Image via WikipediaAs a registered 38, the caliber of Shaquille O'Neal's shadow now falls below network Christmas-programming standards for his annual Los Angeles stare-down with the Lakers.
True, ABC will be in L.A. on Sunday, and ESPN rolled into the desert for Shaq's Friday night reunion with the Phoenix Suns. But the attention-generating entity is O'Neal's employer, the Boston Celtics, who are renting the NBA monolith to help make another run to the NBA Finals.
He doesn't seem to mind.
"Father Time tapped me on the shoulder about three years ago," Shaq said of his evolution from the league's most dominant player to supporting actor in an all-star cast. "It happens to everyone."
With Father Time making his move, O'Neal decided reality — and another chance at a ring — was nothing to ignore.
"I've always been a smart businessman," he said. "It feels good that I'm on a championship contender at 38. I don't have to carry the load by myself."
In the good ol' grudge-match days, a few verbal sparks would fly between Shaq and surviving Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant in the days leading up to the intersection of their egos. With O'Neal grinding toward Springfield, their collision course now exists as little more than a sidebar.
That doesn't mean another Shaq-Kobe showdown is not without redeeming irony.
O'Neal will roll into Tinseltown wearing the green of the hated Celtics — that has to be worth something. In terms of potential karma disturbance, Lakers fans may consider this as alarming as Jack Nicholson landing the lead role in "The Red Auerbach Story."
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