Shaquille O'Neal: Biography from Answers.com

basketball player; actor; rap musician

Personal Information

Born Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal on March 6, 1972, in Newark, NJ; son of Philip Harrison (a U.S. Army staff sergeant) and Lucille O'Neal. Children: Taheara O'Neal, 1996.
Education: Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA, 1989-92, Bachelor's, General Studies, 2001.

Career

Center for the Louisiana State University basketball team, 1989-92; chosen first in first round of 1992 National Basketball Association draft by Orlando Magic; center for Orlando Magic, 1992-96; center for Los Angeles Lakers, 1996-2004; center for Miami Heat, 2004-. Author of Shaq Attack (autobiography), Hyperion, 1993; Shaq and the Beanstalk and Other Very Tall Tales, 1999; Shaq Talks Back, St. Martin's Press, 2001.

Life's Work

Towering center Shaquille O'Neal entered the National Basketball Association in 1992, as the first-round draft choice of the Orlando Magic. O'Neal, whose college career at Louisiana State University established his reputation as one of the top half-dozen basketball centers in the world, was virtually an international superstar before he even scored his first professional points. Thanks to multiple product endorsements, movie projects, and rap albums, the engaging O'Neal reached an audience far beyond the bounds of professional basketball. Still, he proved himself where he had to, on the court. "'Awesome' is the only word to describe Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA's chairman of the boards," wrote Alan Richman in Gentleman's Quarterly. "And it's a good bet ... that he'll soon be the most marketable athlete in the world."

Well shy of his twenty-fifth birthday, O'Neal was the top draft choice of 1992, Rookie of the Year in 1993, and the starting center on the All-Star Team in both 1993 and 1994. His seven-year contract with the Magic and lucrative deals with the likes of Pepsi, Reebok, and Kenner Toys made him an estimated $70 million in earnings as of 2001. And with his help, the expansion Magic franchise--once renowned more for its halftime promotions than for its performance--improved enough to qualify for the 1994 NBA playoffs.

"If sports is indeed moving into the world of cartoons, who better to represent the NBA than Shaq?" Richman asked. "He is backboard-breaking strong, magnificently photogenic, mellifluously named, and bigger than mankind is supposed to be [7'1"]....When he approaches an arena, players who are very large in their own right seem to shrivel, not just in size but in their heart. It is stunning to watch athletes who have throughout their life been the biggest person in the room come up against a man who dwarfs them. Not all of them are able to handle it. Nobody since Wilt Chamberlain has had that effect."

Strict Father Helped Set Goals

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1972. His first name means "little one" in Arabic, and his middle name means "warrior." Because his parents did not marry until he was three years old, he carries his mother's maiden name as his last name. The son of an Army sergeant, Shaquille spent his early years in tough neighborhoods in Newark and nearby Jersey City. "It's kind of rough in Newark," O'Neal told the New York Daily News. "I'm glad my father took me out of there. If I'd have stayed, I think I would have been a troublesome kid, hanging around, doing the wrong thing." When Shaquille was 12, his father, Sgt. Philip Harrison, transferred to an Army base in Wildflecken, West Germany. Around that time, the youngster began to grow at a phenomenal pace. At 13, he was 6'6" and wore size 17 shoes. "We'd buy him pants on the [Army] post on Saturday and the next Friday they wouldn't fit," Harrison told Sports Illustrated. Eventually, the family had to order custom-made clothes from the United States. Sometimes, they were too small before they reached Germany.

When he was 13, O'Neal first met Dale Brown, Louisiana State University men's head basketball coach. Brown was in Germany conducting coaching clinics while O'Neal was trying to improve his game. "I asked him if he had any information on how to improve my vertical jump," O'Neal told the Rocky Mountain News. "As he reached in his briefcase, he asked me, 'How long have you been in the Army, soldier?' I told him I was 13. He said, 'Where's your father?' My dad was in the sauna. Coach Brown had a nice suit on, but he went right in the sauna, found my dad, shook his hand and said, 'It's nice to meet you, Mr. Harrison.'"

Brown then immediately started a sales pitch for LSU. The sergeant, also an imposing 6'6", listened for a while, then stopped Brown. "He said to me, 'Well, basketball, that's fine. But I'm concerned with this young man's education,'" Brown recalled in the Philadelphia Daily News. "Then, he went on to tell me he thought it was about time for blacks to become managers, not laborers; to became generals, not sergeants; head coaches, not assistants. I told him, 'Sergeant, we're going to get along just fine.'"

Throughout his young life, O'Neal's father, a career soldier and strict disciplinarian, strongly influenced him. Shaquille also had two younger sisters and a younger brother. "In junior high in Germany I fought kids all the time," O'Neal remembered in Sports Illustrated. "I had such a bad temper, I almost got thrown out of school. A few lickings from my dad got me out of that scene. He wore me out with a paddle."

One time, Harrison grabbed Shaquille at halftime of a high school basketball game that he was dominating and ordered the youngster to tuck in his uniform shirttail. "I always told Shaquille the world has too many followers," Harrison remarked in Sports Illustrated. "What he needed to be was a leader. He'd see guys hanging out on the corner, and he'd know they were followers. I told him I'd whup him rather than have the guys on the corner whup him. I told him there's no half-stepping in this life."

In 1987, when Shaquille was 15, the family moved to San Antonio, Texas, where his father was stationed at Fort Sam Houston. Shaquille attended Cole High School, where he was a B student. He also continued to grow; by the summer after his junior year he stood at 6'10" and weighed about 250 pounds. Even though Cole High went 32-1 during Shaquille's junior season, he was not considered an outstanding prospect. During his senior year, O'Neal's father began criticizing him for halfhearted effort. Finally, Sgt. Harrison told his son that if he was not going to try his hardest, he might as well quit. Angered by those words, Shaquille played that night and scored 52 points in a tournament game in Lubbock, Texas. "I was made that night," O'Neal was quoted as saying in Newsday. "I got home the next week, there were recruiting letters from Georgetown and North Carolina on my desk."

Cole High went 36-0 and won the Texas state title that season. O'Neal was sought after by dozens of colleges. In the end, however, LSU coach Brown's recruiting effort five years earlier paid off. "I chose LSU, first, because Coach Brown was honest," he pointed out in the Houston Post. "Second, the players were like family. They were close. Other places, one goes this way, one goes that way. Here, they're together."

Promising College Player

When O'Neal joined LSU in 1989, the Tigers were expected to contend for a national title. It featured another 7-foot freshman, power forward Stanley Roberts, and the high-scoring All-American guard Chris Jackson, who averaged more than 20 shots per game. O'Neal found himself positioned as a so-called third wheel. "It was a very difficult season for me," O'Neal later told the Washington Post. "The coach's philosophy is if you're open, shoot it. Chris was so quick with the ball that every time he touched it he was open, so he shot it most of the time. The only time I got the ball really was on rebounds." O'Neal still averaged 13.9 points and 12 rebounds and had a Southeastern Conference record of 115 blocked shots. On the flip side, he fouled out of nine games. In the end, LSU had a disappointing season, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

During the summer of 1990 O'Neal played in the National Sports Festival, an event featuring the country's top amateur athletes. Playing for the team representing the South, he dominated against players three and four years older, and, wrote Sports Illustrated's Kirkpatrick, he "transformed college opponents into handmaidens." Overall, O'Neal averaged 24.5 points and 13.8 rebounds per game during the tournament and was named its most valuable player. Those who had seen him show promise as a freshman now predicted greatness.

