The 5th Anuual All-Around Game Run n Gun Basketball Camp



Brandon Wright



Brian "Penny" Collins

 Looking for a great basketball camp full of experts, NBA players, and professional coaches in the Nashville area this year? Well look no further, as the creators of the Annual Music City Basketball Classic now bring you The 5th Annual All-Around Game Run n Gun Basketball Camp. It will be held at Brentwood Academy June 27th-June 30th for 7th graders and up. This will be the premier basketball camp in all of the mid-state Whether you are a newcomer to the sport or a all-star level player, the All-Around Run and Gun camp is designed to help young basketball players develop athletically and mentally.



Ed Davis



John Jenkins

 The 5th Annual All-Around Game Run n Gun Basketball Camp will feature some of the best talent in the country. The co-hosts for this camp this year will be former North Carolina standout and first-round NBA selection Brandon Wright of the New Jersey Nets and former Belmont Bruin and Whites Creek star Brian ‘Penny” Collins. Also expected in attendance include sharp shooting John Jenkins of Vanderbilt, big man Ed Davis of the Toronto Raptors, Wayne Ellington of the Minnesota Timberwolves, former interim head coach of the University of Tennessee Tony Jones, Gerald Robinson of the University of Georgia, Andre Whitehead of Tnprephoops.com, Carlos Paige of Noomizo.com and Sportaholic blog and many more.

Gerald Robinson

Tony Jones

The All-Around Run and Gun camp will emphasize basketball education experience on and off the court. The roster of NBA players and college stars will conduct training drills, fundamental skill development, and most importantly having fun. The coaches will provide knowledge and keen insight on what players need to focus on to get better. Carlos Paige will educate players on media training and using the internet to receive college recognition and much more. If you are an up and coming basketball star in the mid-state area, then you will not want to miss this.

Wayne Ellington

For registration information contact Brian “Penny” Collins at 615-260-1234 or e-mail him at briancollins10@hotmail.com. The cost of camp is $200 and the last day for sign-ups is June 27th. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to train with some of the best basketball has to offer. Contact Brian “Penny” Collins today before time runs out.

Lebron's failure and the media's obession with it

Hope everyone enjoyed a nice weekend, as for me I’m recovering from a sprained Achilles and sprained ankle I suffered playing some pick up basketball over the weekend. Sometime the mind forgets how old the body is and in my case I was watching too much basketball here lately and thought I was Kobe or Dirk. In any case, I have missed the boat on writing about Dallas’s victory over Miami to claim their first title and as I can see from reading, everybody has had their say about Lebron and his failures and anything else they always wanted to say about the Miami Heat. So I won’t bash the boys from Miami too much who although they didn’t bring home a ring otherwise had a great season. Just to think that this team was put together in a year and went on to take the Eastern conference title and came within two games of winning it all.

The last I checked it was Dallas who won the championship but the more you read the more you notice how much this has become how Lebron and the Heat LOST and not so much on how Dirk and the Mavs WON. This is what’s wrong with the world these days, people are always more concerned the individual than they are with the overall big picture. Dirk, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, Rick Carlisle, and hell even Mark Cuban deserved this on so many levels. Those players named played their hearts out, Carlisle out-coached everyone he faced in the playoffs, and Cuban spent the money and persevered through season after season of long and enduring disappointments to finally claim a title. The media has all but forgotten about the Mavericks already as they are ready to throw Lebron under the bus even though he has been ran over by the entire Greyhound fleet at this point.

Furthermore, to put all the blame on James’s burly shoulders is pure ludicrous. In the words of one my blogging pals Sports HR, those who all blame Lebron should be fired for that notion of thinking. Granted, Lebron did not do the things that have earned him the moniker of “King”. He was passive aggressive, he shot too many jumpers, he defer too much, he didn’t rotate on defense with the authority that we are use to seeing, and didn’t show up in the fourth quarter. Those are things the great ones ALWAYS do in championship moments. Lebron has been chastised to the point of no return in the media and it’s getting to the point of borderline obsession with him. Every sports outlet wanted to capture James in his moment of shame to mock him and criticize. He is human just like everyone else and did bring a lot of this on himself with the ill-advised decision massacre but enough is enough. Everyone that reads this column and knows me personally knows how much dislike I have for the Heat and Lebron, but me as a fan of sports knows the greatness of Lebron and that he is the greatest player on earth right now regardless of poor performance in the Finals.

