NBA Basketball Sports Fan Blog

The day has finally come. Call the press. Mark your calendars. Two years after being drafted 5th by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft, Rick Rubio has finally signed a contract with the team, and plans — for now — to play in the NBA next season. Under law, all babies born in the next 3 days will be named Ricky Rubio. That will be their first names. So their names will be Rick Rubio, and then their last names. So if a child’s last name is Smith, its name… Okay I think you get the point.

Rubio’s arrival to the NBA and the Timberwolves has been delayed by contractual issues involving a $6 million buyout clause Rubio would have had to pay out of his own pocket if he decided to leave his Regal Barcelona (I think that’s a basketball team) last year after he was drafted. It has also been fairly obvious that Rubio has had his doubts about moving to and playing in Minnesota. Now before you go criticize young Ricky, you should remember that he comes from a country that looks like this. And that he’s going to a place that looks like this. And yes, the title of that picture is “desolate.”

That being said, Ricky Rubio now has by far the best name in the NBA, and is surely going to be a massive hit with the good folks of Minnesota. In fact, Timberwolves All-Star forward Kevin Love jumped at the opportunity of welcoming the young Spaniard after hearing the good news, tweeting “Rick Rubio, huh? I’ll believe it when I see it…” Great start. Hey, at least the Timberwolves shouldn’t feel bad about the guys they passed up in the 2009 Draft. I mean Stephen Curry isn’t really all that good, neither is DeMar Derozan or Ty Lawson or Darren Collinson. I mean look at Memphis, they picked Hasheem Thabeet ahead of Tyreke Evans.

Still have no idea who I’m talking about? Perfect. Then it is my honor to introduce you to a future star and one of the purest and rawest talents in recent memory. Move over LeBum. This is Ricky Rubio’s time. [Roll video titled "Born to be Wild"]. Classic.

Shaquille O’Neal ended a historic Hall of Fame career on Wednesday afternoon, retiring from professional basketball at the tender age of 39. O’Neal steps away from the game with a truly incredible list of accolades to his name, including 4 NBA titles, 15 All-Star selections, 14 All-NBA selections, 3 All-NBA Defensive Team selections, an MVP award, a Rookie of the Year award, 3 Finals MVP awards, and 2 scoring titles. In the 1999-2000 season, O’Neal joined Willis Reed and Michael Jordan as the only 3 players in league history to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP, and Finals MVP awards in the same year. Shaq retires as the NBA’s 5th all-time points leader, and is 5th in field goals, 12th in rebounbds, and 7th in blocked-shots. To celebrate Shaq’s storied career, which will be remembered for his shear size and power, ability to electrify crowds and intimidate opponents, and colorful on and off-court personality, here is my list of Shaq’s top-10 nicknames. Enjoy.

10. The Diesel
9. The Big Shamrock
8. Dr. Shaq (shortly after earning his MBA)
7. The Big Leprechaun
6. The Big Banana (”because I peel the life out of the Nets”)
5. The Big Aristotle
4. Shaq Fu
3. The Big Cactus
2. Shaqovic (after he made something like 6 free-throws in a row)
1. Wilt Chamberneezy