It's a Tuesday afternoon in HarlemĀ near Frederick Douglass Boulevard where the youngsters covort, oldheads shoot the dozens, and baby mothers purposefully stroll in what feels like another regular day there. A quick glance at the commotion surrounding the legendary Rucker ParkĀ shows it's not quite. The Entertainers Basketball Classic, a streetball tournament that features the best of the best on the court, is in session and even deeper within the park's confines is the legendary Shaquille O'Neal. He's in town to promote the Reebok Shaqnosis weekend re-release and he's answering a few of the media's questions.
In his baritone voice, O'Neal directly answered questions regarding the anticipation behind the Shaqnosis, his recent comments on Dwight Howard, and the popular "Who would be in your starting five?" Some interesting takeaways are how he equivalates Howard's departure to a kid running home after a sonning at Rucker and how Hakeem OlajuwonĀ was the only person he couldn't intimidate. Check out what the Big Aristotle had to say below:
On the Shaqnosis:
"I donāt know [how the Shaqnosis ranks amongst other signatures]. Thereās a lot of people in the worldā¦LeBron got some hot ones, Kobe, Durant. I know weāre doing a limited amount at Foot Lockerā¦Iām just blessed. Iām 41 and I havenāt played in a few years, but young kids will be wearing them and talking about them so I donāt really Ā complain about much.
If they sell out, that's good. If they donāt, I understand. Iāve never been in the business to outsell this guy or outsell that guy. Thereās enough kicks to go around. A lot of kids stick to one kindā¦[thereās the]Ā Jordans, the Converse Weapons, the Georgetown Hoyas [Nike Terminators]. As long as Iām in that mix, then Iām happy.
When I was coming up, Reebok gave me a chance to have my own sneaker. They didnāt really let me design them, but they let me have a say on the look. I always wanted myself to be different. The first one is different, this one is different, and all the rest of them are different. Luckily, I just had that opportunity. It was always a stigma that big men couldnāt sellā¦but I think kids look at me and they see a little bit of themselves in me. I always tell them, āIām from the same area youāre from, I did the same things you do, I got tatsā¦I got earrings, sag my pants.ā I think Iām that portal from here to there."
Could Dwight Howard be another in a line of great Lakers big men had he stayed?
āI donāt know. Maybe. It depends on what your attitude is like. I knew aboutĀ Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]Ā and Wilt [Chamberlain], but I didnāt want to be threeāwhich either means I got to be either two or one. My thought process was Wilt got two, Kareem got six, so I gotta get in between somebody. I even made the comment last year and they gave me heat about it. In order to get proper respect in Laker land, you have to get three. [Andrew]Ā BynumĀ has two and [Pau]Ā GasolĀ has two, so are you telling me those guys are in the same category? Theyāre not in the same category, so for him to be up there with those names, heād have to get two or three.
āI got a lot of heat the other day about not everybody could handle the bright lights, which is true especially when you ask for it. For example, a lot of people could be wherever theyāre from and say, 'I could play at Rucker Park.' Then when they get crossed and get embarrassed and go back homeā¦you asked to come up here and play and you didnāt produce. So when I say ānot everybody likes those bright lights,ā I mean, not everyone can handle it."
When you came to LA, did you talk to Kareem, Jerry or any of those guys?
"Kareem and Wilt never talked to me...They never said anything. I took it as a 'OK, you donāt know my name, yet'ā and I fed off that. And thatās actually what Iām trying to do with Dwight. Iām actually trying to get Dwight into the āFuck Shaqā mode that got me to step my game up. Thatās what I did. I was averaging 30 points and they never said anything to me. And I was like āOK,ā and after I won the first [NBA title], they still never said nothing to me. Dwight needs to learn how to use criticism as an education. Iām not bashing him, Iām just trying to protect him. Because if he does what I said he should do, nobody can say nothing. Thatās what I always say on TNT, you average 20 and 10. If you average 20 and 10 nobody can say nothing."
His all-time starting five:
āMagic [Johnson]Ā at the 1, [Michael] Jordan at the 2, [Larry] Bird at the 3, [Hakeem Olajuwon]Ā at the 5, and [Charles Barkley] at the 4.
"Hakeemās the only one who I couldnāt intimidate."
I liked him because he was like a dancer on the block. When I watch big men, I hate watching a boring big man. He could go left, right, and slide and put it between his legs. Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] was great, but when I was young, my father almost beat me up for not learning the Sky Hook. I had to tell him itās just boring to me and I donāt want to do that. Luckily, Patrick Ewing was doing the jump hook so I developed that.Ā Kareem was one of the greatest, but I like Hakeem. Hakeem had more stuff on the block."
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