Just to think that less than a few weeks ago, we were having the discussion of if Lebron was on the path of being the best player ever, even surpassing ‘His Airness” Michael Jordan. Scottie Pippen posed that argument and some people actually agreed that Lebron has a chance to be better than MJ. I think one of the greatest factors in Lebron’s performance is that he has never faced the pressure cooker of being of the big stage that is the Finals. Sounds ridiculous at first though right, but when you take a look at Lebron basketball past, you will notice that he really hasn’t had to face that much adversity in his career. Yes he did face the expectations of being a childhood prodigy, who was predicted as early as 10th grade to go number one in the NBA draft. Those were a different set of forecasts back then as all he had to do was go and play ball and the rest would figure itself out. Now James has the weight of being the best player in the league, an icon in his own right, and the pressure he has created with his antics. Lebron was so much better than his counterparts in high school that it was easy for him to vanquish them and win state titles. Could you imagine being a sophomore in high school and seeing a guy that was a step away from the NBA coming at you? Sheesh. Lebron never had to face the rigors of March Madness and everything that comes with it. Learning how to deal with pressure is different for everyone and unless you have experienced it, than you won’t know to respond to it.

Eventually LBJ will figure it out because he is too great of a player not to. Michael Jordan had to find a way to harness his scoring ability to go along with the team aspect and ditto for Kobe Bryant. Magic Johnson failed miserably in his first attempt in the Finals against Bird and the Celtics (I know this James second try, but he really didn’t have a chance his first time with the Cavs facing the Spurs). The great ones have to experience failure on a level that they never have experienced before to humble them and motivate them in a way that will bring out the beast in them.

Lebron says that he doesn’t listen to all of the negativity but I would put my bottom dollar on it that some does seep into his brain from time to time. His time will come and one day he will perform to the level that we have set for him in expectations. He will also appreciate his championship much more than he ever would have had they won this year when he would have thought “ I did things my way and still won, to hell with everybody and what they think” Lebron has learned a valuable lesson not just in basketball but in life altogether. It’s the best thing for us basketball fans because I guarantee you Bron will be back with a vengeance next year to prove everyone wrong. He has everything in the world but the one thing that would make it complete is a championship. Until then the Lebron hate will go on, but deep down in the heart of every Lebron hater, they know this man will eventually get his. So hate and admonish all you want people but leave yourself a little wiggle room for when he does become a champion.

Kenny Britt gets arressted...... again

Well, Kenny you really have done it this time. While the entire sports world was busy wondering what’s wrong with Lebron, Britt was busy getting busted for the second time this year. Police in New Jersey say he was charged with resisting arrest after officers suspected he was carrying marijuana and tried to handcuff him in a New Jersey car wash this past Wednesday. This latest event came the day after he appeared in court for another resisting arrest traffic charge. This is what NFL coaches were afraid would happen with certain players as the lockout continues. Britt is becoming a head case following in the footsteps of former Titans greatest head case of them all, Adam “Pac Man” Jones. Jones pattern of behavior seemed more sinister than Britt’s, but he is developing his own recurring pattern that does not bode well for a guy the Titans thought was verge of becoming a star.

Britt’s first arrest was bad enough as he was ticketed for speeding, driving his Porsche 71 mph in a 55 mph zone and to top things off, he led authorities on a high speed chase. Stupidity like this makes you question how smart of an individual is this guy in the first place. This arrest came the day after a court appearance and you mean to tell me he is just casually walking around smoking weed? Come on Kenny you have got to do better. Britt has had several police involved incidents including being arrested last year for outstanding traffic tickets and was accused of not paying a bail bond he helped a friend secure and an alleged scuffle at a local Nashville night club. If I'm in Tennessee's front office I won't this guy as far as possible away from New Jersey because that where it seems Britt tends to lose his mind.

I remember seeing Britt’s record breaking performance against the Philadelphia Eagles last season when he caught 7 passes for 225 yards and saying to myself “This guy is going to be a beast”. He was the receiver the Titans have been missing in their offense since they came to Tennessee. Britt along with newly drafted QB Jake Locker and Chris Johnson were suppose to be the pillars of the offense for future of the Titans, but now Britt may be in limbo. Nashville, for all my readers who have never been here, is a small woven country community. Nashville is not use to having a scandal ridden athlete although we did get a crash course in that department thanks to Pac Man Jones.The local city media doesn’t have a lot to talk about other than its country music stars so when an athlete gives them a chance to get an exclusive for being arrested, it’s going to be major news here. If you don’t believe me just ask my old pal Vince Young.

