Customer Reviews

Shaq Uncut: My Story

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3 star:		(5)
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As a lifetime fan of Shaq's since his days at LSU... not only for what he accomplished on the court... but also for his childlike enthusiasm... and even though I'm older than "SHAQ"... as a single Father I used his respect and honor for his parents as a teaching tool for my young son. With that being said I still owe a completely unbiased review for all the people out there who are considering whether to buy this book or not. First of all the average person has to wonder if "Shaq"'s second autobiography in ten years logically makes sense to purchase. Obviously the facts of his life up to 2001 haven't changed. In my opinion it would have made more sense to start this book off more as a sequel to his earlier autobiography than another autobiography, because anyone that has followed "SHAQ"'s life knows that there has been more than enough success... intrigue... controversy... and all around entertainment in the last ten years to fill two more books.

There are two categories of people who might buy this book... "SHAQ" fans... and non-"SHAQ" fans. The reason I mention that, is if you love and enjoy "SHAQ"-Daddy... you'll read most of his comments knowing and imagining "SHAQ"'s big giant goofy smile is imbedded between every sentence. If you're not an unabashed "SHAQ"-Diesel fan... you'll probably find much of the commentary massively egotistical. (Or as my dear departed Mother used to say to me: "Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back!") "SHAQ" constantly brags about the money he's made... the houses he's bought... the cars he's bought. Oh man! The cars he's bought... and the egomaniacal reasons he bought most of them.

FOR EXAMPLE: One day after practice while still sweaty and wearing sweats he stops by a Rolls Royce dealership and is looking at a beautiful Bentley. It so happens Mike Tyson is there and "NEXT THING I KNOW TYSON HAS PICKED OUT TWO. HE'S BUYING TWO OF THESE CARS, SO YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE GOT TO DO. I'VE GOT TO BUY THREE! I GRAB THE SALESMAN AND I SAY, "I WANT THAT SILVER HARDTOP ONE, AND I WANT THE GREEN ONE, AND GIVE ME THAT RED ONE OVER THERE, TOO." I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY HOW MUCH THEY COST, BUT I THINK THEY ALL RAN ME ABOUT $200,000.00 EACH. SO THERE'S $600,000.00 FOR THREE CARS THAT I CAN'T FIT INTO."

These types of incidents whether regarding cars or houses are rampant throughout the book. But there are also great behind the scenes stories regarding his famous feuds with Kobe Bryant... including when "SHAQ" had to literally be restrained from "killing" Kobe after Kobe broke a promise made to Lakers management by bashing "SHAQ" in an interview with Jim Gray. "SHAQ" also comes clean about some of his phony feuds that he played up to the media... including his made up story that Bill Russell gave him the sage advice to make up with Kobe. All of this reminds me of a comment "SHAQ" once made during an interview on TV... when he said: "YOU KNOW WHAT "NBA" STANDS FOR? NOTHING BUT ACTORS!"

Despite all the almost nauseating amounts of accumulated wealth and spending habits that would embarrass a drunken sailor who won the lottery... the most beautiful and touching "heart" interspersed throughout this gentle giant's life (if you put aside all the people a younger "SHAQ" punched out when he practiced his "hit'em" first mantra) is his unabashed love and respect for his Mother and Father. His real Father, Philip Harrison ("SHAQ" will eloquently explain to readers the difference between "real" and biological) raised him with an iron fist... and "SHAQ" has never forgotten where he comes from. The declarations of love and respect that "SHAQ" etches on these pages... are the same exact feelings I saw him portray courtside before and after games and in countless interviews for the last twenty years. And as I said... that's one of the main reasons I've loved "SHAQ" all these years. And the fact that like "SHAQ"... I'm a kid that never grew up!

The average fan will also have their feelings reinforced regarding selfish, spoiled athletes... who when they go on strike lose our sympathy... when you hear $20 Million Dollars a year in salary isn't enough... along with endorsement deals like "SHAQ" had before he played a minute in the NBA. $13 Million with Pepsi... $15 Million with Reebok... and $20-25 Million from Kenner, Spaulding, and Scoreboard training cards.

The author definitely tells it like it is (at least from his point of view) regarding the end of his Magic career... Lakers career... Heat career (Look out Pat Riley!)... and so on. I guess that's why an individual writes a book... to get his side out... *UNCUT* ... without interruptions.

Though this book won't win any Pulitzer Prize for literature... it is certainly an interesting read.

