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Shaq - Basketball Slut

post #1 of 16
6/30/09 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 
There's no doubt... none... that Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most dominant players in NBA history. To wit:
  • 5th all time in points scored
  • 13th all time in points per game
  • 2nd all time in field goal percentage
And a consistent, if not dominant, presence on the boards and as a shot blocker.
  • 15th all time in blocks per game
  • 24th all time in rebound per game

And, of course, four rings with two different teams. But there's one stat where it seems Shaq really differs from every other elite basketball player. Number of teams played on:
  • Orlando Magic (1992-96)
  • LA Lakers (1996-04)
  • Miami Heat (2004-2008)
  • Phoenix Suns (2208-09)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-)

Is there any elite, all century type player in any sport that has gallivanted around the league as much as Shaq? Many elite players have played for two teams, but not many have played for five. Does it lessen his status?

I've actually thought of one: Rickey Henderson played for nine teams. And one could definitely argue that it lessened his status.
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post #2 of 16
6/30/09 at 6:44pm
Wilt the Stilt was a Warrior, Globetrotter, Sixer, Laker, and Conquistador. And he's the second best big man in the game's history (number one big Bill Russell)

Moses Malone was a Star, Spirit, Blazer, Rocket, Sixer, Bullet, Hawk, & Buck. He's arguably right behind Shaq on the greatest list.

Bob MacAdoo & Maurice Lucas also moved a good bit.

In baseball, the most notorious example is Bobby Bonds.
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post #3 of 16
6/30/09 at 6:49pm
Gretzky played for 5 different professional North American teams, 4 of them in the NHL.
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post #4 of 16
6/30/09 at 6:52pm
I think it's the mercenary manner in which Shaq moves from team to team that makes the 'slut' tag appropriate. He leaves cities under a cloud of discontent before sniping about former team-mates and coaches, then, down the road, romanticising the good times he had there.
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post #5 of 16
6/30/09 at 6:53pm
Is that really a surprise these days, what with salary caps and free agency? Rick Barry does come to mind, though.
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post #6 of 16
6/30/09 at 6:55pm
I don't think it's bad enough to call him a slut. It's pretty common in the history of sport.

Which is more common: a gallivanting superstar or a sedentary one? I am assuming the former.
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post #7 of 16
6/30/09 at 7:02pm
Obviously he wasn't the dominating force that Shaq has been, but Gary Payton's pretty damn elite and after leaving Seattle he had stints in Milwaulkee, Boston, Los Angeles and Miami, the latter two destinations as part of a blatant (and ultimately successful) ring-chasing mission.
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post #8 of 16
6/30/09 at 7:04pm
The other issue is, the definition of the term changes over a time. Leaving your first team for non-financial reasons was already enough to make people wonder not so long ago, now Hall of Famers can play on three without anybody batting an eye.
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post #9 of 16
6/30/09 at 7:05pm
It doesn't seem right for a player of his level to move around this much. It's not without precedent, but I don't like it.
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post #10 of 16
6/30/09 at 7:25pm
Ricky Henderson being an all around douchebag did a lot more to harm his reputation than hopping teams did. Well, that and being the father of talking about yourself in the third person.

On the other hand, every person I know still makes Ricky Henderson jokes when they seem someone in wrap-around Oakleys, so he's got that going for him, which is nice.
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post #11 of 16
6/30/09 at 7:32pm
I think image-wise these days, Shaq's main problem is his bitchiness. There's no doubt he's a funny, charismatic guy and one of the league's all time great personalities, but his sniping at Dwight Howard -who idolised him as a youngster- is totally uncalled for and comes across as jealousy. Likewise, his barbs at Stan Van Gundy this year were a little bit on the nasty side. Cool it, Shaq.
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post #12 of 16
6/30/09 at 7:33pm
And Phoenix is the only stop that got worse for his being there. Yay, Phoenix.
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post #13 of 16
6/30/09 at 9:18pm
Shaq is a bitter old cunt.*


*Yeah, I said it.
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post #14 of 16
6/30/09 at 11:59pm
Hehe but he was in Steel (thats my answer for any question pertaining to Shaq)
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post #15 of 16
7/1/09 at 12:55am
Apparently he learned about his latest trade from one of his twitter followers.
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post #16 of 16
7/1/09 at 12:53pm
Reggie Jackson.
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