A regular on the basketball scoreboards for nearly two decades, Shaquille O’Neal has won the NBA champion no less than four times. He recently said that he will be playing next season, and would prefer to hang up his boots for good than play internationally. When the time comes for the great Shaq to retire, he said that he will do so in style, and have a huge party to celebrate.

Shaq was quoted as saying that he is sure that he will play in the NBA next season. He said that the wonderful thing about his career is that he has achieved everything that he wanted, and more. Regarding the end of his career, he admitted that the time for it to end is coming soon. He talked about the big party that he will throw, and the big ceremony that he intends to stage. He will also be waiting to enter the place where his name will be immortalized forever.

Shaq is now 38 years old, and whilst his performances are still at a high level, he is not as dominant as he was in the peak of his career. Last season he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before that he won three titles with the Lakers, and one with the Heat.

In the last couple of seasons, however, he has found it difficult to find a team that can give him guaranteed playing time, the fat wage that he demands, and the chance to win one more NBA championship.
He does not want to team up with LeBron in Miami, and also has no desire to return to the team that he played in as a rookie in 1992 – Orlando. Likewise, neither of these teams have shown much interest in him. Shaq admitted that he has not enjoyed this off-season, as he has spent it as a free agent.

He said that it has given him lots of time to think things over. His main goal has been to play for a team that can win the championship, a team that has won many times before and that is likely to continue on winning. Perhaps somewhat arrogantly, he said that he will make the decision on what to do in the next week.

When he does finally retire, he will have plenty to do. He has a TV show “Shaq V” which is already in its second season. It is a reality show which airs on ABC. In addition, Shaq is studying for a doctoral degree, and is also interested in law enforcement. After his retirement from basketball, amongst other things, he would like to become a doctor, run for sheriff in his town or do speaking engagements across the country.

Whatever he ends up doing, his absence on the basketball scoreboards will be a big loss for many NBA fans.

To find out more about Shaq, go to: wikipedia.org