Why I Really Like The Big Diesel
(I come up for air from working on my dissertation to reblog. Sorry about the gaps!)
I guess it’s official.
Shaq is finally retiring after 19 seasons.
It may sound strange but I have to come clean and confess that I am a huge Shaquille O’Neal fan. Of course, I think he’s a terrific basketball player. His record speaks for itself: 15 time all-star, 4 NBA championships, an MVP award, and named one of the top 50 players of all time.
But that’s not really the reason I like the Big Diesel. It might be because of his straightforward personality. Maybe it’s his ability to not take himself or life so seriously. Or it just might be because of how he treated my son when he was a teenager.
Yeah, I think that may have something to do with it.
You see, when Ryan was 16, he went on a summer vacation with his best friend from high school and their family. They ended up staying at a really posh resort in Southern California, which was just a bit over my own financial reach. But what the heck, I thought. Let Ryan live the highlife for short season. Unbeknownst to my son and his pal, the Los Angeles Lakers just happened to be staying at the resort for a few days filming some commercials.
During one of those days, Ryan and his friend were having a great time swimming in a huge indoor pool all by themselves, when in walks none other than Shaq Daddy himself. The Big Aristotle plops himself down at the far end of the pool and begins to go for a swim, all the while heading over to where Ryan and his friend are parked. Of course, they couldn’t believe their eyes when Shaq first walked in and jumped into the pool, but it’s kind of hard to mistake the big guy for someone else. When you think about it, there are not a lot of people that you can mistake for a 7’1”, 325 lb. giant like Shaq.
But here he comes. Larger than life. Swimming toward them.
And what does he do? He pulls himself over to the edge of the pool and proceeds to strike up a conversation with these two stunned sixteen year olds. Do I need to mention they’re in awe? Is that really necessary? I mean, these are two, basketball loving, NBA following, Laker fan club, hard-court playing, superstar worshiping adolescents!
Shaquille O’Neal has just swam over to shoot the breeze? Are you kidding me? This is the stuff sixteen-year-old boys dream of. Well, that and of course the Laker girls. But that’s another story. So there they were, just chewing the fat with Shaqalicious, talking about life and basketball and anything else that came up. It was one of those ‘once in lifetime moments’ that no one is probably going to believe you about anyway.
Long story short, after a few minutes, the resident security guard walks in and shouts, ‘Hey, you kids aren’t allowed in here! This pool is for adults only!’ And without missing a beat, Shaq pipes up and says, ‘Wait a minute! Do you know who these guys are? These are the Backstreet Boys! You can’t kick them out; they’re famous!’
Did I tell you why I really like the Big Diesel?
barryjacobdiamond
