Love him or hate him, but you can’t get away from him.

The big guy, Shaquille O’Neal — and the 7-foot-1-inch marketable shadow that precedes him — continues to make a name for himself.

Long gone are the days of “Shazam” and the idea of a powerful center dressed up in fluffy, colorful pants and housed in a lamp.

That’s right, he drowned the genie reputation just as quickly as he would eventually drown his association with purple and gold.

Ah, yes, Shaq has moved on to bigger, and in my opinion, better things. Never has there been a time where I have admired his ability so much as I did this last weekend.

Sure, he was great in the All-Star game, but his talents really blossomed on stage as the front man for the first-season champions of America’s Best Dance Crew, the Jabbawockeez.

Maybe it’s the idea of Shaq performing with a group from my hometown of San Diego, or maybe it’s my longtime obsession with ABDC, but I’ve never seen Shaq look better.

It was genius, and a feat that must have earned his reps their paychecks. One thing is for sure — it was a performance that combined my favorite sport with my favorite TV show, and sparked a newfound passion for the Phoenix Suns.