Shaq
The short form of Shaquille that the whole world knows. Wikipedia credits journalists and others with popularizing both "Shaq" and "Diesel."
Straight from the Big Fella
In His Own Words
Shaq has never been short on material. Every quote here was checked against its original context; famous lines we couldn't verify didn't make the cut.
Washington, D.C., during the Lakers years (1998).
I'm like the Pythagorean theorem. Not too many people know the answer to my game.
Shaq describing how hard he was to guard. A 2002 Cornell Daily Sun column dates it to 1999 and notes he repeated the line in 2002.
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From this day on, I want to be known as 'The Big Aristotle,' because Aristotle once said excellence is not a singular act, it's a habit.
Unveiling his new nickname after winning the 1999–2000 NBA MVP award. (The 'excellence' line is usually traced to a 1926 philosophy book rather than Aristotle himself.)
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With my game being the way it is, if I did shoot 80 percent, I'd be a harder person to deal with. … It just keeps me humble.
After Game 3 of the 2000 NBA Finals vs. Indiana, when he missed 10 free throws in a loss and was asked about his struggles at the line.
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The Big Little Brother.
His new nickname for Kobe Bryant, offered after Game 4 of the 2000 Finals, in which Shaq fouled out and Kobe took over in overtime.
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Yeah, I had some rice with my chicken last night. I wanted some gravy, but gravy was fattening and I'm trying to lose weight.
Before Game 4 of the 2000 Finals, deflecting a question about whether criticism of Phil Jackson by teammate Glen Rice's wife was a distraction.
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I was probably trying too hard.
After going a record 0-for-11 from the free-throw line in a 103–95 loss at Seattle.
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Challenge me. Treat me like a game of checkers and play me. … That's all I'm asking, just play me. Treat me like Sega and play me.
Before Game 4 of the 2001 NBA Finals, frustrated with what he saw as Dikembe Mutombo's flopping.
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Now that I'm an old, old veteran -- age 29 -- I do things a lot differently.
Before Game 4 of the 2001 Finals, asked how he had matured since Orlando was swept in the 1995 Finals.
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That's sort of a trick question and I don't have a trick answer.
Before Game 5 of the 2004 Finals vs. Detroit, dodging a question about Kobe Bryant's confidence.
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I got hurt on company time, so I'll heal on company time.
Quoted by NBCSports.com in December 2005, during his Miami Heat years.
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You've never seen anyone this big -- this sexy -- move this way.
Before Game 1 of the 2006 NBA Finals (Heat vs. Mavericks), joking about being a "freak of nature."
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I can always tell my friends I went to Harvard.
After posing motionless as a 'statue' for an hour in Harvard Square during his 2010 Celtics season.
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This is the funnest team I've been on in my life. Seriously.
On the 2010–11 Boston Celtics, early in his final NBA season.
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We did it. Nineteen years baby. … I'm about to retire. Love you, talk to you soon.
His retirement announcement: a short video posted to Tout and shared on Twitter.
I tried to make people happy, and I tried to have fun. I think I did both.
Reflecting on his career on the day he announced his retirement.
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I'm smart enough to know that, even at my tender age, my pursuit of education is never finished.
Barry University's announcement of his doctorate in education.
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I'm most excited to be here next to the guy who gave me the opportunity.
At his National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame induction in Kansas City, where his LSU coach Dale Brown was inducted alongside him.
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If I know my father, he's up there arguing with Wilt (Chamberlain) that his son is the best big man in the game.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech, remembering his late stepfather Phillip Harrison.
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One day when some father quizzes his sons on the greats of the game, I hope Shaquille O'Neal will be the answer.
Closing line of his Hall of Fame induction speech in Springfield, Mass.
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This moment is very unexpected because I see two Lakers ahead of me that definitely deserve this statue.
At the unveiling of his 9-foot, 1,200-pound bronze statue outside Staples Center. He closed the ceremony with his chant, "Can you dig it?"
