"Caron Butler remembers his signature Shaq moment like it was

yesterday.

"I remember he fouled me pretty hard when I was

playing with Washington and then he kissed me on the head,'' Butler

said. "That's one of my YouTube moments with Shaq.''

The Mavericks expressed a touch of sadness that Shaquille

O'Neal announced his retirement. The game has lost a great ambassador and

a great person, they said.

"Knowing him personally, he took me under his wing as

a youngster,'' said Tyson Chandler, who was a high-schooler in the

Los Angeles area when O'Neal was with the Lakers. "Not only was he

huge for the game on the court, but off the court as well. He meant so much to

youngsters like myself, mentoring us.

"His personality was contagious. He was always there,

whether it was somebody in the league or somebody like me in high school trying

to make the league.''

Jason Kidd, who moved into fourth place on the NBA's

"oldest player'' list with Shaq's announcement, said

he'll never forget when O'Neal burst on the scene."