Shaquille O'Neal Retires from NBA

Shaquille O'Neal has decided to retire from the NBA. After 19 seasons in the league and four NBA titles, the man of numerous nicknames has decided that it was time to walk away from the game. Now the official countdown begins to Shaq's induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

According to ESPN, Shaq made the announcement Wednesday using a real-time video messaging service. In his video, O'Neal stated, "We did it. Nineteen years baby. I want to thank you very much, that's why I'm telling you first, I'm about to retire. Love you, talk to you soon."

O'Neal was still under contract with the Boston Celtics for the 2011-12 NBA season, so he didn't have to hang up the sneakers if he didn't want to. Recent injuries may have taken their toll on the big man, though, especially with how much it limited him with the Celtics this past year. Those injuries included a right Achilles strain as well as a strained calf from favoring that leg.

During his final season in the NBA, O'Neal averaged just 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Celtics. It was a far cry from what he had been able to do for several other franchises, and now he walks away with fewer rings than he wanted. That included stops with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Phoenix Suns before he signed with Boston.

O'Neal won three NBA titles with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers before getting traded to the Heat. He ended up winning another title with the help of Dwyane Wade, and came really close with LeBron James over in Cleveland. In his final years, though, O'Neal was a shadow of his former self, leaned on more for his size and defensive presence than what he could do on the offensive end of the court.

The best season for O'Neal was probably in 1999-2000, when he averaged 29.7 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. That was his highest scoring average in the NBA, and just short of the 13.8 rebounds he averaged as a rookie with the Magic. He would end up averaging more than 25 points in 10 straight years, and finished his career with an average of 23.7 points per game. His totals are 28,596 points; 13,099 rebounds; and 2,732 blocks over the 19 seasons. Those numbers alone will get him into the Hall of Fame, but his personality was big enough to get him there already.

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