It kind of goes against logic to think that Shaq was a disappointing player over the past decade. He had a career that undoubtedly landed him in the company of the five best centers of all time.
From what we saw of Shaq at his height, combined with the way he played the game year after year, however, it seems like it should have been no argument that Shaq was the greatest center ever to play the game.
The big man simply knew how to play basketball on both ends of the court, and he did so in dominant fashion. All this is exemplified by his 2000 playoff run, when he put up 30 points and 15 boards over the course of 23 games. He was unmatched, and undeniably, the best center in the league.
The only problem is that it seems Shaq realized that. He didn't have to make himself better in the offseason. Hell, he didn't even have to stay in shape.
Around 2003, Shaq continually showed up to training camp overweight, worked himself into shape during the season and rarely broke out his dominant side.
He peaked in that 2000 season, but instead of a plateau he turned and steadily declined, especially obvious when he went from 27 to 21 points per game in 2004.
You can call it selfish, but really, it was just Shaq.
