Shaq Uncut
My Story
-
-
3.5 • 21 Ratings
-
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
Superman. Diesel. The Big Aristotle. Shaq Fu. The Big Daddy. The Big Shaqtus. Wilt Chamberneezy. The Real Deal. The Big Shamrock. Shaq.
You know him by any number of names, and chances are you know all about his legendary basketball career: Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal is a four-time NBA champion and a three-time NBA Finals MVP. After being an All-American at Louisiana State University, he was the overall number one draft pick in the NBA in 1992. In his 19-year career, Shaq racked up 28,596 career points (including 5,935 free throws!), 13,099 rebounds, 3,026 assists, 2,732 blocks, and 15 All-Star appearances.
These are statistics that are almost as massive as the man himself. His presence-both physically and psychologically-made him a dominant force in the game for two decades.
But if you follow the game, you also know that there's a lot more to Shaquille O'Neal than just basketball.
Shaq is famous for his playful, and at times, provocative personality. He is, literally, outsize in both scale and persona. Whether rapping on any of his five albums, challenging celebrities on his hit television show "Shaq Vs.," studying for his PhD or serving as a reserve police officer, there's no question that Shaq has led a unique and multi-dimensional life. And in this rollicking new autobiography, Shaq discusses his remarkable journey, including his candid thoughts on teammates and coaches like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Phil Jackson, and Pat Riley.
From growing up in difficult circumstances and getting cut from his high school basketball team to his larger-than-life basketball career, Shaq lays it all out in Shaq Uncut: My Story.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The retired NBA giant with the huge game and personality to match dominates in this boisterous, peevish memoir. O'Neal is surprisingly generous towards his stepfather, a man who, he claims, disciplined him with frequent beatings while nurturing his basketball talent. He's testier towards Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant, who comes off as an aloof ball-hog, Utah star Greg Ostertag "he was mouthing off again, so I turned and slapped him upside the head" and anyone else who doubted or dissed him. Paced as if by shot-clock, the meandering narrative flits between arena, locker-room and an off-court life lived large "The guy buys me a $150,000 Rolex watch for shaking his hand" on hundreds of millions of dollars in salary, endorsements, movie parts, rap albums, reality show, and self-satisfied smirking. ("I am Shaq. Bigger than life, brother. Bigger than life.") Braggadocio aside, O'Neal has intriguing insights into the fraught group dynamics of a sport where positional roles are uniquely ill-defined: the persistent tension between automatically passing the ball to the star and giving lesser teammates a shot; the rivalry between "alpha dogs" and up-and-comers; the slightly jealous mentoring of young phenoms by aging, diminished veterans. Preening and prickly, Shaq's reminiscences illuminate the knotty psychology behind the swagger. Photos.