Britt has to get his act together. While all the other Titan players have kept their nose clean during the lockout, Britt has become a head ache for the new coaching staff.New Head Coach Mike Munchak was quoted as saying Unfortunately, he’s had a few things that’ve come up for him in the offseason,” That’s something we’ll deal with when he comes in.” In other words that means that some type of discipline is coming Britt’s way as soon as the labor strife between the players and owners is over. Britt is an amazing talent this has the potential to become one of the better receivers in all of football. He has made bad decisions which we all have before so no one can judge him. But when you’re in the enviable position of being a highly paid athlete, you have to set yourself to higher standards. Britt is only 22 years old and obviously has some growing up to do but he better do it fast. I have a feeling the commish is going to chime in on Mr. Britt summer adventures as well.



Editors Note: There will be no Sportaholic Radio Show this weekend, as I will be traveling out of town to catch up with some family. Since I won't be able to able to post this weekend, I was interested in having someone come in and do some guest blogging for me. If your interested, shoot me an e-mail or drop a comment and we can work something out. Everyone have a nice and peaceful weekend.

Is the Ohio State Scandal Really Terrelle Pryor’s Entire Fault?

The Ohio State University is up to its teeth in scandal, as news of the ill fated football program has rocked one of the nation’s most prestigious college’s in the country. The coach Jim Tressel has been fired and starting QB Terrelle Pryor now has former attached to his title as he has announced that he will be leaving the program as well. Now the scandal itself has been well documented by numerous outlets you would have to be basically dead not to know what been going on in Columbus. Just in case you don’t know Pryor, along with several other OSU players have been trading memorabilia for tattoos, cash and everything else. This story was first uncovered by Yahoo and then blew completely open by Sports Illustrated. Pryor was the most celebrated Pryor since a funny guy name Richard but has now been disgraced as he has quit the team in hopes to somehow get in the NFL supplemental draft or play in Canada until next year.

Pryor was seen as the most audacious of all the players who got caught, so of course he becomes the whipping boy in all of this. But I pose the question to whoever is reading this, is Pryor the man that should be blamed for all of this? Granted he seemed to have taken the most and flaunted it more than any of the other players but just think about if you were in his position. He was the starting QB for the powerhouse Buckeyes. When Pryor looked in the stands of the Horseshoe, all he could see was his number two jerseys on fans backs. He receives no compensation for any of those jersey sells. He looks on the internet and notices that Ohio State’s football program made an estimated $63.8 million dollars last year and again he didn’t receive a nickel of that.

I know the cynics reading this are screaming at the top of their lungs that he received a scholarship with room and board and blah blah blah but that’s nothing compared to what his likeness is making for his school. It’s not even close. The modern day five-star recruited athlete sees a scholarship as nothing more than a given commodity. Not to devalue a free ride but top notch athletes field hundreds of offers from every school looking for the next great player. The school that is lucky enough to land a top recruit will make oodles of cash off his back so its no wonder recruiting is such a corrupt operation to begin with.

The culture of money and athletics go hand and hand. From the highest level athletic director to the lowest level street agent thug knows this. I’ve read over countless stories of older coaches giving players special “handshakes” and mowing lawns for exceptional amounts of money. Another aspect that goes unnoticed is the hip hop influence that infiltrates most every young athlete in America. It teaches that receiving money should be over anything and everybody. Pick a song from rap icons and you are sure to hear about money such as Lil Wayne’s “Got Money”, Kanye West “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” or 50 cents “I Get Money”. The major artists of hip-hop all showcase their jewelry and expensive cars because its just part of the culture. Does this sound like anybody we know here? The perception of hip-hip is to show off and show out whenever you get a chance and Pryor definitely seemed to live up that aspect of the music.

We can’t forget Jim Tressel as well in this situation as he cultivated this kind of pay for play atmosphere. As indicated in the Sports Illustrated story, this is not Tressel’s first rodeo. He was investigated at Youngstown State after another alleged scandal involving his star QB at the time by the name of Ray Isaac. Tressel projects himself as a high value devoted Christian man but if you read a few stories about him you will come to the conclusion that he most definitely has an alter ego. To win in big time college athletics it takes a certain type of demeanor. You rarely see choir boys leading teams out the tunnel, its usually fiery guys with intense personalities a la Urban Meyer. Tressel’s outside demeanor may not have fit that scene but he has a deep down fortitude of competition in him. It’s that very reason that Tressel may have let the type things that went on at OSU to continue. There is no way he couldn’t have known 28 or more players as named by Sports Illustrated were receiving benefits especially the tattoos. He saw his player everyday you mean to tell me he didn’t notice all of great new body art they were flashing? Give me a break.

