Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'neal is perhaps one of the most respected athletes because of his history and talent, and has the most outgoing personality in sports history. He was born on March 6, 1972, in Newark, New Jersey, and was tall for his age. For example, when he was 13, he was already 6 feet 6 inches! In high school, Shaq conquered basketball, for he led his school team to win a 68-point to 1-point game during his two years in high school and helped his team win the state title in his senior year. In college, he was part of Omega Psi Phi. During his rookie years, he averaged more than 23 points per game. He made the headlines with "two deafening slam dunks which broke the supports on the basket." He then was named "College Basketball Player of the Year" in 1991. Also, apparently, he has many nicknames: Superman, Shaq, Diesel, and the Big Aristotle. Shaq has been using his size and strength to overpower opponents for points and rebounds.

Keith Allison [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The reason I chose Shaq O'Neal as my hero is because of the sport that he plays, how he looks ahead towards his future, and how well he plays basketball. Basketball has always been an interesting sport for me because in my family, mostly everyone loves the sport of basketball and is currently in NJB, or national junior basketball. I heard that Shaq always wanted to become a policeman, so now he is a reserve for the police force. I think that the thought of a back-up career was very smart, especially in times like these.

The comparison between Shaq and me is that we both love the sport basketball, and I honor the fact that he has a back-up plan in life. Shaq doesn't take his fame for granted and he does not think that the spotlight is always on him. In other words, he is modest.