When O'Neal returned to LSU for his sophomore season, he found that Jackson had left college to join the NBA. Roberts had been ruled academically ineligible and departed to play professionally in Spain. That put the scoring onus on O'Neal. Brown showed his confidence by naming the youngster a co-captain, and O'Neal, who had only an 16-inch vertical jump during his senior year of high school, did his part by working out and increasing his leap to 42 inches. With his arms outstretched, he can touch a spot two and a half feet above the rim. "We found out last year that talent isn't everything," O'Neal noted in the Orlando Sentinel going into the 1990-91 season. "The difference this year is the number of superstars. Last year, we had too many. This year, we have only one." That was what was needed. O'Neal improved considerably, becoming college basketball's dominant player. In the 1990-91 season, he led the NCAA in rebounding, with 15.2 a game. He was sixth among all college players in scoring (28.5 points), fourth in blocked shots (4.8) and 14th in shooting (63.9 percent). After a January game, in which O'Neal scored 34 points and snared 16 rebounds, forlorn Georgia coach Hugh Durham admitted in Sports Illustrated that "last year you could play behind him and know he wasn't going to get the ball from those other guys. Now you have to front or side him, and he muscles you out of the lane anyway. They just keep going to the mountain, going to the mountain. 'Shack' may be unguardable."

O'Neal's style was to use his size to intimidate opponents. He also had surprising speed for a big man and a gritty determination. The Orlando Sentinel's Tim Povtak called O'Neal "a powerful giant with a feathery touch who can control a basketball game in so many ways. He blocks shots like [New York Knicks star] Patrick Ewing but runs the floor like [Utah Jazz's] Karl Malone. He is strong enough to knock down anyone but is graceful enough to dribble the length of the court and athletic enough to take an errant alley-oop pass, change his course in midflight and still slam it."

To help O'Neal advance, Brown called in two private tutors in 1991--Hall of Fame centers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton. Abdul-Jabbar showed O'Neal the secret of the sky hook. Walton taught O'Neal offensive moves and shot-blocking. "Bill and Kareem did many things we'd been trying to teach Shaquille," Brown said in the Rocky Mountain News. "But it's like raising a child. You can keep telling him something. But when somebody he respects tells him the same thing, it makes an indelible impression."

Walton was impressed by his student. "He reminds me of [Philadelphia 76ers player] Charles Barkley," Walton remarked in the Philadelphia Daily News. "Shaquille has that quick, unrestrainable explosion, like Barkley. It's a raw power you don't get from the weight room. It comes from somewhere else, deep in the soul. The guy may have the physical talent and personal discipline to be the best. But I told Shaquille it's not the numbers or the stats. It's how he controls the flow of the game."

O'Neal was also serious about his schoolwork. A business major, he had the highest grade point average on the team in 1990-91, a 3.0 out of a possible 4.0. LSU athletic director Joe Dean described O'Neal in Newsday: "Infectious personality, talks all the time, smiles a lot, overachiever academically. He's one of those kids who walks into class and sits in the front row." During his first three years of college, O'Neal claimed that he planned to finish his degree before announcing his draft eligibility. In 1982, however, he changed his mind; he could no longer ignore the pro teams' clamor for his services. O'Neal was chosen first in the first round of the 1992 NBA draft and signed to a seven-year, $40 million contract with the Orlando Magic.

Bigger Than Mickey Mouse

Fortunately for O'Neal, the Reebok shoe company was looking for a nascent superstar to compete with the popular Michael Jordan and his Nike commercials. Reebok chose O'Neal--giving him a multimillion dollar deal--and released commercials starring the young player even before he embarked on his professional career. In fact, O'Neal, with his catchy nickname and powerful on-camera blend of sweetness and menace, quickly caught the media spotlight and held it firmly in his grip.

When O'Neal made his debut with the Magic in the fall of 1992, he already had a $13 million contract from Pepsi, a five-year $15 million contract with Reebok, and another $20 to $25 million combined from Kenner, Spaulding, and Scoreboard trading cards. By the All-Star break in his rookie year he had begun recording rap songs, both solo and with other hip-hop artists, and at season's end he starred in a feature film, Blue Chips. "By most accounts in Orlando, home to the Magic Kingdom, Shaquille O'Neal is bigger than Mickey Mouse," claimed Scott Poulson-Bryant in Vibe. "The adulation and superstardom that greet Shaquille O'Neal take on another tone, so reverential that one wonders if this 21-year-old will be able to shoulder it and play ball at the same time."

Cynics assured the public that O'Neal would crumble under the pressure, that the sheer volume of hype surrounding him would seriously curb his ability to perform on the court. For his part, O'Neal expressed nothing but confidence. "I've been a child superstar," he told Vibe. "I been getting attention since I was 16, in Texas, getting my name in the paper every day, then in college. So I just take from what I learned in high school and college to this [professional] level. It's really all the same. You play well, they talk well about you."

Shaquille O'Neal played well. In his rookie season with the Magic he averaged 23.4 points per game, had team highs in rebounds, blocks, and starts. He was voted onto the 1993 All-Star team--the first rookie so honored since Michael Jordan--and was named the starting center for the East. Most importantly, the Orlando Magic's fortunes soared under his leadership. The Magic won only 21 games in 1991-92. The next year, with O'Neal on board, they won 41 and narrowly missed making the playoffs. In 1993-94 they won 50 and did make the playoffs, as O'Neal finished second in the league in scoring and rebounding and first in field-goal percentage.

All these achievements were not enough to silence the critics, especially when the Magic lost a first-round playoff series to the Indiana Pacers in 1994. "The knock on Shaq is that he has no bread-and-butter move, no touch to speak of on his outside shot, and little in the way of resourcefulness," declared Michael Ventre in Sport. "Basically, he plows and slams. Not to say that plowing and slamming is a bad thing. But to achieve greatness, he'll need more."

Most observers, including O'Neal himself, felt that the superstar was still improving and that he would eventually fulfill all the expectations created when he entered the league with such fanfare in 1992. Los Angeles Lakers general manager Jerry West told Sport: "You watch [Shaquille] and you see things in his future that kind of open your eyes. He has all the things necessary to really be an impact player for years to come." Sporting News contributor Tim Povtak called O'Neal, "the league's most celebrated player and arguably its most dominating presence."

The Magic reached the NBA Finals in 1995, but lost four straight to the repeat champion Houston Rockets. Orlando blew a 20-point lead in the first game and never recovered. O'Neal may have represented the NBA's future, but his opposite number, Houston center Hakeem Olajuwon, was the present.

Big Money, Charitable Hand

The Los Angeles franchise had an eye on O'Neal's promise for good reason. In 1996, O'Neal left the Wonderful World of Disney for La La Land. He signed a $120 million deal with the Lakers that he extended for three years in 2000. At a news conference, O'Neal admitted that he looked "forward to ending [his] career as a Laker." At the beginning of the relationship with the Lakers, O'Neal received much flack for switching coasts. His biggest critics even went so far as to question O'Neal's dedication to the game because of his side ventures in movies, music, writing, and clothing design.

In a 1998 article with Ebony, O'Neal said he would not let the objections and criticisms slow him down. "People try to limit me, but I would never limit myself. I could never just do one thing, especially if I have the opportunity to do more." And more is exactly what O'Neal began to do in Los Angeles. His fifth rap effort, Respect, was released and O'Neal participated in a 12-city concert tour promoting the album. O'Neal released the album on his own recording label T.W.is.M (The World Is Mine) which also launched a sports apparel line of clothing.

O'Neal also extended a charitable hand to the community by donating $1 million to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's technology initiatives. His donation served as the foundation of the Internet safety program, Stay Safe Online. M2 Presswire reported O'Neal considered building the recreation facility most typically linked with sports celebrities, but he felt that an educational hand was more important. "Not every kid is going to make it to the NBA," O'Neal explained. "Kids who don't understand computers are going to be at an even greater disadvantage in the next century than they are today," he continued.

In addition to the blossoming of his outside ventures, O'Neal's luck on court was approaching its peak. In 2000 O'Neal was finally able to take the wind out of his critics' sail by leading L.A. to its first NBA Championship in 12 years. He also won the title and League and Finals MVP. Both The Lakers and O'Neal were able to repeat the titles in 2001 and 2002 despite his feuds with teammate Kobe Bryant. After the Lakers returned to the Finals in 2004 and lost to the Detroit Pistons, O'Neal demanded a trade and the Lakers sent him to the Miami Heat for three players, Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and a first-round draft choice. Shortly into his first season with the Heat, O'Neal pulled down his 10,000th rebound. The next year, he signed a five-year contract with the team for $100 million and made his twelfth appearance on an NBA All-Star team.

