[ShamoN 513Participant]

          Im wondering how can Shaq write in his new book "Shaq Uncut: My Story" that  Kareem was never around. And, whenever he did see him, he usually ignored him. And that he would have liked to had a conversation with him …          Shaq went on to write ………………………"He’d say hello, but I was looking for, ‘Hey, do this’ or ‘Watch out for that.’ He knew everyone was comparing me to him. He knew better than anyone what I was up against, but he gave me nothing."

            My opinion is how can Shaq write that when he did the same exact thing to Dwight Howard…   Dwight wanted tips and pointers on the C position and all Shaq had  no love for him.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

But, Shaq was still playing. If Kareem were still playing, I doubt Shaq would have those expectations. Still, I remember (this was 14 years ago) that Kareem was asked about helping Shaq and he said, "Shaq is too good to need my help". I do not know if those were his exact words and of course he was being sarcastic. Basically, I think they both did not communicate well with each other. I think Kareem is difficult to work with to an extent, and that Shaq probably was not exactly receptive or open to being worked with.

Here was Kareem’s side of things:

Abdul-Jabbar responded to these criticisms with a post on his personal Facebook page.

 

"I went down to LSU and worked with Shaq on the fundamentals of the Skyhook as a favor to Coach Dale Brown. I spent time with Shaq in the gym and gave him some drills he could use to develop the hook shot. But when I followed up with his Coach, Dale Brown, I was told that Shaq’s father told his son he didn’t need to develop a hook shot and all he needed to … do was smash everything into the basket. Shaq’s fathers felt that he was so overpowering physically that he should just dunk everything and not worry about developing a finesse shot like the Skyhook," he wrote.

 

Abdul-Jabbar added: "As a pro I never approached Shaq because I thought he was pretty successful dunking everything and I assumed he didn’t want my help. Additionally, I was never on the coaching staff of any of his teams. I was never unfriendly to him and I would talk to him, but Shaq was enjoying his success, doing it his way. He never asked me of what I thought he should be doing and he never tried to reach out to me for any instruction and I respected that decision.

 

"If I had any idea that Shaq wanted to learn from me, I would have been happy to have worked with him, but all indications that I had received was that he felt he was doing fine and he didn’t need or want my help. I am totally surprised by Shaq’s comments as I tried to respect his privacy and never got any indication from anyone that he wanted or needed any input from me with regard to how he played the game. Shaq had a great career, and I like everyone else, respect what he has achieved."

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7227081/shaquille-oneal-holds-little-back-new-book

So, I do not go on the whole, "How dare Shaq say this!" tip, but more so, the, "Shaq is going on a petty immature rant about something he felt" tip. Shaq more than likely has contradicted himself in the situation he brings up with he and Kareem never working together. Plus, it sounds like Shaq’s dad, who seems very controlling and played a major factor on his son, probably did not help matters with the whole, "Who needs a Skyhook when he can just dunk everything?" comment. Kareem definitely seemed to take that to heart and rather than try to kick knowledge about why the shot could be incredibly helpful, he took offense and backed off.

Is it wrong that Kareem was offended by Phillip Harrison’s comments? No. But, he could have approached it a different way. Is it wrong that Kareem did not offer wisdom to Shaq? Again, no. If anything, Shaq could have tried to make the bond himself. Nonetheless, I have heard stories about Kareem being somewhat difficult to approach. It seems like both of them felt like they were brushed off by each other. Apparently, Kareem used to read the newspaper when being asked questions by reporters. Shaq has always gotten the label as being at times difficult to coach. In the end, Shaq turned out fine and I find his bitterness towards Kareeem pretty unjustified. The best way for Shaq to try and show up what he felt was Kareem alienating him? That of course would be helping others now that he has retired. I can understand his not taking Dwight Howard under his wing while he is still a NBA player, but now that he has retired, if he alienates Dwight, he is doing the same thing he felt Kareem did to him. If Shaq does not try to do things differently but takes the attitude, "Well, Kareem did not help me, why should I help anyone else?", than he is being incredibly hypocritical. Nonetheless, Shaq seems to have created one heck of a bunch of controversy in this book. Know I am excited to read it.

[Charlie SheenParticipant]

I never like Kareem, I dont think he was that good in my opinion and he isnt really a marquee name as far as casuals go. Everyone knows, Jordan, Magic, Bird, Shaq, Kobe, LeBron and Melo but imagine saying my fav player is Kareem Abdul-Jabar 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

How old are you? I am 27, but I am not naiive enough to believe that people older, or even younger than I am would not have the leading scorer in NBA history as their favorite player or amongst their favorite players. Kareem won 6 Championships, 6 MVP awards, made 10 All-NBA 1st Teams, made 18 All-Star games and when he retired he was also had the most blocked shots in NBA history. Just so happens that he had also played 10 years before Magic or Larry had come into the league and was 32 years old Magic’s rookie season.

In college, he lead the UCLA freshman team to a win over the UCLA varsity team, who were 18-8 that season. Under the moniker Lew Alcindor, he lead UCLA to an 88-2 record and 3 NCAA Championships. To me, he is the best player in college basketball history, averaging 26.4 ppg, 15.5 rpg on 63.9% FG. His NBA averages were 24.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg and 2.6 bpg while shooting 56% from the field. In other words, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was an outstanding basketball player. I know that I had a poll and he was voted the best Center in NBA history by the posters of this board. He had a shot that was literally unguardable in the Sky Hook and I am sure most Center’s could learn a great deal from him. If Shaq would have been mentored by Kareem, odds are it only would have helped his game. But, to question whether Kareem "was that good", is ridiculous. If you are a "casual", good for you, but that does not mean that he was not a fantastic player from a historical perspective.

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