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Kobe was so much more than an athlete, he was a family man.
Part of Shaq's tribute after Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash.
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If it's a crowd of 100 people or a crowd of 100,000, it's the same thing if you're putting on a show.
Talking about his DJ Diesel career around the release of his debut EDM album, Gorilla Warfare.
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We're back, baby! Get ready.
Reacting to being named Reebok's President of Basketball, with Allen Iverson as Vice President.
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When I went up for the dunk, I was actually trying to rip the rim down.
Looking back with theScore on the April 1993 dunk at New Jersey that brought down an entire backboard stanchion during his rookie season.
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The name game
18 Nicknames
Few athletes have collected nicknames like Shaq, and he gave a lot of them to himself. Here's where each one came from.
Towering over President Obama in the Oval Office, 2015.
The Diesel
Possibly his oldest nickname, for the raw engine-like power of his game. It's tattooed on his left shoulder and named his platinum 1993 debut album, Shaq Diesel. He still performs as DJ Diesel.
Superman
Shaq's lifelong love of the Man of Steel. The Superman logo has appeared on his cars, his bed and a tattoo, and he starred as a Superman-inspired hero in the 1997 film Steel. When Dwight Howard adopted the Superman persona, Shaq grumbled, "everything he's done, I've invented."
The Big Aristotle
Self-given after he won the 2000 MVP: "From this day on, I want to be known as 'The Big Aristotle,' because Aristotle once said excellence is not a singular act, it's a habit." Fact-checkers point out that the line actually comes from a 1926 philosophy book, not from Aristotle.
The Big Baryshnikov
A nod to ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov and the surprisingly nimble footwork of a 7-foot-1, 325-pound center in the post.
The Big Fella
Simple and accurate. This was legendary Lakers announcer Chick Hearn's nickname of choice for Shaq.
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M.D.E. (Most Dominant Ever)
Shaq claimed this title for himself after the Lakers' three-peat (2000–02), when he was Finals MVP all three years.
L.C.L. (Last Center Left)
Shaq's way of saying he was the last true center standing among his peers.
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Shaq Daddy
A stage name modeled on Sean Combs' "Puff Daddy."
Shaq Fu
This nickname became a 1994 fighting video game (Shaq Fu) and the title of his gold-certified second album, Shaq Fu: Da Return (1994).
Wilt Chamberneezy
A self-adopted tribute to Wilt Chamberlain, a fellow Lakers center in purple and gold; both men's jerseys now hang in the Lakers' rafters. A 2002 column noted that Shaq had asked to be known by the name.
The Big Cactus
Shaq gave himself this one after his February 2008 trade to the Phoenix Suns.
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The Big Shaqtus
The Phoenix-era Big Cactus evolved into "Shaqtus," helped along by 2008–09 ESPN commercials featuring a cactus with Shaq's face. His company later sued a Phoenix clothing seller over the "Shaqtus" name.
The Big Shamrock (a.k.a. The Big Shamroq)
Fan-sourced! After signing with Boston in August 2010, Shaq tweeted "Hello green town" and asked Celtics fans for a new nickname. "The Big Shamrock" was one of the top vote-getters, and by October the AP said "The Big Shamroq" was the leading choice.
The Godfather of Sudbury
Shaq called himself this in 2010, after his new suburban Boston home in Sudbury, Mass.
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The Big Conductor
Listed among his nicknames and tied to Dec. 20, 2010, when Shaq guest-conducted the Boston Pops during his Celtics season.
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Warrior
Basketball-Reference lists "Warrior" among his nicknames. It fits: the name book his mother used said his middle name, Rashaun, means "warrior."
The Shaqnificent
From his LSU days, when he wore a cap that read "I am the Shaqnificent" (he also had a hip-hop step he called the "Shaq-de-Shaq").
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Left out: nicknames that show up in lists without a documented origin, plus a few the Big Fella would probably rather we skip.