On the heels of the championships with the Lakers, O'Neal had more music in the works, a second book, and another brand of apparel and footwear in the stores, catalogs, and on the net. Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends marked his sixth album release and Shaq Talks Back was his second autobiographical release. The new clothing brand, Dunk, made its premiere in 2000 and was picked up by the Eastbay catalog which has a circulation of five million.

Unlike many entertainers, O'Neal's celebrity status did not lead him into the tabloid press. He was been able to find a balance between his many passions, his family, his basketball career and his music. In an interview with Vibe, O'Neal said that he realizes his worldwide fame is partly due to luck and timing, but also due to skills he developed by working hard. "[My mother] told me I was gonna be the man one day," he said. "Here I am. Right now I'm just following my dreams and whatever opportunities come my way. I think I'm doing a pretty good job."

Awards

Winner of the Adolph Rupp Trophy and the John Wooden Award as college basketball player of the year, 1991; member of NBA All-Star team, 1993-2005; named NBA Rookie of the Year, 1993; NBA MVP Award, 2000, 2001, 2002; Member of NBA League Champion Los Angeles Lakers, 2000, 2001, 2002; NBA Finals MVP, 2000, 2001, 2002; NBA All-Star game MVP, 2000, 2004.

Works

Selected discography

Shaq Diesel, Jive/Novus, 1993.
Shaq-Fu: Da Return, Jive, 1994.
The Best of Shaquille O'Neal, Jive, 1996.
You Can't Stop the Reign, Interscope, 1996.
Respect, A & M, 1998.
Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends, Trauma, 2001.

Selected filmography

CB4, 1993.
Blue Chips, 1994.
Kazaam, 1996.
Good Burger, 1997.
Steel, 1997.
He Got Game, 1998.
Freddy Got Fingered, 2001.
The Brothers, 2001.
The Wash, 2001.

**Shaquille O'Neal**

Cleveland Cavaliers – No. 33
Center
Born	March 6, 1972 (1972-03-06) (age 37) Newark, New Jersey
Nationality	American
Listed height	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight	325 lb (147 kg)
League	NBA
Salary	$21,000,000
High school	Robert G. Cole (San Antonio, Texas)
College	LSU
Draft	1st overall, 1992 Orlando Magic
Pro career	1992–present
Former teams	Orlando Magic (1992–1996) Los Angeles Lakers (1996–2004) Miami Heat (2004–2008) Phoenix Suns (2008–2009)
Awards	4× NBA Champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006) 3× NBA Finals MVP (2000–2002) NBA Most Valuable Player (2000) NBA Rookie of the Year (1993) 15× NBA All-Star (1993-1998, 2000-2007, 2009) 2× NBA Scoring Champion (1995, 2000) 8× All-NBA First Team (1998, 2000-2006) 2× All-NBA Second Team (1995, 1999) 4× All-NBA Third Team (1994, 1996-1997, 2009) 3× All-Defensive Second Team (2000–2001, 2003) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1993) 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2000, 2004, 2009) 1994 FIBA World Championship MVP
Profile	Info Page

Medal record
Men's basketball
Competitor for United States
Olympic Games
Gold	1996 Atlanta	National team
World Championship
Gold	1994 Canada	National team

Prior to college

O'Neal first gained national attention as a star at Linton Middle School. He led his Robert G. Cole High School team, San Antonio, Texas, to a 68–1 record during his two years there and helped the team win the state title his senior year.^[5] His 791 rebounds during the 1989 season remain a state record for any one player in any classification.^[6]

College career

After graduating from high school, O'Neal attended Louisiana State University, where he studied business. He had first met Dale Brown, LSU's men's basketball coach at that time, years before in Europe. With O'Neal's stepfather stationed on a U.S. Army base at Wildflecken, West Germany, and his godfather a First Sergeant at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, O'Neal attended Fulda American High School, a DODDS school.

While playing for Brown at LSU, O'Neal was a two-time All-American, two-time SEC player of the year, and received the Adolph Rupp Trophy as NCAA men's basketball player of the year in 1991. He also holds the NCAA record for blocked shots in a game with 17 blocks against Mississippi State on December 3, 1990.

O'Neal left LSU early to pursue his NBA career, but returned to school in 2000 and received a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies.^[7] He was later inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame.^[8]

NBA career

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic drafted O'Neal with the 1st overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. During that summer, prior to moving to Orlando, he spent a significant amount of time in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. During his rookie season, O'Neal averaged 23.4 points on 56.2% shooting, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game for the season. He was named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year and became the first rookie to be voted an All-Star starter since Michael Jordan in 1985.^[9] The Magic finished 41-41, winning 20 more games than the previous season; however, the team ultimately missed the playoffs by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Indiana Pacers.

In his second season, O'Neal improved his scoring average to 29.4 points (second in the league to David Robinson) while leading the NBA in field goal percentage at 60%. On November 20, 1993, against the New Jersey Nets, O'Neal registered the first triple-double of his career, recording 24 points to go along with career highs of 28 rebounds and 15 blocks.^[10] He was voted into the All-Star game and also made the All-NBA 3rd Team. Teamed with newly-drafted Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, the Magic finished with a record of 50-32 and made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. In his first playoff series, O'Neal averaged 20.7 points and 13.3 rebounds in a losing effort as the Magic were swept in the first round by the Indiana Pacers.

In his third season, O'Neal led the NBA in scoring with an average of 29.3 points per game. He finished second in MVP voting to David Robinson and was voted into his third straight All-Star Game along with teammate Penny Hardaway. O'Neal and Hardaway formed one of the top duos in the league and helped Orlando to a 57-25 record and the Atlantic Division crown. The Magic won their first ever playoff series against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs. They then defeated the Chicago Bulls in the conference semi-finals, dealing Michael Jordan one of his few playoff losses of the decade. After beating Reggie Miller's Indiana Pacers, the Magic reached the NBA Finals, where they would face the defending NBA champion Houston Rockets. O'Neal played well in his first Finals appearance, averaging 28 points on 59.5% shooting, 12.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Despite this, the Rockets, led by future Hall-of-Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, swept the series in four games.

O'Neal was injured for a great deal of the 1995–96 season, missing 28 games. He averaged 26.6 points and 11 rebounds per game, made the All-NBA 3rd Team, and played in his 4th All-Star Game. Despite O'Neal's injuries, the Magic finished with a regular season record of 60-22, second in the Eastern conference to the Chicago Bulls, who finished with an NBA record 72 wins. Orlando easily defeated the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds of the 1995 NBA Playoffs; however, they were no match for the eventual-champion Bulls, who swept them in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Los Angeles Lakers

As a free agent at this point, O'Neal had shown an interest in things outside basketball, including rap music and film-acting. In the summer of 1995, O'Neal was named to the United States Olympic basketball team, and was later part of the gold medal-winning team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. During the Olympics, it was announced that O'Neal would join the Los Angeles Lakers on a seven-year, $121 million contract.^[11]^[12] The Lakers won 56 games during the 1996–97 season. O'Neal averaged 26.2 points and 12.5 rebounds in his first season with Los Angeles; however, he again missed over 30 games due to injury. The Lakers made the playoffs, but lost to the more-experienced Utah Jazz in five games.

The following season, O'Neal averaged 28.3 points and 11.4 rebounds. He also led the league with a 58.4 field goal percentage, which would be the first of five consecutive seasons in which he did so. The Lakers finished the season 61–21, first in the Pacific Division, and were the second seed in the western conference during the 1998 NBA Playoffs. After defeating the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle SuperSonics in the first two rounds, the Lakers again fell to the Jazz, this time in a 4–0 sweep.

With the tandem of O'Neal and teenage superstar Kobe Bryant, expectations for the Lakers increased. However, personnel changes were a source of instability during the 1998–99 season. Long-time Laker point guard Nick Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets; his former backcourt partner Eddie Jones was packaged with back-up center Elden Campbell for Glen Rice to satisfy a demand by O'Neal for a shooter. Coach Del Harris was fired, and former Lakers forward Kurt Rambis finished the season as head coach. The Lakers finished with a 31–19 record during the lockout-shortened season. Although they made the playoffs, they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs, led by Tim Duncan and David Robinson in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. The Spurs would go on to win their first league title that year.

