Shaq Retires

So...I'm a few days late on this. Shaquille O'Neal retired this week. There is not a whole lot to say that hasn't been said. O'Neal was one of the most dominant players on the court and the most odd characters off the court for the last 20 years. He retires as one of the top NBA players of all time.

When O'Neal burst onto the scene as the first overall draft pick in 1992, card collectors were instantly smitten. Because O'Neal did not sign in time, card companies could not include his card in series one of most sets. That is why you may remember his Classic Draft pick card as one of the more popular cards of the year.

Upper Deck also took a clever approach in issuing a randomly packed redemption card which guaranteed the lucky collector a 1992 Upper Deck rookie card of the first overall draft pick. Many collectors thought they struck gold when they found this redemption card, but it proved to be just an average rookie card of the big man.

Eventually, all other companies would issue real O'Neal rookie cards and Shaq would remain one of the most popular basketball players with card collectors ever since.