donning a cape and emerging from a phone booth en route to winning the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest.
O'Neal has constantly chastised Howard's demeanor on the court and lack of post moves. Tuesday night, when asked if the Lakers would win the title this season, O'Neal turned it into another opportunity to tweak Howard.
"I hope they will but I'm a big-man guy," O'Neal said. "The other guy needs to step into his own."
That "other guy" is Howard, and O'Neal wasn't done with the subject. "I would like to see him average 28 (points) and 10 (rebounds). That's the number that was thrown in my face, 28 and 10, so that's the number I'm always going to throw in his face. "I'm not criticizing the guy; I'm just issuing a challenge. I see a kid with a lot of talent. When I see him averaging 16 or 18 (points), that's not enough for me."
Bryant recorded a triple-double during the game, with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Lakers past the Mavericks. Howard had a nice game, scoring 24 points with 12 rebounds, which likely left Shaq unimpressed.
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