Rising Sun: Shaq raring to go

By BOB BAUM, AP Sports Writer

Feb 8, Yahoo

PHOENIX - Shaquille O'Neal flashed that wide smile, and took on the critics who say he's too old and too slow to fit in with the sleek, speedy Phoenix Suns.

"I look forward to making people eat their words," he said at a news conference Thursday. "I really do."

Wearing a Suns' purple shirt and tie with his immaculate dark suit, O'Neal met the media for the first time since the stunning deal Wednesday that sent the 14-time All-Star from the Miami Heat to Phoenix in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

He charmed the jam-packed room at US Airways Center.

Someone asked if he knew he looked good in purple.

"I already knew that," O'Neal said. "But thank you very much."

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photo: A smiling Shaquille O'Neal is introduced as a new Phoenix Suns basketball player at a news conference on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008, in Phoenix. The NBA trade sent Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami for O'Neal (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)