This is where he could chase down one last championship ring, the place where he’d take his victory lap after 19 years in the NBA.
It would also be the first stop on his post-career public relations campaign. He would not only be one of the biggest stars in sport, he would be the most accessible, whether he was in Harvard Square posing as a statue, or at Symphony Hall in a tuxedo and bow tie conducting the Boston Pops.
He was in Boston for all of seven months, he played 37 games during the regular season, he practically went missing for nearly two months, and somehow he was ubiquitous. He dressed in drag for Halloween. He was Shaq-a-Claus for Christmas. He went to New York to appear on “Late Night with David Letterman.’’ He went to the Harvard Medical School to be a guinea pig in a study for sleep apnea.
He was a walking reality show — not just a soundbite waiting to happen but a YouTube clip and a blog post.
So the announcement yesterday that he’d retired — not even 365 days into his plan — made perfect sense. It didn’t come in a written statement. It didn’t even come through the team. Celtics president Danny Ainge declined comment, only because O’Neal hadn’t actually called Ainge to let him know.
Instead, he sent out a tweet.
“I’m retiring,’’ it read.
He also added a link to a video with a message to fans.
“We did it,’’ he said. “Nineteen years, baby. I want to thank you very much, that’s why I’m telling you first: I’m about to retire. Love you. Talk to you soon.’’
And with that, O’Neal, 39, ended a career that will land him in the Hall of Fame. He will now be concerned less with his basketball résumé — the four titles, the 15 All-Star Game appearances, the three Finals MVPs, the 2000 NBA MVP, the 28,596 career points, the 13,099 career rebounds, the 2,732 career blocks — and work on the one that he hopes will make him the next athlete-turned-media darling.
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