There's nothing negative to say about this book. The narrative flow is great, Shaquille is a very entertaining storyteller and the stories he has to tell are both very informative and fun. The book does not center about the controversies with Kobe, his run-ins with Pat Riley or gossip on LeBron; those are there too, but Shaq is always fair and gives you both sides of the coin. His personality shines in the book and it certainly helps that he was such a multi-talented person, and not just a basketball star. I always respected him as a basketball legend and thought he was a goofball, but after this book I'm a fan.

Shaq Uncut is simply Shaq being Shaq even with the zillion nicknames and the humping into other arenas besides basketball like movies and rapping. Gregarious, Mr. O'Neal grew up impoverish, but had steady role models who he credits for keeping him straight without breaking his spirit. Although literally the big man on campus his time at LSU was short and ended in defeat in the NCAA tournament. In the NBA, he started in Orlando; won championships in Los Angeles and Miami, and finishing in Cleveland and Boston. However, the fascination with the NBA travels is how Shaq paints his departures and his intriguing relationships with other superstar teammates and coaches such as Wade, Bryant, Jackson, James and the Celtic trilogy (plus Rondo). Still proving in retirement he remains Mr. Charisma with a Shaq Attack wink, this is a fun autobiography as the Big Aristotle understood he wore the bulls-eye when a loss occurred like the Magic losing in the finals and shared the triumphs with Kobe and Dwayne.

Harriet Klausner

Shaq Uncut, though a very entertaining read, provides no new insight into the man with a thousand (mostly self-penned) nicknames, especially to those that have even only casually followed the league in the past 20+ years.

We all know of his clashes with former teammates, coaches, GM's, owners, sportswriters and whoever else dared to question his methods throughout his career. To read Shaq Uncut, every time he had to change teams it was never due to anything on his part. Penny wanted more money and the spotlight in Orlando, Kobe wanted likewise in LA, Wade was cool until he apparently sided with Pat Riley etc etc. You see he becomes more humble as the story unfolds (though not too humble, this is The Big Aristotle after all), which usually shows some form of maturity and personal growth, to me it was a result of diminishing skills equating to less weight to swing around in the locker room.

Is the story entertaining? Absolutely. Shaq was/is a unique character and could always provide a hilarious soundbite for his entire career. But the reality is, he probably should've retired 5 years ago and at times he was more focused on the sideshow aspect of pro ball than the game itself. We was more WWE wrestler than serious ballplayer with all his self-promotion.

In summary, Shaq Uncut is a decent read but sheds no light on what made the most charismatic and enigmatic NBA superstar of the past two decades really tick, which is fine for the casual follower but not so great for the hardcore ball fan that followed the stories as they happened.

When I told someone I was reading Shaquille O'Neal's new autobiography they laughed and said: "Why? His life has been an open book." I had to chuckle. While it is true there is nothing particularly new here that hasn't been reported on, maybe numerous times, it's refreshing because it is clearly told in Shaq's voice and on his terms.

So what to say about Shaq Uncut? (I have to wonder if this isn't a play on words.)

For starters, as a general outline of his life story, he grew up with a stepfather in the Marines and lived a vagabond life, with a good part of his youth spent in Germany. He quickly grew to be oversized and wasn't particularly athletic but picked up basketball and made it his life's passion. Being in Germany wasn't particularly easy for him but he learned the rough and tumble of hardnosed basketball playing with adults. That, and probably from a good dose of tough discipline from his stepfather that can only be described as a little on the violent side.

As everyone knows Shaq went to Louisiana State University to play college basketball and found another father figure in coach Dale Brown. Three years later he was the number one pick in the NBA draft. After leading the Orlando Magic to the playoffs but never entering the promised land he eventually was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles and the outsized body and ego of Shaq? What a match. But it took teaming up with the young phenomenon Kobe Bryant to win three NBA championships, and then the feud between the two of course. Fun stuff.

Shaq and Kobe couldn't coexist in the end, so Shaq headed to the Miami Heat to play second option to Dwayne Wade to win another NBA Championship.

All the while making rap albums, playing in movies, and being a cultural icon.

So what did I learn about Shaq in this book?

First he has big ego and is very immature. But there is a very endearing aspect to this. Not only does he admit it, he seems to relish in his immaturity. And makes no apologies for it, nor should he. He admits to being somewhat of a bully as a kid. He talks about going into a car dealership to buy a Benz but if another sports star has bought one, he has to buy two just to one up them. The oddest story is where he had $200,000 worth of quarters from a string of car washes he owned mounted on his wall because he "likes to see his money." His lifelong trusted agent/accountant started looking for the missing money and wondered where it went and ultimately found out.

