SHAQ Orlando Magic Jersey Retirement – FULL CEREMONY

SHAQ Orlando Magic Jersey Retirement – FULL CEREMONY

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL FROM LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY. THE DAY HE WAS DRAFTED, A WHIRLWIND OF EXCITEMENT SWEPT THROUGH THE CITY. FRESH OUT OF LSU, WE KNEW THE IMPACT WOULD BE HUGE, BUT IT WAS MORE LIKE A DELUGE. A TIDAL WAVE OF GET OUT THE WAY GLASS SHATTERED, BACKBOARDS WERE BATTERED. NEVER SEEN THAT.

THEY CHANGED THE RULES. Y’ALL KNOW WHO SHAQ. DIESEL. THAT’S FUEL. THAT’S MAGIC. FIRST DRAFTED IN 92. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR IN 93 BY 95. HE DOMINATED THE EAST AND WE PROCEEDED WITH BANNERS IN THE RAFTERS. MADE US IMAGINE A FUTURE CHAPTER AS CHAMPIONS. A FRANCHISE FOREVER ATTACHED TO HIS LEGACY. SWEET MEMORY LANE.

OUR ACTUAL. MEMORIES IN THE LANE. I’M JUST SAYING YOU DESERVE THIS. THE FIRST NBA PHENOM TO DROP BOTH BUCKETS AND VERSES LIKE. THAT WAS THE FIRST PICK. ME BRO. THIS GUY CHRISTIAN LAETTNER NOT ALONZO MOURNING ONLY ATHLETE TO GO PLATINUM WITH A RAP ALBUM TWIST SOME MORE LIKE A PHILOSOPHY THAT ANYBODY BELIEVE

IN AND OBSTACLES WAS IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND. THE FIRST BASKETBALL ENTITY, THE COLOR OLD TOWN’S CULTURAL IDENTITY. TELL THE TRUTH. FROM REBOUNDS TO THE BOOTH POST MOVES TO MOVIES AND A BRAND, A FORCE OF NATURE FUELED WITH EVERY SLAM. WE JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. GLAD YOU EXPANDED.

THE BRAND REEBOKS TO THE BIG POD AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. 19 SEASONS TO CELEBRATE AND THE FIRST FOUR WITH THIS TEAM, IT IS TIME TO TAILOR MAKE THESE FLOWERS FOR YOU IN YOUR TIME OF LIFE. ALL PRIDE ASIDE, RECEIVE YOUR SHINE FROM THE CITY. BEAUTIFUL BIG FELLA THAT SIZE 22

STILL LEAVES A FOOTPRINT IN THESE AVENUES AS A TSUNAMI OF A CENTER. 32 DEGREES FREEZE IN THE COLDEST BIG MAN IN YOUR ERA. FOUR RINGS LATER AND LEGENDARY HALL OF FAMER IN 407. YOU’LL FOREVER HAVE FAVOR LARGER THAN LIFE AND LIFE FULL OF FLAVOR, YOUR HUMOR AND GIVING

NATURE IS A MODEL FOR YOUTH TO FOLLOW AND PARTLY DEFINED WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN OF STEEL. WE RETIRED HIS JERSEY NUMBER FROM THE RAFTERS IN CELEBRATION OF A BASKETBALL ICON WITH INFECTIOUS LAUGHTER OR LANDO’S ORIGINAL SUPERMAN. SHAQUILLE RASHAUN, SHAWN O’NEAL. FOREVER A MAGIC LEGEND NUMBER. 32 SHAQUILLE. WILL BE HERE.

I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH. I HAVE MANY WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL MAGIC. MAGIC MEMORIES. THERE’S NO OTHER PLACE I WOULD HAVE WANTED TO START MY CAREER. ORLANDO. ORLANDO WILL FOREVER HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART. IT’S A REAL. IT’S BECAUSE I AM GETTING IT RIGHT.

IT’S A REAL HONOR TO BE THE FIRST ORLANDO MAGIC PLAYER TO GET HIS JERSEY RETIRED. ALTHOUGH I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED TO BE NUMBER TWO, NICK ANDERSON, COME UP HERE. ALWAYS START. IF THEY WERE GOING TO DO RETIRED JERSEYS, YOU SHOULD BE THE FIRST. YOU’RE THE FIRST SUPERSTAR HERE IN ORLANDO AND.