In 1999, the Lakers hired Phil Jackson as their new head coach, and the team's fortunes soon changed. Using Jackson's triangle offense, O'Neal and Bryant went on to enjoy tremendous success on the court, as they led the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles (2000, 2001, and 2002). O'Neal was named MVP of the NBA Finals all three times and has the highest scoring average for a center in NBA Finals history.

O'Neal was also voted the 1999–2000 regular season Most Valuable Player, coming just one vote short of becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history. Fred Hickman, then of CNN, was the sole voter who did not cast his first-place vote for O'Neal, instead choosing Allen Iverson, then of the Philadelphia 76ers who would go on to win MVP the next season. O'Neal also won the scoring title that year while finishing second in rebounds and third in blocked shots. Jackson's influence resulted in a newfound commitment by O'Neal to defense, resulting in his first All-Defensive Team selection (second-team) in 2000.

In the summer of 2001, holding a basketball camp on the campus of Louisiana State University, O'Neal was challenged to a friendly wrestling match by LSU alumnus and current Boston Celtics player Glen "Big Baby" Davis, then 15 years of age and attending high school. O'Neal, weighing 350 lb (160 kg; 25 st), was impressed by the youngster, who had lifted and body-slammed him to the ground.^[13] In January 2002 he was involved in a spectacular on-court brawl in a game against the Chicago Bulls. He punched center Brad Miller after an intentional foul to prevent a basket, resulting in a melee with Miller, forward Charles Oakley and several other players.^[14] O'Neal was suspended for three games without pay and given a $15,000 fine.^[15]

Shaquille O'Neal at the White House greeting President Bush with his fellow Lakers

After the Lakers fell to the fifth seed and failed to reach the Finals in 2003, the team made a concerted off-season effort to improve its roster. They sought the free-agent services of forward Karl Malone and aging guard Gary Payton, but due to salary cap restrictions, could not offer either one nearly as much money as he could have made with some other teams. O'Neal assisted in the recruitment efforts and personally persuaded both men to join the squad. Ultimately, both signed, each forgoing larger salaries in favor of a chance to win an NBA championship, which neither had accomplished in his career (and which neither would achieve with the Lakers). At the beginning of the 2003–04 season, with two years left on his contract at the time, O'Neal informed the team of his desire for a substantially larger^{[clarification needed]} extension to his contract. It is widely^[who?] believed that there was also concern about O'Neal's relationship with Kobe Bryant, as the two had exchanged public barbs during the off-season. With Bryant scheduled to become a free agent at the end of that season, many^[who?] believed he would not choose to remain with the Lakers as O'Neal's sidekick.

After the Lakers' loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was angered by comments made by Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak regarding O'Neal's future with the club, as well as by the departure of Lakers coach Phil Jackson at the request of Dr. Buss. O'Neal made comments indicating that he felt the team's decisions were centered on a desire to appease Bryant to the exclusion of all other concerns, and O'Neal promptly demanded a trade. The Dallas Mavericks and their team owner Mark Cuban were extremely interested in O'Neal and were willing to make a trade with the Lakers,^{[citation needed]} but Kupchak wanted Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs' superstar, in return. Cuban refused to let go of Nowitzki and the Lakers ended trade talks with Dallas. However, Miami showed interest and gradually a trade agreement was made.

Miami Heat

On July 14, 2004, O'Neal was officially traded to the Miami Heat for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a future first-round draft choice. O'Neal reverted from his Lakers jersey number 34 to number 32, which he wore while playing for the Orlando Magic. Upon signing with the Heat, O'Neal promised the fans that he would bring a championship to Miami. He claimed that one of the main reasons for wanting to be traded to Miami was because of their up-and-coming star, Dwyane Wade. With O'Neal on board, the new-look Heat surpassed expectations, claiming the best record in the Eastern Conference. He averaged 22.9 ppg and 10.4 rpg, made his 12th consecutive All-Star Team, and made the All-NBA 1st Team. Despite being hobbled by a deep thigh bruise, O'Neal led the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals and a Game 7 against the defending champion Detroit Pistons, losing by a narrow margin. He also narrowly lost the 2004–05 MVP Award to Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash in one of the closest votes in NBA history.

O'Neal going in for a layup with the Heat

In August 2005, O'Neal signed a 5-year-extension with the Heat for $100 million. Supporters applauded O'Neal's willingness to take what amounted to a pay cut and the Heat's decision to secure O'Neal's services for the long term. They contended that O'Neal was worth more than $20 million per year, particularly given that considerably less valuable players earn almost the same amount.

In the second game of the 2005–06 season, O'Neal injured his right ankle and subsequently missed the following 18 games. Many critics stated that Heat coach Pat Riley correctly managed O'Neal during the rest of the season, limiting his minutes to a career low. Riley felt doing so would allow O'Neal to be healthier and fresher come playoff time. Although O'Neal averaged career lows (or near-lows) in points, rebounds, and blocks, he said in an interview "Stats don't matter. I care about winning, not stats. If I score 0 points and we win I'm happy. If I score 50, 60 points, break the records, and we lose, I'm pissed off. 'Cause I knew I did something wrong. I'll have a hell of a season if I win the championship and average 20 points a game." During the 2005–06 season, the Heat recorded only a .500 record without O'Neal in the line-up.

On April 11, 2006, O'Neal recorded his second career triple-double against the Toronto Raptors with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a career high 10 assists. O'Neal finished the season as the league leader in field goal percentage; he joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players in league history to lead the league in field goal percentage nine times.

In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, the Miami Heat would go on to win their first NBA Championship. Led by both O'Neal and eventual NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, the 2nd seeded Heat defeated the defending Eastern Conference Champion and top-seeded Detroit Pistons in a rematch of the 2005 Conference Finals, and then defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals.

O'Neal holding the championship ball when the NBA Champion Heat visited the White House

O'Neal put up considerably lower numbers compared to those he recorded during the 2005–06 regular season, but he twice delivered dominant games in order to close out a playoff series: a 30-point, 20-rebound effort in Game 6 against the Chicago Bulls in the first round, and a 28-point, 16-rebound, 5-block effort in Game 6 against the Pistons. It was O'Neal's fourth title in seven seasons, and fulfilled his promise of delivering an NBA championship to Miami. At the victory celebration O'Neal declared another championship was on the way, saying, "We will see you again next year!"

In the 2006–07 season O'Neal missed over thirty games with a right knee injury. The Miami Heat struggled during his absence but with his return won seven of their next eight games. Bad luck still haunted the squad, however, as Wade dislocated his left shoulder, leaving O'Neal as the focus of the team. Critics were doubting if O'Neal, now in his mid-thirties, was able to put the team on his shoulders and if he could carry them into the playoffs. The Heat went on a much needed winning streak to keep them in the race for a playoff spot, which they finally secured against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 5.

In a rematch of the year before, the Heat faced the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. The Heat struggled against the Bulls and although O'Neal put up reasonable numbers, he was not able to dominate the series. The Bulls outplayed the Heat, resulting in a sweep. It was for the first time in ten years that O'Neal did not advance into the second round. In the 2006–07 season O'Neal reached 25,000 career points, becoming the 14th player in NBA history to accomplish that milestone. Despite this milestone, the 2006–07 season was the first in his career in which O'Neal's scoring average dropped below 20 points per game.

O'Neal experienced a rough start for the 2007–08 season, averaging career lows in points, rebounds and blocks. His role in the Heat offense diminished, as he attempted only 10 field goals per game, in comparison with his career average of 17. In addition, O'Neal was plagued by fouls, and during one stretch fouled out five consecutive games. As a result of his poor performance and lengthy court absences, O'Neal's 14 straight All-Star appearances ended that season, as he was neither selected as a starter nor as a reserve in the game at New Orleans.

