Shaquille O’Neal News

While his size and skill will never leave him, the mechanics of his body are getting harder and harder to depend on. via Netscape

“When they tell me it cannot be done. When they say, ‘you’re not in a good area… there are no customers in that area,’ I love it. It keeps feeding me. They are feeding me fuel.”

When you walk into the Chop Shop, you better know Big Ed’s rules: 1. Don’t be afraid to do it. via Fox News

Basketball always came easily to Eddie Griffin. It was life off the court that he had trouble handling…. NEW YORK — The referees union maintained Friday that Tim Donaghy is known to be the only referee … via New York Post

“I would say blaming rising temperatures just on carbon dioxide is a bit short-sighted”

Maria Martinez cools off at Jefferson Park with her boyfriends’ dog, Oreo. Graphics: Bakersfield’s nighttime summer temperatures are on the upswing, but not by much — about 2.4 degrees above summer time … via Bakersfield Californian

Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal, concerned about the adolescent obesity epidemic, teamed up with six overweight South Florida middle-schoolers this summer to help them drop pounds. via Palm Beach Post

That’s all anyone wanted to talk about with Star Jones Reynolds, former co-host of “The View.” She shed a whopping 160 pounds over the last four years. via Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As students head off to class on Monday for the first day of school in Duval, Nassau, Clay and Baker counties later in August than they have for years, there’ll notice some other changes that were mandated by … via WJXT

“Known for his mentoring, Foyle shows [Mike Dunleavy] the veteran move of showing the ‘disappointed’ face after another tough loss.”

The Indianapolis Star’s Mark Monteith on Reggie Miller: “Miller is working out twice a day to test his body, so he’s obviously seriously considering a comeback. via True Hoop

Tim Donaghy, the disgraced former NBA referee, pleaded guilty Wednesday to giving inside information to gamblers and taking payments when his information was right. via Arizona Republic

“I am sure he has sent the invitation to me”

NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal will give Yao Ming 24-inch car rims as a wedding gift when China’s Houston Rockets star celebrates his third wedding ceremony later this year. via China Daily

Pat Riley has announced that he plans to keep coaching the Miami Heat for another three seasons. via CBS 6 Albany

“It’s only appropriate. We started together and hopefully we can end it together on a positive note.”

Pat Riley isn’t ready for another retirement. Riley said Monday he’ll be back as coach of the Miami Heat for three more seasons, an announcement that ends months of speculation about his immediate future.

The 62-year-old gave up coaching in 2003, then returned two years later and led the team to the 2006 NBA title. But the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last spring and he was noncommittal for months about whether he’d remain on the sideline.

‘I don’t want to be a one-and-done guy,’ Riley said. Read more

“I definitely have competitive juices flowing”

Authorities charged four men Friday in connection with the armed robberies of two NBA players in their Chicago area homes last month. via Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“I’m able to run without any pain for the first time in five years”

Penny Hardaway, the Heat’s newly-signed swingman, said Friday he made amends with center Shaquille O’Neal last year regarding the rift the two had as teammates in Orlando in the mid-1990s. Hardaway, who hasn’t … via Palm Beach Post

“I can’t worry about what we don’t have or what we missed out on”

Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal are together again. The 36-year-old Hardaway, who last played an NBA game in November 2005, signed with the Miami Heat on Thursday and is reuniting with O’Neal _ his former Orlando Magic teammate back in the mid-1990s.

‘Penny is a player who has been an All-Star and has enjoyed an illustrious career,’ Heat president Pat Riley said. ‘We have been impressed at his hard work and dedication this summer to get back in shape and return to the NBA. He is a skilled player who can help us in multiple positions.’ Read more