O'Neal's problem with finding gainful employment in the real world would have to do not just with his arrogance, but with his shabby work ethic as well. One of the rap songs he has recorded during the off-season is "You Know I Got Skillz." As Sports Illustrated's Alexander Wolff has noted, that's a little ironic, given that the one skill anyone can attain through diligent practice--free-throw shooting--is a skill O'Neal hasn't mastered. He makes 48 percent of his free throws--a number considered bad at the high-school level.

the earthling