And that personality feeds into his feud with Kobe. He describes it as two alpha males who can't coexist. He doesn't trash Kobe at all in this book, but instead seems to admire him. Placing the feud into the context of two big egos, two alpha males on the same team, which just isn't going to work, puts the entire episode in context. And he really lets Kobe off the hook a bit, because Shaq proved he can be a team player in Miami.

A second thing I learned is that Shaq is pretty smart. While he spends lavishly, he invested wisely and found a trusted adviser who had his back. There are plenty of examples of stars who made nearly as much as Shaq that went broke by overspending, bad investments, and stupidity. Not Shaq, clearly.

Third, despite the ego, Shaq has a big heart. While it is in his own words, he talks about spending money on charity as his way to give back and sometimes his spending is impetuous and not maybe the wisest decision. Most sports fans will recall when Shaq paid for George Mikan's funeral. Who is George Mikan? The first big man in the 1940's and 1950's who helped carry the NBA. Some say the first great big man. Nobody asked him to do it. He just found out that the family was in financial trouble and volunteered to pay for the funeral. There is a brief mention of this in the book, but the episode is well documented.

Fourth is Shaq's self-awareness. He did rap and movies because he always dreamed of it. Part of that ego, but really part of his childhood dreams he lived out. He admits he's not the best actor or rapper, but he notes that if you have the money and the celebrity to live out a childhood dream, why wouldn't you do it? He got great pleasure from both endeavors, so why not?

And the player he thinks is the greatest besides himself? Tim Duncan. It was refreshing to see Shaq recognize someone else for greatness.

There may be nothing new here, but Shaq tells his story, in his own words, and that is what makes it interesting.

Shaquille O'Neal writes an amazing book about his basketball career. `Shaq' writes this book and tells stories about growing up, loving his Mom and Dad, and playing with some of the best basketball players in the league. Shaq is bigger than life in this book as he explains some of his Shaq-ism nicknames: The Big Shamrock, The Big Exchange, and going on Shaqfari.

Shaq talks about his time at LSU while in college. Playing for Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix and Boston. As well as how he feels about coaches, players, staff members, and owners. He has many great things to say about many great players, as well as a few players that he doesn't care for.

Shaq loves to talk about himself, his playing career, his movie star status, and his rap career. This book is nicely written and keeps your attention throughout. Shaq has a big personality and loves to express it as much as possible. At times this book isn't able to express who he is on TV.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves basketball, anyone who is interested in the player known as Shaq-Diesel, Big Shamrock, Superman...etc. and to those who are looking for an easy read with not to much `heady' information. This was a fun read and enjoyable.

Enjoyed the book and it was easy reading. It did however, get a little boring going thru game after game, team after team. I think Shaq is a fun personality, and quite a character. It was a good read.

I'm neither a huge basketball, nor a Shaq fan, but nonetheless found this to be a great read. The book gets better as it progresses and provides a first hand perspective on how the college and professional recruiting works, the financial side of being a 'superstar athlete', and the dynamics of the NBA league, as well as the individual rivalries. However, beyond just the business and the league, you also get to know Shaq - a unique personality, that's for sure - and his immediate circle.

Overall, great read, and definitely something any basketball or sports biography fan would enjoy.

Great book for Shaq fans or sports fans alone. Humerous and well-written for Shaq's first book. Bought for a friend as a gift and had some time to read a few chapters throughout and was very impressed. Highly recommend!

Moreso than other professional sports leagues, the NBA seems to be made up of a collection of very tight cliques and big personalities within them driving success or failure. The modern game can be very individualistic, however when it comes down to it these big stars do rely on each other in crunch time. It's very interesting to get a sense of what it's like when that dynamic goes well, and of course it's interesting to hear about the friction that is generated. I thought this book delivered tremendous insight in this world. Shaq was always different somehow. He seemed to be one of those rare pro atheletes that came into the game with an inquisitive mind and a willingness to do things differently. He's the ultimate insider but brings an outsider's view. He is so secure in his status that he has no problem at revealing the good bad and ugly of how this fraternaty operates. He looks critically and honestly at organizations, teams, and the pro life itself. I recently read and enjoyed Ball Four, an insider's look at major league baseball with a counterculture slant, written by a player. I thought this book was in the same vein. Surprisingly honest and personal.