Has there ever been a more iconic image for big men?
I gotta’ admit, back when Shaq initially threw barbs at Dwight Howard for recycling his “superman” moniker, I thought the big guy was just being a sour old geezer. And it totally made sense at the time to think that. Shaq was not only struggling with his health, play, and psyche, he was also struggling to remain relevant, throwing every team he left as he searched for his fifth ring under the bus.
But retirement has a way of putting things into perspective, even for a fan. So when Shaq says this as a retired basketball legend, somehow, it makes absolute sense. Here’s the quote: “But my thing is if you want to call yourself me (Superman), then you’ve got big shoes to fill. I’m not in the Superman this, and Superman that. He won a dunk contest with a cape. If you want to be called Superman because of that, it’s fine with me. I’m Superman for other reasons. I don’t envy him; he’s a great young player. But I’ve never seen him dog another center out. I tried to dog centers out. I went at David Robinson. If Dwight doesn’t win two or three championships, I’m going to be disappointed. He doesn’t have nobody. When I came in the league, I had to go through Alonzo Mourning, Arvydas Sabonis, Kevin Duckworth, Rik Smits. Now I can’t name any other centers besides Kendrick Perkins and Andrew Bynum. Who else is there? That’s it.”
He’s spot on. He played in an era that was the golden age for NBA centers. He was the last big man standing from that era, and him knocking on Dwight Howard for not having any competition at his position is in no way hating on the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. I mean, he really did become Superman by winning a dunk contest with a cape.
Here’s a look back the self-proclaimed MDE.
I gotta’ admit, back when Shaq initially threw barbs at Dwight Howard for recycling his “superman” moniker, I thought the big guy was just being a sour old geezer. And it totally made sense at the time to think that. Shaq was not only struggling with his health, play, and psyche, he was also struggling to remain relevant, throwing every team he left as he searched for his fifth ring under the bus.
But retirement has a way of putting things into perspective, even for a fan. So when Shaq says this as a retired basketball legend, somehow, it makes absolute sense. Here’s the quote: “But my thing is if you want to call yourself me (Superman), then you’ve got big shoes to fill. I’m not in the Superman this, and Superman that. He won a dunk contest with a cape. If you want to be called Superman because of that, it’s fine with me. I’m Superman for other reasons. I don’t envy him; he’s a great young player. But I’ve never seen him dog another center out. I tried to dog centers out. I went at David Robinson. If Dwight doesn’t win two or three championships, I’m going to be disappointed. He doesn’t have nobody. When I came in the league, I had to go through Alonzo Mourning, Arvydas Sabonis, Kevin Duckworth, Rik Smits. Now I can’t name any other centers besides Kendrick Perkins and Andrew Bynum. Who else is there? That’s it.”
He’s spot on. He played in an era that was the golden age for NBA centers. He was the last big man standing from that era, and him knocking on Dwight Howard for not having any competition at his position is in no way hating on the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. I mean, he really did become Superman by winning a dunk contest with a cape.
Here’s a look back the self-proclaimed MDE.
RSS Feed