I APPRECIATE YOU YOU KNOW FOR SACRIFICING FOR ME. YOU COULD HAVE TOOK THE SHOT EVERY TIME BUT YOU THREW IT IN. SO AGAIN. SO I DEFINITELY WANT TO COME BACK HERE WHEN YOUR JERSEY GETS RETIRED. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. STAY UP HERE. PENNY HARDAWAY GET UP HERE.

KENNY, YOU TOLD A LIE IN YOUR SPEECH. YOU SAID THAT YOU WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN YOU IF IT WASN’T IT FOR ME. I COULD SAY THE SAME THING, BROTHER. UH, I OWE YOU EVERYTHING. YOU KNOW, I DIDN’T KNOW WHO HE WAS. AND THEN WE STARTED SHOOTING BLUE CHIPS AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS

IN MY CONTRACT. MY AGENT LEONARD MILLER. WE PUT IT IN OUR CONTRACT THAT WE PLAYED BALL EVERY DAY. AND I WENT TO HIM. I SAID, WHO IS THIS — ACTOR THROWING ME THE BALL EVERY TIME? WAS HE IN THE NBA? AND HE SAID, YES. PENNY HARDAWAY. AND I CAN REMEMBER DENNIS

SAYING, HEY MAN, YOU GOT TO GO UPSTAIRS AND, YOU KNOW, TELL HIM, TELL HIM YOU WANT TO BE THERE ALL THE WAY. SO I CALLED JOHN AND I SAID, JOHN, YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS GUY PENNY HARDAWAY. HE SAID, WELL, WE CAN’T GET HIM. I SAID, WELL, JOHN, YOU NEED TO GET HIM.

SO THEY PICKED CHRIS WEBBER AND I WAS EATING SOME PAPA JOHN’S AND EATING PEPSI. AND I TOLD MY — HOUSE THAT I WAS LIKE, –, JOHN! AND THEN JOHN AND ALEX CALLED ME AND SAID, WATCH THIS. AND THEN THEY SAID, DAVID STERN SAID THEY MADE A TRADE AND YOU

KNOW, WHEN PENNY CAME HERE, I KNOW WE WAS GOING TO DO SOME SPECIAL THINGS. SO I APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH. AND I WOULDN’T BE HERE WITHOUT YOU. SO STAY UP HERE BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH YOU GUYS ARE CELEBRATING ME, THIS IS DEFINITELY OUR NIGHT. AND I WANT YOU GUYS TO CELEBRATE

THIS NIGHT WITH ME. UH TRACY MCGRADY. IS ANOTHER PLAYER GOING TO HAVE HIS JERSEY RETIRED. DENNIS SCOTT GET UP HERE. WE CAN TELL WHEN DENNIS WAS SPEAKING, WE COULD TELL HE WAS A LITTLE DRUNK, BUT THAT’S OKAY. SPECIAL NIGHT TONIGHT, DENNIS WAS THE GUY THAT TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE A PROFESSIONAL.

WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, I DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING. ME AND MY GREEDY FAMILY, WE STAYED AT THE AIRPORT. HILTON. OUR BILL WAS 960,000. AND THEN DENNIS CAME AND SAID, HEY MAN, YOU GOT TO GET A HOUSE. HE WAS LIKE, I DON’T KNOW HOW TO GET A HOUSE.

I THOUGHT THE MAGIC WAS GOING TO DO THAT FOR ME. SO HE INTRODUCED ME TO A REALTOR AND I GOT MY MOM AND DAD A HOUSE IN LAKE MARY. I GOT MYSELF A HOUSE IN ISLEWORTH AND HE JUST TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE PROFESSIONAL. SO AGAIN, WHEN GUYS ARE

CELEBRATING ME, BUT I WOULDN’T BE HERE WITHOUT YOU GUYS, ESPECIALLY YOU GUYS. SO AGAIN, GRANT HILL IS ANOTHER GUY WHO CAN HAVE HIS JERSEY RETIRED. SO, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD THE RING OF CEREMONY I THINK 4 OR 5 YEARS AGO. AND I ACTUALLY THOUGHT I WAS GETTING MY JERSEY RETIRED THAT NIGHT.

AND THEN I WENT UPSTAIRS AND WE DID A LITTLE THING IN A PRESS CONFERENCE. I WAS LIKE, WHEN AM I GETTING MY JERSEY DONE? HE’S LIKE, NO, THEY DON’T DO THAT HERE. I WAS LIKE, –. BUT I ADMIT 32 LOOKS GOOD UP THERE. THANK YOU. IF I HAD TWO WISHES TODAY, IF I

HAD TWO WISHES TODAY, MY FIRST WISH WOULD BE IS THAT MY FATHER, SERGEANT PHILIP HARRISON, WAS HERE TONIGHT. WITHOUT HIM. MY SUCCESS. THANK YOU. WITHOUT MY FATHER, MY SUCCESS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN BASKETBALL WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN REALIZED. HE BELIEVED IN ME EVEN WHEN I STRUGGLED TO BELIEVE IN MYSELF. HE GAVE ME GUIDANCE.

