'I think it was time': Tim Hardaway’s damning report on Shaq’s final NBA years

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is the most dominant player in NBA history. 'Shaq' transformed the center position in the NBA and bullied players with ruthless blocked shots and powerful dunks.

O'Neal played for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat in the prime of his career, winning four NBA Championships, three NBA Finals MVP awards, and one regular-season MVP award.

'Shaq,' who's had his jersey retired by all three of the teams above, was dominant in the NBA through to his 18th year in league with the Phoenix Suns, posting 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

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However, after being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010, O'Neal's performance started to decline. Due to injuries, he played only 53 games with the Cavaliers, and NBA veteran Tim Hardaway called for 'Shaq' to call it quits before it destroyed his legacy.

Hardaway told ESPN: "I'm glad that he retired. I think it was time. He was hurting his legacy. You don't want to see anybody hurt their legacy when they're going out."

"I think a lot of people are happy, he didn't go through that pain of waiting too long. And I think it was tough for everybody to watch Shaq when he was playing hurt like that at the end of this season."

After averaging 12 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Cavaliers, the 15x All-Star thought he could give it one more chance at winning a championship with the Boston Celtics during the 2010-2011 season.

O'Neal was 38 then and joined the Boston 'Big 3' of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. The 'Big Diesel' thought he could play a supporting role in helping them win a title.

Unfortunately for O'Neal, his season ended in terrible disappointment. He missed games due to knee, calf, hip, and Achilles injuries. The Celtics were eliminated in the second round of the NBA Playoffs by the Miami Heat.

On June 1st, 2011, the NBA legend announced his retirement from basketball on Twitter after playing 19 years in the league. He scored 28,596 points (23.7 points per game) and was eventually inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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