Shaq: The Best Thing That Ever Happaned To The NBA

1992 was a sad year for the NBA, Ervin "Magic" Johnson had tested positive HIV and announced that he would immediately retire (only to come back years later and play 32 games as a power forward). Larry Bird had announced retirement to go be special assistant in the Celtics Front office. The NBA had lost two of it's most prized players, their only hope: Micheal Jordan who would retire one year later. The NBA was loseing ticket sales and tv ratings, they desperately needed to sell tickets fast, their answer: Shaq. In the 1992 NBA Draft Shaq went first overall to the Orlando Magic, The Orlando Magic wanted Shaq so bad that they went around the locker room asking players for a cut in salary. Enough players agreed to give Shaq the money he wanted. And in his rookie season when he broke the hoop everyone knew right then that he was special. The reason we most love Shaq are his sound bytes ranging from mocking another teams name and telling a reporter that he was going to move in ... (link)