HE GAVE ME ENCOURAGEMENT. HE GAVE ME DISCIPLINE. HE GAVE ME — WHIPPINGS. SO THIS HONOR IS FOR HIM TOO. AND MY SECOND WISH. I WISH THE LEGENDARY RICHARD DE VOS WAS ALSO IN ATTENDANCE. HE SAW POTENTIAL IN THE YOUNG KID FROM LSU. HE TOOK A CHANCE ON ME AND FOR

THAT I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL TO HIM. YOUR LEGACY ENDURES, SIR, AND YOUR IMPACT ON MY LIFE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. ALSO, I WANT TO THANK DAN DEVOS, ALEX MARTINS FOR HIS RECOGNITION, ESPECIALLY A SHOUT OUT TO MY MAMA LUCILLE. FOR HER UNWAVERING SUPPORT AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND HER —

WEAPONS ALSO LOVE YOU MOMMY! I ALSO WANT TO THANK MY SEVEN CHILDREN WILL NEVER STOP INSPIRING ME TO BE A BETTER FATHER AND A BETTER MAN. ALSO, I WANT TO THANK MY BROTHER JAMAL AND MY SISTER LATIFA, AND HOPEFULLY MY OTHER SISTER AYESHA IS IN HEAVEN WATCHING THIS CEREMONY ALONGSIDE MY FATHER AND

MR. DEVOS. I WANT TO THANK THE WHOLE ORLANDO MAGIC ORGANIZATION, FORMER TEAMMATES HERE. GUYS, COME ON UP HERE WITH ME. EVERYBODY. COME ON UP. GREG. JOE WOLF, TODD HOUSTON FILE THE — OUT OF ME IN PRACTICE. YOU COME ON UP HERE TO DON OHL ROYAL. THE GERALD GREEN JOE WOLF ADAM

KEEFE TOWER, TRE ROLLINS, JOHN KONCAK, GREG KAYTE. ALL THE FORMER TEAMMATES THAT I PLAYED WITH. COACHES, COACH HILL, COME ON UP HERE. DOESN’T COACH. DOESN’T COACH HERE LOOK LIKE BOB BARKER? COACH, I’M NOT INTO ELDERLY MEN, BUT –, YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL. SIR. AND THANKS TO JOHN GABRIEL, PAT WILLIAMS.

AND I WANT TO THANK THE FANS. I KNOW YOU GUYS COULD HAVE BEEN ANYWHERE YOU STAYED FOR ME. APPRECIATE YOU STAYING. THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO WEAR THE BLUE AND WHITE ORLANDO WILL FOREVER HOLD A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART. I’LL ALWAYS BE PROUD TO BE A

PART OF THIS MAGIC FRANCHISE. THANK YOU ALL, AND I APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH. AND THANK YOU GUYS. WITHOUT YOU GUYS, THERE WOULD BE NO ME, GREG LAZZARO. ALL YOU GUYS WILL WANT YOU TO STAND UP HERE WITH ME BECAUSE IT’S NEVER ABOUT ME. IT’S ABOUT US. AND I COULDN’T BE ME WITHOUT YOU

GUYS, ESPECIALLY JT, MF MONEY AND THE MF STANDS FOR EXACTLY WHAT YOU THINK IT STANDS FOR. JT, MF MONEY. SO I WANT TO APPRECIATE YOU GUYS. THANKS FOR COMING OUT AND TO AND TO THE THE DEVOS FAMILY. WHENEVER YOU WANT ME TO QUIT TNT AND COME BACK HOME, YOU GIVE ME

A CALL, I’LL BE HERE AN INSTANT LOVE YOU GUYS. THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT. DRIVE SAFE. MAGIC FANS, ONE MORE TIME FOR NUMBER 32. SHAQUILLE ADAM KEEFE. 43. STOP! TAYLOR SOULE. DON’T. STOP. OKAY, MR. GUS WILLIAMS. JA. P.J. WASHINGTON IS NOW. BAYLOR. DON’T STOP. TAYLOR SOULE. AUSTIN

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