Phoenix Suns

Shaquille O'Neal as a member of the Suns against the New Orleans Hornets, February 27, 2008

The Phoenix Suns acquired O'Neal from the Miami Heat in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. O'Neal made his Suns debut on February 20, 2008 against his former Lakers team, scoring 15 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in the process. The Lakers won, 130–124. O'Neal was upbeat in a post-game press conference, stating: "I will take the blame for this loss because I wasn't in tune with the guys [...] But give me four or five days to really get in tune and I'll get it."^[16]

However, in 28 regular-season games, O'Neal averaged 12.9 points and 10.6 rebounds in his first year with the Suns,^[17] reaching the playoffs. One of the alleged reasons for the trade was to limit Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs in case of a series during the postseason, especially after the Suns' six-game elimination in the 2007 NBA Playoffs.^[18] O'Neal and the Phoenix Suns did face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, yet they were once again eliminated, this time in five games. In the series, O'Neal averaged 15.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.^[17]

The 2008–09 season differed very much for O'Neal, averaging 18 pts, 9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks through the first half (41 games) of the season, leading the Suns to a 23–18 record and 2nd place in their division.^[19] He returned to the All-Star Game in 2009 and emerged as co-MVP along with ex-teammate Kobe Bryant.

On February 27, 2009, O'Neal scored 45 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, his 49th career 40-point game in a win against the Toronto Raptors. He and the Suns defeated the Raptors 133–113. The 2009 NBA Playoffs was also the first time since O'Neal's rookie season in 1992–93 that he did not participate in the playoffs.

Cleveland Cavaliers

On June 25, 2009, O'Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, $500,000 and a 2010 second round draft pick.^[20] Upon arriving in Cleveland, Shaq said, "My motto is very simple: Win a Ring for the King."^[21]

Player profile

O'Neal's free throw shooting is regarded as one of his major weaknesses.

Throughout his career, O'Neal established himself as a formidable low post presence, putting up career averages of 25.2 points on .581 field goal accuracy, 11.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game (as of May 2008).

At 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m), 325 lb (147 kg; 23.2 st)^[22] and U.S. shoe size 23,^[23] he is famous for his physical stature. His physical frame gives him a power advantage over most opponents, and for a man of that size, he is quick and explosive.

O'Neal's "drop step", (called the "Black Tornado" by O'Neal) in which he posts up a defender, turns around and, using his elbows for leverage, powers past him for a very high-percentage slam dunk, has proven an extremely effective offensive weapon, though it has been limited in recent years. In addition, O'Neal frequently uses a right-handed jump hook shot to score near the basket. The ability to dunk frequently contributes to his career field goal accuracy of .582; he is the second most accurate shooter of all time.^[24]

Opposing teams often use up many fouls on O'Neal, limiting the playing time of their own big men. O'Neal's physical presence inside the paint has caused dramatic changes in many teams' offensive and defensive strategies that can be seen over the course of his career.

O'Neal's primary weakness is his free-throw shooting. His career average is 52.4%. He once missed all 11 free throws in a game against the Seattle SuperSonics on December 8, 2000, a record.^[25] In hope of exploiting O'Neal's poor foul shooting, opponents often commit intentional fouls against him, a tactic known as "Hack-a-Shaq". O'Neal is the fourth-ranked player all-time in free throws taken,^[26] having shot 10895 in 1117 games through the 08-09 season. On December 25, 2008, O'Neal missed his 5,000th free throw, becoming the second player in NBA history to do so along with Wilt Chamberlain.^[27]

O'Neal has been able to step up his performance in big games, having been voted three-times NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.

On his own half of the hardwood, O'Neal is considered^{[weasel words]} to be a capable defender, and he was named three times to the All-NBA Second Defensive Team. His presence serves to intimidate opposing players shooting near the basket, and he has averaged 2.4 blocked shots per game over the course of his career.

As a teammate, O'Neal is also noted for his ability^{[weasel words]} to form symbiotic relationships with young, talented guards. Playing alongside O'Neal, talents like Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade blossomed into legitimate superstars.

Media personality

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Shaquille O'Neal

O'Neal is generally liked by the media for his playful tone in interviews. He has been called "The Big Aristotle and Hobo Master", a name that was self-given, for his composure and insights during these interviews. O'Neal has several nicknames, some of which have been given by the media. Some of the most common ones are "Shaq," "The Diesel," "Shaq Fu," "The Big Aristotle," "The Big Daddy," "Superman," "The Big Agave," "The Big Cactus," "The Big Shaqtus," "The Big Galactus," "Wilt Chamberneezy," "The Big Baryshnikov," "The Real Deal," "Dr. Shaq" (after earning his MBA), and, most recently, "Shaqovic."^[28]^[29]

During the 2000 Screen Actors Guild strike, O'Neal performed in a commercial for Disney. O'Neal was fined by the union for crossing the picket line.^[30]^[31]

O'Neal's humorous and sometimes incendiary comments fueled the Los Angeles Lakers' long standing rivalry with the Sacramento Kings; O'Neal frequently referred to the Sacramento team as the "Queens." During the 2002 victory parade, O'Neal declared that Sacramento will never be the capital of California, after the Lakers beat the Kings in a tough seven game series enroute to completing a three-peat of championship titles. He also received some media flak for mocking Chinese speech when interviewed about newcomer center Yao Ming, but he was able to downplay the media attention to the event. O'Neal told a reporter, "you tell Yao Ming, ching chong yang, wah, ah so". Yao himself stated he did not find it offensive, but could see how others might interpret the remark as a racist comment. Yao replied that Chinese is a difficult language to learn. O'Neal's supporters said it was a reaction to Yao being over promoted by marketers and the media. Some blame this hype for allowing Yao to edge O'Neal in fan voting for the starting position of center at the All-Star Game.

During the 2005 NBA playoffs, O'Neal lamented of his poor play due to injury as being comparable to Erick Dampier, a Dallas Mavericks center who had failed to score a single point in one of their recent games. The quip inspired countless citations and references by announcers during those playoffs, though Dampier himself offered little response to the insult. The two would meet in the 2006 NBA Finals.

O'Neal is very vocal with the media, and often jabs at former Laker teammate Kobe Bryant. In the summer of 2005, when asked about Kobe, he responded, "I'm sorry, who?" and continued to pretend that he did not know who Kobe was until well into the 2005–2006 season.

O'Neal has also appeared in many other shows such as Saturday Night Live and in 2007 hosted Shaq's Big Challenge, a reality show on ABC where he challenged Florida kids to lose weight and stay in shape.

When the Lakers faced the Miami Heat on January 16, 2006, O'Neal and Kobe Bryant made headlines by engaging in handshakes and hugs before the game, an event that was believed to signify the end of the so-called "Shaq–Kobe feud" that had festered since the center left Los Angeles. O'Neal was quoted as saying that he accepted the advice of NBA legend Bill Russell to make peace with Bryant.^[32] However, on June 22, 2008, O'Neal freestyled a diss rap about Bryant in a New York club. While rapping, O'Neal blamed Kobe for his divorce from his wife Shaunie and claims to have received a vasectomy, as part of a rhyme. He also taunted Bryant for not being able to win a championship without him. O'Neal led the audience to mockingly chant several times "Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes."^[33] O'Neal justified his act by saying "I was freestyling. That's all. It was all done in fun. Nothing serious whatsoever. That is what MC's do. They freestyle when called upon. I'm totally cool with Kobe. No issue at all."^[34] Although even other exponents of hip hop, such as Snoop Dogg, Nas and Cory Gunz, agreed with O'Neal,^[35] Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio expressed his intention to relieve O'Neal of his Maricopa County sheriff posse badge, due to use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language. The quote from his song was "it's like a white boy trying to be more nigga than me."^[36]

Off court

Education

O'Neal left LSU for the NBA after three years. However, he promised his mother he would eventually return to his studies and complete his bachelor's degree. He fulfilled that promise in 2000, earning his bachelor of arts in general studies.^[37] Coach Phil Jackson let O'Neal miss a home game so he could attend graduation. At the ceremony, he told the crowd "now I can go and get a real job". Subsequently, O'Neal earned an MBA online through the University of Phoenix in 2005.

