Twitter's New MVP: Following Shaq Is Fun

We don't want to jinx it, but the fact that an NBA player appears to be enjoying Twitter can't be bad for its hopes of mainstream adoption.

Yes, that's really Shaq -- at least, according to numerous press reports -- and he's really tweeting up a storm, now to an audience of more than 5,500 followers. The best part: He seems genuine, he seems to get it, and he seems to be having fun.

This could all be a flash in the pan. Shaq could storm off in two days, tired of getting messages in the middle of the night from Robert Scoble fans.

But we can't help but think back to 2002, when we remember watching some Fox Sports camera crew following basketball players around as they went shopping for MP3 players. "It has to be an iPod," one said. Not saying this is the same kind of trend line. But you know how that turned out.