All-Star Weekend has now come and gone, with the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team getting the chance to mingle with each other in epic fashion on Sunday prior to the big game. In the process, Shaq couldn't help but praise all the legends who molded him into becoming one of the most dominant bigs to ever play the sport.

Via TNT:

“So here comes another big man, and he's 6-foot-9, flashy, hip-hop and has style: Magic Johnson. I wanted to be like Magic Johnson. I want to thank another guy: Mitch Riles. We played in Germany together [as kids] and he was a white guy; he loved [Larry] Bird, I loved Magic, and we used to have seven-game series every day. We used to fight,” Shaq said.

“I'd also like to thank Floyd McMerchy because when I didn't make the varsity team, he helped me. Then, Dale Brown comes along and everyone knows that story, but when I get to San Antonio, that's the guy [who recruited me to LSU]. I'm the best big man in the city and then there's another guy, David Robinson, who comes to town and I go watch him play and I say, ‘Oh my God, I'm not that good!' In high school, you know, [we're] 36-0 and I'm averaging 40 and 22, but I see David Robinson and I go, ‘Oh my God, I'm not that good.' I wanted to be like Patrick Ewing.

“I wanted to be like all of these guys, and I'm sitting there in the [75th anniversary] photoshoot like, ‘Oh my God, there's Dr. J! There's Magic! There's the great Charles Barkley!' Charles taught me how to be ferocious and not give a damn what anybody said. Throw them bows, knock some teeth out! Once I saw Charles do that, I said, ‘ Shaq, Okay… it's okay to be like this.' Jerry West helped me become that. When I first came to LA, I'll admit: I was all about my gold chains, I wanted to do movies, I wanted to do rap albums. He did one thing: He sat me down and the lights went off in The Forum and he said, ‘Mr. O'Neal, when this is all said and done, you can be up there, and [the jerseys of] all of the greats [lit up]. Or, you could be a bust.' Because Jerry West told me that, I was like, ‘You know what? I have big shoes to fill.”

That was just a glimpse. But one of the most powerful parts of it all is when Shaq honored the late Kobe Bryant, who he formed one of the most lethal partnerships with during their time together on the Lakers:

“What really saddens me about today is that my father couldn't be there, my sister couldn't be there and my main man Kobe Bryant couldn't be there. That, like, really… Because a lot of people helped me get there, but those three [were big] — my dad pushing me, my little sister covering for me, and me and Kobe going back-and-forth and making each other great. It was a great moment for me and a great honor, and if I missed you in the thank you's, I apologize… But I want to thank everyone who helped me become who I am. I love you guys and I appreciate you very much.”

Shaq knows that all of these different players from the past played such a crucial part in him becoming the unstoppable talent he was. It was only right that he recognizes them. O'Neal went on to win four NBA titles, three Finals MVPs, and make 15 All-Star appearances, among numerous other accolades. And of course, he's a Hall of Famer. Without the guidance of Jerry West, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to name a few, Shaq wouldn't have became that superstar who everyone feared.