It's just something to have on my resume for when I go back into reality. Someday I might have to put down a basketball and have a regular 9-to-5 like everybody else.^[38]

— O'Neal, in reference to his completion of an MBA degree

Law enforcement

Also, O'Neal has maintained a high level of interest in the workings of the police department and has become personally involved in law enforcement. O'Neal went through the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Reserve Academy and became a reserve officer with the L.A. Port Police. He is seen in a commercial for ESPN in Miami Police garb climbing up a tree to rescue LSU mascot Mike the Tiger (the costumed one, not the real one).

On March 2, 2005, O'Neal was given an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshal title and named the spokesman for the Safe Surfin' Foundation; he served an honorary role on the task force of the same name, which tracks down sexual predators who target children on the Internet.^[39]

Upon his trade to Miami, O'Neal began training to become a Miami Beach reserve officer. On December 8, 2005, he was sworn in as a reserve officer, electing for a private ceremony so not to distract from the special moment of the other officers. He assumed a $1 per year salary in this capacity.^[40] Shortly thereafter, in Miami, O'Neal was a witness to a hate crime and called Miami-Dade police, giving them a description of the suspect and helping police, over his cell phone, track the offender.^[40] O'Neal's actions resulted in the arrest of two suspects, whom he had witnessed assaulting a man on the street while calling out homosexual slurs.^[41]

Music career

Shaquille O'Neal
Birth name	Shaquille O'Neal
Also known as	Shaq The Man of Steel
Born	March 6, 1972 (1972-03-06) (age 37)
Origin	Newark, New Jersey
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Jive, Interscope, A&M, Trauma
Associated acts	Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, DJ Kayslay, Fu-Schnickens, Def Jef, DJ Quik, Erick Sermon

From 1993 onward, O'Neal has pursued a rapping career. He has released five studio albums and 1 compilation album. Although his rapping abilities have often been criticized,^[42]^[43] it has been noted that he has continuously been "progressing as a rapper in small steps, not leaps and bounds."^[44] His 1993 debut album, Shaq Diesel, received platinum certification from the RIAA. O'Neal was featured alongside Michael Jackson as a guest rapper on "2 Bad," a song from Jackson's 1995 album HIStory. His first rap single, "(I Know I Got) Skillz," was featured in the film Pineapple Express.

Acting

O'Neal has appeared as himself on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, bedridden after Larry David's character accidentally tripped him while stretching, and in two episodes each of My Wife and Kids and the The Parkers. O'Neal appeared in the 311 music video for the hit single "You Wouldn't Believe" in 2001, in P. Diddy's video for "Bad Boys 4 Life", and the video for Aaron Carter's "That's How I Beat Shaq. O'Neal appeared in the movie CB4 in a small "interviewing" scene. O'Neal played John Henry Irons/Steel in a movie based on the popular superhero Steel. O'Neal appeared in a SportsCenter commercial dressed in his Miami police uniform, rescuing Mike the Tiger from a tree. O'Neal was also a support character in the movie "Blue Chips" with Nick Nolte. O'Neal also reportedly wanted a role in the film X2 (the second in the X-Men film series), but was ignored by the filmmakers.^[45]

He has voiced animated versions of himself on several occasions, including on the animated series Static Shaq episode of Static Shock; in the Johnny Bravo episode Back on Shaq, in which Shaquille O'Neal discovers that Johnny Bravo is a good luck charm and uses him to help his team win games until it came to a face-off against Seth Green and his good-luck charm Huckleberry Hound; and in the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny, in which he is seen fighting Godzilla and survives a collision with the Batmobile. Because he is a fan of The Man of Steel, Static Shock creators had hoped to have O'Neal and Superman meet in a Season 3 episode, but O'Neal was not located in time to do the episode.^[46]

Video games

O'Neal is featured on the covers of video games NBA Live 96, NBA 2K6, NBA 2K7, NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC, NBA Hoopz, and NBA Inside Drive 2004. O'Neal appeared in the arcade version of NBA Jam, NBA Jam (2003) and NBA Live 2004 as a current player and as a 90's All-Star. O'Neal starred in Shaq Fu, a fighting game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis. O'Neal has also appeared in Backyard Basketball 2004, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 as a playable boxer, and as an unlockable character in Delta Force: Black Hawk Down.

Reality television

O'Neal and his mother Lucille Harrison were featured in the documentary film Apple Pie, which aired on ESPN. O'Neal had a 2005 reality series on ESPN, Shaquille, and hosted a reality television show called Shaq's Big Challenge on ABC appearing with Tyler Florence and Carlon Colker among others.

O'Neal appeared on NBA Ballers and NBA Ballers: Phenom, in the 2002 Discovery Channel special "Motorcycle Mania 2" requesting an exceptionally large bike to fit his large size from famed custom motorcycle builder Jesse G. James, in the first Idol Gives Back in 2007, on an episode of Fear Factor, and on an episode of MTV's Jackass, where he was lifted off the ground on Wee Man's back. O'Neal is a fan of wrestling and has made appearances at many WWE events.

O'Neal was pranked on the MTV show Punk'd when a crew member accused him of stealing his parking space. After O'Neal and his wife went into the restaurant, Ashton Kutcher's crew members let the air out of O'Neal's car tires. O'Neal and the crew member then got into an altercation and after Kutcher told O'Neal he was Punk'd, O'Neal flipped the bird at the camera.^[47]

O'Neal is starring in a reality show called Shaq Vs. which premiered on August 18, 2009 on ABC. The show features O'Neal competing against other athletes at their own sports.^[48].On the July 27 episode of WWE Raw, O'Neal was the special guest host and put himself as the special ringside enforcer in a match involving Cryme Tyme and the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho and The Big Show. After the match O'Neal and Big Show had a confrontation which lead to O'Neal shoulder blocking The Big Show.

Other projects

O'Neal is looking to expand his business ventures with real-estate-development projects aimed at assisting Orlando homeowners facing foreclosure. His plans involve buying the mortgages of those who have fallen into foreclosure and then selling the homes back to them under more affordable terms. He would make a small profit in return, but overall, O'Neal is looking to make an investment in Orlando and help out the homeowners of the city.^[49]

Mixed Martial Arts

O'Neal has been training in MMA for the past 10 years in the off-season at Jonathan Burke's Gracie Gym undergoing the full gamut of boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and wrestling. At the gym, he goes by the nickname "Diesel."^[50]

O'Neal challenged kickboxer and mixed martial artist Choi Hong-man to a mixed martial arts rules bout in a YouTube video posted on June 17, 2009. Hong-man replied to an email asking him if he would like to fight O'Neal saying "Yes, if there is a chance." Hong-man also responded to a question asking if O'Neal had a chance of winning with a simple "No."^[51]

Personal life

Shaquille O'Neal as a member of the Suns

O'Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey. He remains estranged from his biological father, Joseph Toney of Newark. Toney has struggled with drug addiction and was imprisoned when O'Neal was an infant. Upon his release, Toney did not resume a place in O'Neal's life and instead agreed to surrender his parental rights to O'Neal's stepfather, Phillip A. Harrison, an Army sergeant.^[52] O'Neal and Toney have never spoken, and O'Neal has expressed no interest in a reconciliation.^[53] On his 1994 rap album, Shaq Fu: The Return, O'Neal voiced his feelings of disdain for Toney in the song "Biological Didn't Bother", referring to Harrison with the verse, "Phil is my father."

In his mansion in Orlando, Florida, O'Neal has a homemade movie theater with two rows of five retractable chairs, Superman lights, another Superman symbol on the floor, a big screen, another Superman symbol on his blanket, and 5.1 surround sound. O'Neal also has an indoor basketball court.

O'Neal is a Muslim; the Los Angeles Times quoted him as saying, "It's a Muslim thing", with regard to the greetings he exchanged with opposing player Hedo Türkoğlu before the Western Conference Finals series in 2002. The newspaper also quoted Türkoğlu as saying that he was not surprised at the gesture from O'Neal "because Muslim people support each other."^[54] His mother, Lucille (née O'Neal) is a Baptist, and his stepfather is a Muslim.^{[citation needed]}

O'Neal married Shaunie Nelson on December 26, 2002. The couple have four children (Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me'arah, ages ranging from 8 to 2, in order), and Nelson has one child from a previous relationship (Myles, 11). O'Neal also has a daughter from a previous relationship (Taahirah, 12), making him the father of six. The family currently resides on Star Island in Miami, Florida. They also have maintained a residence in Windermere, Florida, a northwest Orlando suburb.

