The biggest man in sports and the biggest man in the history of prime time television both called it quits Friday.
At a formal retirement press conference at his home near Orlando, Florida Friday, Shaquille O’Neal, 7’1″ 340 lbs, made official what he tweeted to his millions of followers Wednesday – he was ending his 19 year career as the most dominant big man in the NBA since Wilt Chamberlain. He retires as the largest brand name personality in any sport.
A one of a kind blend of size, natural ability, and affability, Shaq’s standing is secure as a top five big man, the only question being whether he is ahead or behind of Akeem Olajuwon as number four behind Russell, Wilt and Kareem.
Akeem won their only playoff match-up, the 1995 Finals, but Shaq wins the statistical analysis. In his prime, from 1993 through 2003, Shaq averaged 27.9 ppg and 11.8 rpg. During Akeem’s core years, he averaged 24 and 12. Shaq won four titles to Akeem’s two, but he had a better supporting cast. Olajuwon was a much better foul shooter….71.2% to 52.8 %.
In a match-up that’s almost too close to call, we give the edge to Shaq by virtue of his massive physical presence and his outsized personality. By all accounts, Akeem was a perfect gentleman, but we never got to know him the way we know Shaq.
Shaq critics, including Kobe Bryant, have derided him for devoting more off-season time to extra -curricular activities than to conditioning, but his nineteen years in an NBA uniform is exceeded only by Kareem (20) among the ten greatest centers of all-time, which in our view includes: 6. Moses Malone; 7. Patrick Ewing; 8. Willis Reed; 9. Nate Thurmond; and 10. Wes Unseld.
It’s true that Shaq devoted a lot of time to cultivating his off-court image. And the contrast between the sinewy Shaq who played three years at LSU and the current behemoth is stark. But it’s not unnatural for a center to fill out during the course of his career. See Malone, Ewing, and Unseld.
We didn’t have to bestow nicknames on Shaq. He took care of that himself, referring to himself at various times as The Big Aristotle (for his sheer genius), Osama Bin Shaq (for the terror he inflicted under the boards), The Big IPO (because his stock continues to rise), the M.D.E. (Most Dominant Ever), and most recently, The Big Twitterer.
The step-son of an army sergeant, Shaq credited his stern upbringing and his respect for authority as the foundation for his career. In his off-seasons, Shaq has attended the police academy, been trained as a reserve officer with the L.A. and Miami police, and has expressed interest in “ being the sheriff or chief of police somewhere in Florida.”
![]() |
At about the time that Shaq was meeting with the press, another large authority figure, 6’7″ James Arness, 88, Matt Dillon of “Gunsmoke” from 1955 -1975, died Friday at his home in Los Angeles. Taller than Cheyenne or the Rifleman, quick on the draw but virtuous and of sound judgment, Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall of Dodge City, Kansas, was the dominant law enforcement man in the age of the TV western.
Premiering in September, 1955 on CBS, “Gunsmoke” was the first of the prime time television Westerns and the most enduring, ending a run of 635 episodes in 1975. Only the “Flintstones” has had a longer run in prime time television and it doesn’t use real actors. From 1957 to 1961, “Gunsmoke” was the highest rated show on television.
In addition to sensible scripts and believable characters, the heart of the show was Matt Dillon, whose great size and character elevated him above normal men. Unlike Maverick, who wore fancy clothes and gambled, or Paladin who dressed in black and had epicurean tastes, or Bat Masterson who sported a cane and top hat, Matt Dillon didn’t need any embellishment.
Dillon rode a horse without a name, dressed drably, carried a holster with only one gun, and seemed to have no interest in romance. Shaq would have referred to him as The Big Fundamental. But nobody dispensed justice more efficiently or displayed better judgment. Usually, the story was not about Dillon directly, but rather concerned a drifter, a town person, or one of the regulars, Chester, Kitty, or Doc. From 1962 to 1966, Burt Reynolds played Quint, the town blacksmith.
Laconic and shy in real life, Arness was a perfect fit for the Matt Dillon character, first popularized on radio. Arness was recommended for the TV role by John Wayne, who came to know Arness during the filming of “Big Jim McClain” and “Hondo.”
So embodied was Arness in the Matt Dillon role that he never got past it. Though relatively young at the end of Gunsmoke’s regular run in 1975, he returned to the role in five TV movies from 1987 through 1993 and his only other movie or television credits were variations of the Dillon persona, in TV re-makes of “Red River,” “The Alamo,” and “How the West Was Won.” After “Gunsmoke,” it was hard to imagine Arness doing light comedy or romance.
Unlike Arness, the media-savvy Shaq is poised to assume new roles. He already commands a world-wide audience for his every move. Sirius might give him his own channel. If Magic Johnson could host a late night talk show, why not Shaq?
But if Shaq does decide to go into law enforcement, he’d have no better role model than Matt Dillon, another big man who reached his expiration date last Friday.