Furthermore, if you take a look at college athletics around the nation, you would think you were reading a national enquirer. Scandals have broken out like chicken pox in a kindergarten class. Tennessee, North Carolina, USC, Uconn, Auburn, and even Boise State have all received that dreaded letter from the NCAA. No one wants to say it but college athletics are totally screwed up at this point. The little things you could get away with yesteryear will be on someone’s twitter, facebook, skype, or some forum on the internet nowadays. Hell look at what has just happened to Texas as former star QB Colt McCoy’s girlfriend decided to do a little radio interview and she eluded to some things that I’m pretty sure Mack Brown and co would have liked to keep quiet. The NCAA has stated that they would like to get tougher in light of all allegations that are coming at them left at right but from what I understand they are terribly understaffed. Its like fighting a fight with one hand tied behind your back.

In conclusion, like I stated earlier in the article it was 28 players in all indicated in the report. Terelle Pryor is only one man, by reading a few articles on the internet you would think he accounted for every one of the 28 in question. I’m not an apologist on Pryor behalf I’ve just read so many negative columns about him and it somewhat angered me, on how quickly those praising you can stick a dagger in you all in the same breath. Pryor was absolutely wrong in which the manner he conducted himself. He took outlandish gifts, he drove cars that weren’t his, and he put OSU on a downward spiral that has no ending in site. He has to take most of the blame because he was the highest profiled of all the players indicated in the report. Sorry to say it, but that just how it goes when you’re the best player. But don’t give me that it’s HIS ENTIRE fault. He is a teenager in the precarious position of being the most popular athlete in town. He wasn’t doing all these things by himself. He had manipulative grown men doing these things for him. So again I ask the question was it really all Terrelle Pryor’s fault? I think not

Who Didn't See This Coming?: Mike Hamilton Steps Down As University of Tennessee’s AD:



The news of Mike Hamilton stepping down as UT’s AD should really not come as a surprise to those who closely monitored the situation. His tenure as AD was the most tumultuous in Tennessee’s long and storied athletic department history. He oversaw three coaching changes in Tennessee’s usually stable football program including the firing of UT legend Phil Fulmer and the hiring of Lane Kiffin (Kiffin is a curse word around these parts). Kiffin replaced Fulmer and everyone knows how that one ended. Derek Dooley is still working to get the Kiffin’s stench out of Knoxville. Hamilton also hired and fired former men’s beloved basketball coach Bruce Pearl. Pearl was Hamilton’s best hire until Pearl’s scandal and allegations led to his eventual firing amid a media firestorm. Tennessee has been charged with 12 major violations since Hamilton has taken over in 2003. There were multiple player suspensions from the likes of fighting, robbery, drug charges, gun charges and many more. Now all of this wasn’t his fault, as it was the coaches’ job to control their players. But Hamilton DID hire those coaches who were take care of that side for him. He has always been accustomed to change as AD of Tennessee, because it was the one constant he has dealt with while serving.

Furthermore, Hamilton hasn’t had the support base of the Tennessee family for some time now. His handling of the Fulmer and Pearl situation left many doubters. He always seemed a step behind when it came to having the right amount of fortitude and leniency on his coaches. Kiffin was able to get away with many violations right under Hamilton’s nose and the same can be said about Pearl. Those two were direct hires of Hamilton’s. Just listen in to one the sports shows in town and when someone mentions Hamilton the conversation immediately takes a downward spiral. There are websites dedicated to Hamilton titled “FireHamilton.com” and some other ones I can’t even mention due to vulgar language. He will join the long list of coaches who were bought out by UT including Fulmer, Pearl, former baseball coach Todd Raleigh. The sum of those parts are costing the University $3.1 million dollars annually and when you throw in Hamilton’s projected buy out at $1.3 million, your looking at a staggering amount of money for guys who are not on the sidelines.

It will be interesting to see what Hamilton’s legacy is remembered for at UT. He did hire the most successful men’s basketball coach in the school’s history in Pearl. He did fire one of the most loved coaches in UT history as well in Phil Fulmer. The school was always in the media rather it is for the right or wrong things. He wasn’t the most well like man but he had the have support of the right people at UT and that has to be one of the reasons he kept his job as long as he did. Chancellor Jimmy Cheek had to know inevitably this day was coming soon. From what he said in the press conference lets you know as much as he stated he did not force Hamilton out BUT DID NOT TRY TO CONVINCE HIM TO STAY EITHER. Wow, that about sums it up best. No one in Tennessee wanted to force him out but now that he is gone most of the Tennessee faithful are breathing a sigh of relief.