On September 4, 2007, O'Neal filed for divorce from his wife Shaunie in a Miami-Dade Circuit court. Shaunie later said that the couple had gotten back together and that the divorce was withdrawn. However, on November 10, 2009, Shaunie filed an intent to divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.^[55]

O'Neal is a 2009 inductee of the New Jersey Hall of Fame.^[56]

NBA career statistics

A list of O'Neal's career statistics:^[57]

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1992–93	Orlando	81	81	37.9	.562	.000	.592	13.9	1.9	.7	3.5	23.4
1993–94	Orlando	81	81	39.8	.599	.000	.554	13.2	2.4	.9	2.8	29.3
1994–95	Orlando	79	79	37.0	.583	.000	.533	11.4	2.7	.9	2.4	29.3
1995–96	Orlando	54	52	36.0	.573	.500	.487	11.0	2.9	.6	2.1	26.6
1996–97	L.A. Lakers	51	51	38.1	.557	.000	.484	12.5	3.1	.9	2.9	26.2
1997–98	L.A. Lakers	60	57	36.3	.584	.000	.527	11.4	2.4	.6	2.4	28.3
1998–99	L.A. Lakers	49	49	34.8	.576	.000	.540	10.7	2.3	.7	1.7	26.3
1999–00	L.A. Lakers	79	79	40.0	.574	.000	.524	13.6	3.8	.5	3.0	29.7
2000–01	L.A. Lakers	74	74	39.5	.572	.000	.513	12.7	3.7	.6	2.8	28.7
2001–02	L.A. Lakers	67	66	36.1	.579	.000	.555	10.7	3.0	.6	2.0	27.2
2002–03	L.A. Lakers	67	66	37.8	.574	.000	.622	11.1	3.1	.6	2.4	27.5
2003–04	L.A. Lakers	67	67	36.8	.584	.000	.490	11.5	2.9	.5	2.5	21.5
2004–05	Miami	73	73	34.1	.601	.000	.461	10.4	2.7	.5	2.3	22.9
2005–06	Miami	59	58	30.6	.600	.000	.469	9.2	1.9	.4	1.8	20.0
2006–07	Miami	40	39	28.4	.591	.000	.422	7.4	2.0	.2	1.4	17.3
2007–08	Miami	33	33	28.6	.581	.000	.494	7.8	1.4	.6	1.6	14.2
2007–08	Phoenix	28	28	28.7	.611	.000	.513	10.6	1.7	.5	1.2	12.9
2008–09	Phoenix	75	75	30.0	.609	.000	.595	8.4	1.7	.6	1.4	17.8
Career		1117	1108	35.7	.582	.048	.528	11.2	2.6	.6	2.3	24.7
All-Star		12	9	22.8	.551	.000	.452	8.1	1.4	1.1	1.6	16.8

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1993–94	Orlando	3	3	42.0	.511	.000	.471	13.3	2.3	.7	3.0	20.7
1994–95	Orlando	21	21	38.3	.577	.000	.571	11.9	3.3	.9	1.9	25.7
1995–96	Orlando	12	12	38.3	.606	.000	.393	10.0	4.6	.8	1.2	25.8
1996–97	L.A. Lakers	9	9	36.2	.514	.000	.610	10.6	3.2	.6	1.9	26.9
1997–98	L.A. Lakers	13	13	38.5	.612	.000	.503	10.2	2.9	.5	2.6	30.5
1998–99	L.A. Lakers	8	8	39.4	.510	.000	.466	11.6	2.3	.9	2.9	26.6
1999–00	L.A. Lakers	23	23	43.5	.566	.000	.456	15.4	3.1	.6	2.4	30.7
2000–01	L.A. Lakers	16	16	42.3	.555	.000	.525	15.4	3.2	.4	2.4	30.4
2001–02	L.A. Lakers	19	19	40.8	.529	.000	.649	12.6	2.8	.5	2.5	28.5
2002–03	L.A. Lakers	12	12	40.1	.535	.000	.621	14.8	3.7	.6	2.8	27.0
2003–04	L.A. Lakers	22	22	41.7	.593	.000	.429	13.2	2.5	.3	2.8	21.5
2004–05	Miami	13	13	33.2	.558	.000	.472	7.8	1.9	.4	1.5	19.4
2005–06	Miami	23	23	33.0	.612	.000	.374	9.8	1.7	.5	1.5	18.4
2006–07	Miami	4	4	30.3	.559	.000	.333	8.5	1.3	.2	1.5	18.8
2007–08	Phoenix	5	5	30.0	.440	.000	.500	9.2	1.0	1.0	2.6	15.2
Career		203	203	38.6	.564	.000	.501	12.1	2.8	.6	2.2	25.2

Discography

Main article: Shaquille O'Neal discography

Shaq Diesel (1993)
Shaq Fu: Da Return (1994)
You Can't Stop the Reign (1996)
Respect (1998)
Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1 (Unreleased)

Filmography

Blue Chips (1994)
Kazaam (1996)
Good Burger (1997)
Steel (1997) (nominated for Razzie Award for Worst Actor)
He Got Game (1998)
A Great Day in Hip Hop (1998)
The Wash (2001)
Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
After the Sunset (2004)
Scary Movie 4 (2006)
The House Bunny (2008)

