Shaquille O’Neal gave himself many names over the course of his career (“The Big Aristotle,” “The Big Shamrock” among them) So one can only anticipate what he will conjure up next for the latest accolade he received from his alma mater LSU.
LSU honored O’Neal the only way fitting for the big man, with a 900-pound statue of him dunking in front of the Tigers’ new basketball practice facility.
“Shaq is truly an icon, and he’s our icon,” LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva said. “This statue will inspire the future of LSU basketball players to reach for the stars.”
O’Neal played three seasons at LSU before becoming the No. 1 overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA draft. He finished as LSU’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,941 points and ranks second overall in rebounding with 1,217.
And in true Shaq fashion, there was a huge Superman shield detailed on the curtain covering the statue right before the unveiling.
Congratulations to O’Neal. This is truly a huge (pun intended) honor considering the many great players who came from LSU such as Pete Marovich and Bob Petit.
So what is next for O’Neal? How about going back to school and getting his doctorate. Dare we hear soon enough the title “The Big Scholar”?
