ORLANDO, Fla. -- Shaquille O'Neal, the man with four rings, 28,596 career points and scores of nicknames, has finally decided to call it quits, ending one of the most colorful careers in NBA history that will surely culminate with a Hall of Fame induction.

"I'm going to miss the competition. I'm going to miss, you know, the chase for the ring. You know, I'm actually going to miss everything," O'Neal said on "SportsCenter" on Wednesday.

He added: "Father Time has caught up with Shaquille O'Neal."

O'Neal, 39, revealed his retirement earlier Wednesday using the new social media tool Tout, a real-time video messaging service, toannounce to fans: "We did it. Nineteen years baby. I want to thank you very much, that's why I'm telling you first, I'm about to retire. Love you, talk to you soon."

"Once a businesman, always a businessman," O'Neal said with a smile later Wednesday. "I am the emperor of the social media network."

An inveterate prankster who gave himself a new nickname -- or several -- in each of his six NBA cities, O'Neal said he wasn't prepared yet to reminisce about his long and prolific career, which produced three championships with theLos Angeles Lakers and one with the Miami Heat. "Let's save that for the press conference on Friday," said O'Neal, who will hold that media event at his Isleworth home.