It is not merely the sideburns of John Quincy Adams that have inspired Shaquille O'Neal. (whitehouse.gov)

In his short time as a member of the Celtics, Shaquille O’Neal has invested himself fully in the history and culture of Boston. He continued that pattern following his team’s 84-80 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

In a declaration that is likely unprecedented in Celtics history, O’Neal summoned the sixth President of the United States in order to explain his goal for the season.

From the Three-Pointer:

Before we go any further, we must pause for a second to admire the latest in Shaqology. Behold the 1825 theory:

“Eighteen [championships] for the people of Boston, two for Doc [Rivers] and the Big Three and five for myself. If you know anything about 1825, John Quincy Adams, who lived outside of Boston, was also inaugurated as the sixth president in 1825.”

So, there you go. He poses as a statue, he dresses up in drag for Halloween and as Santa for Christmas. He conducts the Pops and he also reads David McCullough, apparently.

Of course, O’Neal is likely also aware that Adams was inaugurated only after winning the presidency through a fractious process, in which none of the four candidates (Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford or Henry Clay) received a majority of electoral votes. Jackson had the most, followed by Adams, Crawford and Clay.

In the absence of a majority winner in the electoral college, the race was decided between the top three candidates by a vote in the House of Representatives. That eliminated Clay from the running, but he used his influence as Speaker of the House to swing the vote in Adams’ favor, much to the disgust of Jackson and his followers. And so, Adams won and was inaugurated in 1825, but his victory was deemed by detractors as a “Corrupt Bargain.”

Is Shaq’s celebration of Adams’ ascendancy in 1825, then, a harbinger of some ill-begotten marriage of the Celtics to praetorian elements in pursuit of glory in the 2010-11 season? Time will tell.

But on Wednesday, O’Neal scored 13 while hauling in nine rebounds, blocking a pair of shots and making one of his most notable fourth-quarter contributions since joining the Celtics.

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