The Weekend Run-down June 6, 2011

It was another wild weekend in sports. The French Open crowned a new champion and first ever Asian winner on the women’s side in Li Na. The men’s side was more of the same as Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer for his 6th French title. The NBA Finals continue to roll on as Miami pulled out a close win with a questionable call. Vancouver took a 2-0 lead against the Boston Bruins thanks to a guy who many think shouldn’t even be playing. And in local news, Vanderbilt defeats Belmont in a game of hometown favorites to advance to the college baseball super regional.

Let’s jump right into it:

Women’s French Final: Li Na and Rafael Nadal win the French Open: Li Na made history as she became the first major winner, man or woman, from Asia. The country of 1.3 billion hasn’t fully embraced the game of tennis yet but maybe this will generate some buzz as Na looks to be at the top of the game now. She defeated defending champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6(0). Na admitted on Twitter how nervous she was but said she never showed her opponent. Its great to see history made and Na will rise to no.4 in the next WTA rankings as career looks to continue rising. The French may not yet be use to giving her the winner’s trophy as they mistakenly gave Na the winner’s up hardware instead. When you make history people have get accustomed to something new but more than likely it was just a simple mistake.

Men’s French Final: Rafa and Roger treated us to yet another great finals match-up. Both seemed to struggle just to make it here but they both showed us why they are considered two of the best to ever play the game. Federer came out and set the tone for the match as he hit a number of his signature forehands. Federer would lose steam though as he had a drop shot that went just wide. Rafa would take over from there displaying his defensive style of tennis and would go on to take the match 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1. The win gives Nadal his 10th major championship and his numbers at Roland Garros are just astonishing. He is 45-1 all-time on clay and his latest major performance against Federer makes him 6-2 against him in major finals. He now is creeping into the talk of greatest ever and at age 25 he should have a lot left in the tank to take a run at Federer’s all-time major wins mark of 16.

NBA Finals:

Miami 88 Dallas 86: The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks 88-86 to take a 2-1 game lead in the final series of the NBA season. Dwayne Wade was the difference make in this one as he torched the Mavs for 29 points and 11 rebounds. He dominated early as he scored 19 points in the first half as Dallas could do nothing to prevent the ultra quick Wade from getting to the basket. Miami would take a big lead down the stretch just as they did in game 2 and Dirk would take over for the Mavs again. He would score 12 straight Dallas points to get them tied at 86. The much maligned and Dallas native Chris Bosh broke the tie as he swished a 16 footer with seconds left to play. Nowitzki would have a couple chances for the tie and the win but couldn’t break the steady defense of Miami’s Udonis Haslem.

If the Mavericks are going to win this series, they will have to get Dirk more help. He scored 34 but his next three closet teammates combined for the same amount. Dirk also had his faults in this game as couldn’t get off the screen that allowed Haslem to put a hand in his face and he had a chance to pass to an open Jason Terry but he didn’t and I can’t say that I blame him. Mario Chalmers was also credited on a shot that clearly should not have counted but none of that is here nor there at this time. Fact of the matter is that the winner of game 3 in a Finals series that was tied 1-1 has gone on to win every series in history. Dallas again has their backs against the wall, what will they do Tuesday night?

Stanley Cup Finals:

Vancouver 3 Boston 2 Vancouver leads 2-0: This was just a crazy game from start to finish. Alex Burrows aka biter x thoroughly dominated as he had a hand in all of the Canucks scoring finishing with 2 goals and 1 assist. Burrows, as you know was accused of biting the Bruins Patrice Bergeron who had to be restrained afterwards. Maybe the Bruins should have made sure he was suspended because he just ran through Boston’s defense all night long. Burrows scored on a power play in the first period and helped tie the game midway through the third with an assist to Daniel Sedin. Burrows would cap his busy night by scoring 11 seconds into overtime to give Vancouver the win. Boston now goes home in a two game hole but this not an unfamiliar position for the Bruins as they came back to beat Montreal after dropping the first two homes games of the series. The Bruins played physically again against the Canucks but Burrows was the difference as his speed and precision has been too much for them. Even top defensemen Zdeno Charo has had a problem with the speedster Burrows. Ironically Vancouver hasn’t lost since they were defeated by Nashville on May 7th. I think we lost the game ourselves,” Boston forward David Krejci(notes) said. “Obviously they played well, but we had the game in our hands and we just gave it away.”

