If there's any group of NBA fans that must be most excited to see Shaquille O'Neal announce his retirement on Twitter Wednesday, it had to be Sacramento Kings fans.
Arguably the greatest era in the history of their franchise took place around the same time Shaq & Kobe were dominating the Western Conference and the NBA. Despite the fact that they had great teams with great players such as Chris Webber and Vlade Divac, the Kings were never able to usurp power from the Lakers and Shaq was a huge part of that.
In 16 playoff games against the Kings, Shaq averaged 30.7 points and 15.7 rebounds.Yep, Shaq averaged 30/15 against the Kings when it mattered most. He didn't just beat them, he destroyed them.
Kings blog Sactown Royalty showed Shaq the respect such an opponent deserved in a post Wednesday, while also adding the proper tinge of loathing that remains.
We can all appreciate Shaq's greatness, and be thoroughly entertained by his antics. (His feud with Kobe remains a highlight.) But in the end, I'll always remember Shaq as the BAMF that destroyed the Kings when it mattered most, the guy that didn't break our hearts in one shot like Horry, but stomped our hope like a megalith Beelzebub.
Goodbye, Shaq. Thanks for ruining our dreams.
For more on Shaq’s Laker legacy, visit Silver Screen And Roll and SB Nation Los Angeles. For more on the Sacramento Kings, visit Sactown Royalty.
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