To Delonte West, Shaq’s like a big brother
We see Shaq as a larger than life persona. Shaq Attaq, the Big Diesel, The Big Aristotle. We laugh when he asks Kobe how his ass tastes and we wonder when he’s going to take another shot at a former teammate.
What we don’t see is Shaq’s other side, a more sensitive side, a side that led Delonte West to call Shaq “an amazing person” during an interview last season. (NBA.com, h/t ESPN Boston)
West is taking a low public profile this season, refusing all interviews. But when he learned the topic was Shaq, there were some strong thoughts West wanted to share, that he needed to share.
“This is about Shaq?” he asked.
About Shaq, yes.
“Well then, you need to know something. He’s like a big brother for me right now, as far as everything that’s going on in my life. Just seeing how he handles things is an inspiration to me. This is someone who has been around the world. He gives me advice every day. He’ll lay down and die for you, and that’s my type of guy. He’s an amazing person, someone I can’t even begin to describe. A big influence in my life.”
I’ve never thought about Shaq like this before. I’ve never seen him as the type of guy who will “lay down and die for you.” Most of the time, I flip-flop between thinking he’s hilarious and thinking he’s an asshole. It’s funny when he takes a shot at Mo Williams or Chris Quinn, but when you think about it, that ain’t cool.
Now, after reading that Delonte basically called Shaq an angel, I don’t even know what to think any more. Is Shaq the big funny man who can be a bit of an asshole, or is he “an amazing person, someone I can’t even begin to describe”?
Who knows? What I do know is that it will be good for Delonte that Shaq is in Beantown. When you have bipolar disorder, it can’t be a bad thing to have a close support group of old friends.
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Celtics Blog | Jay King | September 5, 2010
I lived in LA during Shaq’s early days there and this is who Shaq is. Only citizens of the cities where he has played really know that Shaq is a whole lot more than what the media and all make him out to be. This guy is a first class act and is going to really enjoy playing for the Cs and hopefully adding two more rings to his collection. Go Cs…
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Did you ever get the chance to meet Shaq?
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My perception if Shaq through the years is that he is very honest and has a big heart. If you’re his friend, he will, as Delonte states, lie down and die for you. On the other hand, if you’re not on his good side, he will speak out and ask you how his ass tastes. Delonte is fortunate to have Shaq’s friendship and speaks of his character as well. We may not have the perfect ‘Dream Team’, but I really like what Danny has put together this year. We have character.
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I like that assessment. Shaq has no fakeness to him. That’s why he refuses to comment on Lebron’s situation and keeps saying he won’t the two are good friends. They have character and a bunch of crazy, fun-loving dudes.
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like this summer couldn’t of gotten weirder …
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Never met him but would love to. Will figure a way to Boston to view some games and ‘stalk’ him (just kidding). Wait till you see him at Xmas with the kids…he is truely a very great human being. Go Cs…
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