The two teams next face each other tonight at 8:00 pm eastern time. Make sure to tune in.

Vandy defeats Belmont to advance to Super Regionals: Vandy got a career high 13 strikeout performance from Taylor Hill as they defeated Belmont 6-1. After beating Troy 10-2 and Belmont 10-0 earlier all the Commodores had to do was beat the Bruins one more time to advance. They had the warm embrace of Hawkins field and Coach Tim Corbin made sure he stayed on top of things. Jason Esposito was named regional MVP as he had three hits with one home run. The win puts Vandy within two victories of their first College World Series, which frankly is hard to believe with all of the success the program has enjoyed over the last few years. A lot of credit has to be given also to the scrappy Belmont Bruins. They faced the tall task of having to win two of three games against regular-season champion and 17th-ranked Stetson to grab the sixth and final spot in the tournament of the Atlantic Sun. As for Vandy, they will face Oregon State as the host but the date and time has yet to be determined. Make sure to go out and support the Commodores.



Hopefully everyone enjoyed there weekend and now unfortunately back to work. At least we sports fans have a week of NBA Finals, Stanley cup finals, and baseball to look forward to. Also Plaxico Burress was released today it will be interesting to see where he lands whenever the lockout ends. Hope everyone has a great week.

Farewell to "The Diesel", "Shaq Fu", "The Big Daddy", "Superman", "The Big Agave", "The Big Cactus", "The Big Shaqtus", "The Big Galactus", "Wilt Chamberneezy", "The Big Baryshnikov", "The Real Deal", "Dr. Shaq" "The Big Shamrock", "The Big Leprechaun", and "Shaqovic."

Say anything you want to about Shaquille O’Neal but, you can’t say that he wasn’t one of the funniest players ever to grace the NBA court. You could always count on a quote from whatever moniker he was going by at time and he would say it in his often inaudible monotone voice. Shaq’s personality nearly overshadowed his game, which is saying a lot for a guy who dominated in a way the league hadn’t seen since the great Wilt Chamberlain roamed the court. Shaq was an immovable force who put up 28,596 points, gobbled up 13,099 rebounds, batted down 2,732 shots and broke numerous backboards. He used his power and surprising agility to overwhelm opponents. O’Neal is firmly entrenched as one of the best centers ever thanks to those talents but it was his off court persona that most will miss.

Shaq’s lovable character made him an easy marketable player as he went on to star in such (bad) movies as Blue Chips, Kazaam, and Man of Steel. He had his own Kung-Fu video game titled “Shaq-Fu” and even his rap group “Fu Schnickens”. Shaq and Kobe’s memorable feud will always be a touchy subject for most because you were either for one or the other, no in-between. For me personally as a Laker fan, I will always be disappointed with the way things played themselves out with those two because they could have continued to win championships if it wasn’t for their ego infused dislike for each other. But that’s just the way it goes for Shaq. (So I guess its safe to say Kobe won the battle of the rings with 5 and Shaq retiring with 4.) 

The Shaq train made stops in Orlando, L.A., Miami, Phoenix, Cleveland, and Boston and he took each city for a ride each time. Yes, his career probably went a few seasons too long and fizzled out in the end and maybe it wasn't the best idea to pair him with Steve Nash in the Phoenix (Great idea Steve Kerr) but no one will remember those parts of his career. His legacy will always be that of gentle giant who was a physical specimen to behold but had a heart as soft as a marshmallow.

O”neal had some many funny encounters its hard to remember every one of them. Who can forget his memorable entrance in the 2009 All-Star game with the Jabbawockeez dance crew? How about his infamous “Tell me how my ass tastes” song he performed in a Miani night club to mock Kobe after winning a championship with the Heat. And who can forget him referring to the Sacramento Kings as the Queens, or calling Erick Damipier Erica Dampier (That was funny I must say). Shaq has never been short for words as you can see and it made him into one of the giants of the game both physically and mentally.

Happy trails to the big fella, I’m sure he will try his hand at movies, reality TV and law enforcement as he always reiterated he would do when his career was over. But none of that will take the place of actually hearing Shaq in the heat of moment interviews. That is where he was at his best. Shaq was more than a basketball player, he was an entertainer. He will add one more title to his laundry list of names, that is Hall of Famer and that’s the best one of all.