Shaq Retires: Greatest Center of All-Time?

Leave it to the always-humorous Shaquille O'Neal to announce his retirement after 19 seasons in a video statement, through Twitter.

We did it -- 19 years baby. I want to you very much. That's why I am telling you first, said O'Neal. I'm about to retire. Love you. Talk to you soon.

The video was posted on Tout.com. Ever heard of Tout? No, neither have we.

But it was a personable message, and O'Neal was a personable guy.

The larger-than-life NBA center made an effort to not lose his child-like enthusiasm for having fun. He would dance, rap, act in forgettable films, come up with clever nicknames for himself, and inject witticisms in interviews as often as possible.

As a player, O'Neal will likely go down as one of the greatest players of all-time. A dominant center, O'Neal was an almost unstoppable force in the low post.

He finished with four championship rings, and was the league MVP in the 1999-200 season. A two-time NBA scoring champion, O'Neal ranks fifth all-time in career points (28,596) and 12th in total rebounds (13,099).

The former Louisiana State star began his career with the Orlando Magic when he was drafted as the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, and then moved on to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he had a memorable feud with Kobe Bryant. His following seasons with the Miami Heat, Pheonix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics were never has successful as his time with Orlando and Los Angeles.

He leaves the NBA with a career-scoring average of 23.7 points per game, and 10.9 rebounds per game. O'Neal had well-known struggles at the free-throw line, shooting 52.7 percent over his career.

So where does O'Neal rank amongst the greatest centers of all-time?

Though he was a dominant player, O'Neal finishes third on our IBTimes.com list.

Take a look:

https://www.ibtimes.com/articles/110769/20110209/nba-centers-shaq-russell-olajuwon-wilt-chamberlain-kareem-abdul-jabbar.htm#page3