(Video) NBA: It’s Official, Shaq Will Join TNT’s NBA Studio! Watch His Announcement

Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

During a raucous retirement party at his Florida home in June, Shaquille O’Neal promised that his next step would be a “big one.”

You wouldn’t expect anything less from a man who has spent the past 19 years as the biggest personality in the sport, “The Big Aristotle” … “The Big Shaqctus” … “The Big Shamrock” etc., and beyond.  So how about “The Big Analyst?”

SHAQ’s OWN ANNOUNCEMENT HERE —> http://www.tout.com/p3mp80

Because as promised, O’Neal’s next step is a big one, now that the 15-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA champion joins Turner Sports as a full-time analyst across its portfolio of NBA assets starting with the 2011-2012 season.

O’Neal will join TNT’s Emmy Award-winning studio show alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley and will also be a part of the network’s exclusive NBA All-Star Weekend and NBA Playoffs coverage as a part of the multi-year agreement announced Thursday morning.

He will also be a key contributor on NBA TV and NBA.com, serving up his own brand of unique analysis and commentary throughout the regular season, as well as for The Finals, All-Star Weekend and the NBA Draft.

“I can’t wait to begin my new career with Turner,” O’Neal said in a statement. “Over the past several years the team at Turner has taken the NBA and entertainment, in general, to a whole new level. I’m grateful for the opportunity to join the amazing team at Inside the NBA and I hope I can further the fans experience on a regular basis.”

Staying true to his entertainer roots, O’Neal’s work with Turner Sports will extend beyond his work as analyst. A development deal with Turner’s entertainment and animation networks will allow O’Neal to indulge many of his off-the-court passions as well. O’Neal is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild, with entertainment credits including a number of roles and executive producer credits in both television and film.

“We are thrilled to have Shaquille O’Neal join Turner Sports and our marquee roster of announcers and analysts,” said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “His unique insights, perspective as one of the league’s all-time great players and personality will be the perfect complement to our award-winning studio team of Ernie, Kenny and Charles, as well as to our programming on NBA TV and NBA.com.”

The man with a thousand nicknames, the “Big AARP” will only last for a few months, will surely need a few more in his new, multi-faceted role.

And if O’Neal’s next 19 years are anything like the first, it should be an entertaining ride filled with all the fun and success anyone could stand.

A three-time Finals MVP, O’Neal was chosen as one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players and ranks fifth all-time in NBA scoring history (28,596 points scored). The 1993 Rookie of the Year award winner, O’Neal finished his playing career with a MVP award (2000) and was named All-NBA 14 times. He was the All-Star Game MVP three times (2000, 2004 and 2009) and also won two scoring titles (1995 and 2000).

He appeared in 1,207 regular season games, averaging 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks in 34.7 minutes per contest throughout his career, which included playing for the Orlando Magic, L.A. Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.

O’Neal finished his playing career among the NBA’s all-time greats at any position while also claiming his spot at the table with the league’s true giants. He’ll always be mentioned in the same breath as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as one of the greatest big men to play the game.

When O’Neal announced his retirement in June, citing “Father Time” and a nagging Achilles injury that ended his final season with the Celtics prematurely as the main culprits, plenty of league observers lamented the fact that the self-proclaimed “MDE” (Most Dominant Ever) would be missing from all of his favorite functions in the years to come.

That shouldn’t be a problem now, what with O’Neal firmly entrenched on his new team.

WRITTEN BY: Sekou Smith is a veteran NBA reporter and the author of NBA.com’s Hang Time blog. You can e-mail him hereand follow him on twitter.

FULL STORY HERE