References

^ "Going undercover-Shaq helps task force track Internet sex predators". CNNSI. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/basketball/nba/specials/playoffs/2005/05/25/shaq/index.html.
^ "Shaquille O'Neal". NBA. http://www.nba.com/allstar2006/players/shaquille_oneal.html.
^ NBA.com: Trophies For Everybody
^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/onealsh01.html
^ "Shaq timeline". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 2004-07-11. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/sfl-timeline11jul11,0,1891694.story?coll=sfla-sports-utility-shaq. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
^ Bill McMurray, Texas High School All-Time Sports Record Book, 6th Edition.
^ "O'Neal to get degree from LSU". The Daily Texan. December 12, 2000. http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2000/12/12/Sports/Oneal.To.Get.Degree.From.Lsu-701598.shtml. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
^ barrystickets.com, O'Neal: LSU Hall of Fame, accessed, March 3, 2007
^ "MAGIC: Magic History". NBA.com/magic. http://www.nba.com/magic/history/magic_history.html. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
^ [1]
^ "NBA -- Lakers Sign O'Neal Raise Ticket Prices". AP (The Seattle Times). July 18, 1996. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960718&slug=2339914.
^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1370&dat=19960720&id=8WUVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0goEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3531,3152523
^ Patrick Parker (March 27, 2008). "Daily Dime 6: Shaq vs. Big Baby". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080327&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1.
^ "Shaq to be sacked". Sports Illustrated. January 13, 2002. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/news/2002/01/13/shaq_punches_ap/.
^ Ira Berkow (January 16, 2002). "Sports of The Times; N.B.A. Needs To Hit Shaq Much Harder". http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E3D61238F935A25752C0A9649C8B63.
^ "Daily Dime: Shaq gets the spotlight, while Kobe gets the game". ESPN .com. 2008-02-21. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080221.
^ ^a ^b Shaquille O'Neal career stats and splits NBA.com
^ Austin Burton. "Why Shaq? Here's Why". dimemag.com. http://dimemag.com/2008/02/06/why-shaq-heres-why/.
^ "Player profile - Shaquille O'Neal". yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/847.
^ "Cavaliers Acquire 15-Time NBA All-Star and Four-Time NBA Champion Shaquille ONeal". NBA.com. 2009-06-25. http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/shaq_trade_090625.html. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
^ [The Shaq Show: O'Neal Wants a Ring for the King http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=7988000]
^ SUNS: Shaq on Board
^ NBA.com : Shaquille O'Neal Bio Page
^ Career Leaders and Records for Field Goal Pct - Basketball-Reference.com
^ NBA.com: Regular Season Records: Free Throws
^ Career Leaders and Records for Free Throw Attempts - Basketball-Reference.com
^ Bob Baum (December 25, 2008). "Mason's 3-pointer gives Spurs 91-90 win over Suns". Associated Press (nba.com). http://www.nba.com/games/20081225/SASPHX/recap.html.
^ Mike Bresnahan & Robyn Norwood (June 12, 2007). "Bank shot could pay off for Shaq". Los Angeles Times (latimes.com). http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-briefing12-2008jun12,0,7253710.story.
^ Jack McCallum (December 10, 2002). "Inside the NBA - SI's Jack McCallum: Sizing up Shaq". CNNSI.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/jack_mccallum/news/2002/06/12/insider/.
^ Dave McNary (June 23, 2000). "Admen strike back against SAG/AFTRA". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117782988.html?categoryid=18&cs=1.
^ "Sports stars break Hollywood strike". BBC News. June 22, 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/801470.stm.
^ "Miami vs. Los Angeles - Recap". Associated Press (ESPN). January 16, 2006. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260116013.
^ Shaq attacks Kobe "TMZ Video" (June 22, 2008)^{[dead link]}
^ "Shaq takes a freestyle swipe at Kobe". Associated Press (ESPN.com). June 23, 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=3458056.
^ Reid, Shaheem (2008-06-24). "Snoop Dogg, Nas, Cory Gunz See Nothing Wrong With Shaquille O'Neal's Anti-Kobe Freestyle". "MTV.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1589908/20080624/id_0.jhtml.
^ "Shaq booted from sheriff's 'posse' for Kobe rap". Associated Press. 2008-06-24. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/06/23/sports/s170747D71.DTL.
^ "O'Neal to get degree from LSU". The Associated Press. August 6, 2004. http://www.dailytexanonline.com/sports/o-neal-to-get-degree-from-lsu-1.985348.
^ "The Big Executive? Shaq masters MBA". Associated Press (MSNBC.com). June 26, 2005. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8357843/.
^ "Going undercover -Shaq helps task force track Internet sex predators". SI.com. May 25, 2005. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/basketball/nba/specials/playoffs/2005/05/25/shaq/index.html?cnn=yes.
^ ^a ^b "Shaq sworn in as reserve police officer". Associated Press (NBCSports.com). December 10, 2005. http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/10397089/.
^ "Second Man Arrested After Tip From Shaquille O'Neal". November 3, 2005. http://www.justnews.com/news/5244919/detail.html.
^ "Shaq Diesel". allmusicguide.com. http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hnfwxqugld0e~T1.
^ "You Can't Stop the Reign". ew.com. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,295411,00.html.
^ "Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1" review allmusicguide.com
^ Army Archerd (August 23, 2001). "Touchy topic addressed in upcoming pix". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117851683.html?categoryid=2&cs=1. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
^ Jim Harvey. "Semper on Static/Superman in 'Toys In The Hood'". Static Shock. http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/staticshock/backstage/interviews/semper03.php.
^ Shaquille O'Neal at the Internet Movie Database
^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=4343990
^ Schlueb, Mark (June 11, 2008). ""Shaq: I can help homeowners fight off foreclosure"". Orlando Sentinel. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-shaq1108jun11,0,519616.story. Retrieved June 11, 2008.
^ Hendricks, Maggie (May 06, 2009). ""Shaquille O'Neal: hoopster, twitter fan, MMA fighter?"". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Shaquille-O-Neal-hoopster-twitter-fan-MMA-fig?urn=mma,161678. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
^ http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/10/05/hong-man-choi-accepts-shaquille-oneals-mixed-martial-arts-chal/
^ "Shaquille O'Neal Biography (1972-)". filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/16/Shaquille-O-Neal.html.
^ Plaschke, Bill (June 12, 2002). "Biological dad 'dead' to Shaq". The Cincinnati Post (Los Angeles Times) (E. W. Scripps Company). Archived from the original on May 21, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070521235904/http://www.cincypost.com/2002/jun/12/nba061202.html.
^ Tim Brown & Bill Plaschke (May 29, 2002). "Shaq and Hedo Share a Moment". Los Angeles Times: p. Page D.6. http://articles.latimes.com/2002/may/29/sports/sp-lakerep29.
^ Shaquille O’Neal, wife splitting up Yahoo News, November 10, 2009
^ New Jersey to Bon Jovi: You Give Us a Good Name Yahoo News, February 2, 2009
^ O'Neal's career stats. NBA.com

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shaquille O'Neal

Profile at NBA.com
Hoopedia bio
Basketball-Reference Career statistics
Shaquille O'Neal at the Internet Movie Database
Shaquille O'Neal on Twitter

v • d • e Shaquille O'Neal

NBA	Orlando Magic • Los Angeles Lakers • Miami Heat • Phoenix Suns • Cleveland Cavaliers

Film	Blue Chips • Kazaam • Steel

TV	Shaq's Big Challenge • Shaq Vs.

Discography	Shaq Diesel • Shaq Fu: Da Return • The Best of Shaquille O'Neal • You Can't Stop the Reign • Respect • Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1

Miscellaneous	Shaq Fu

Links to related articles

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Chris Jackson	SEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year 1991, 1992	Succeeded by AP: Jamal Mashburn, Billy McCaffrey Coaches: Jamal Mashburn
Preceded by Larry Johnson	NBA first overall draft pick 1992 NBA Draft	Succeeded by Chris Webber
Preceded by Larry Johnson	NBA Rookie of the Year 1992–93	Succeeded by Chris Webber
Preceded by Toni Kukoč	FIBA World Championship MVP 1994	Succeeded by Dejan Bodiroga
Preceded by Karl Malone	Most Valuable Player 1999–2000	Succeeded by Allen Iverson
Preceded by Tim Duncan	NBA Finals Most Valuable Player 2000 2001 2002	Succeeded by Tim Duncan
Preceded by Michael Jordan Kevin Garnett LeBron James	NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player 2000 co-awardee with Tim Duncan 2004 2009 co-awardee with Kobe Bryant	Succeeded by Allen Iverson Allen Iverson Incumbent

v • d • e United States squad - 1994 FIBA World Championship – Gold medal

4 Dumars \| 5 Price \| 6 Coleman \| 7 Kemp \| 8 Smith \| 9 Majerle \| 10 Miller \| 11 K.Johnson \| 12 Wilkins \| 13 O'Neal \| 14 Mourning \| 15 L.Johnson \| Coach: Nelson

v • d • e FIBA World Championship Most Valuable Player Award

1950: Furlong \| 1954: Minter \| 1959: Pasos \| 1963: Marques \| 1967: Daneu \| 1970: Belov \| 1974: Kićanović \| 1978: Dalipagić \| 1982: Rivers \| 1986: Petrović \| 1990: Kukoč \| 1994: O'Neal \| 1998: Bodiroga \| 2002: Nowitzki \| 2006: Gasol

v • d • e 1996 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – United States

4 Payton \| 5 Hill \| 6 Hardaway \| 7 Robinson \| 8 Pippen \| 9 Richmond \| 10 Miller \| 11 Malone \| 12 Stockton \| 13 O'Neal \| 14 Barkley \| 15 Olajuwon \| Coach: Wilkens

v • d • e 1992 NBA Draft

First Round	Shaquille O'Neal · Alonzo Mourning · Christian Laettner · Jim Jackson · LaPhonso Ellis · Tom Gugliotta · Walt Williams · Todd Day · Clarence Weatherspoon · Adam Keefe · Robert Horry · Harold Miner · Bryant Stith · Malik Sealy · Anthony Peeler · Randy Woods · Doug Christie · Tracy Murray · Don MacLean · Hubert Davis · Jon Barry · Oliver Miller · Lee Mayberry · Latrell Sprewell · Elmore Spencer · Dave Johnson · Byron Houston

Second Round	Marlon Maxey · P. J. Brown · Sean Rooks · Reggie Smith · Brent Price · Corey Williams · Chris Smith · Tony Bennett · Duane Cooper · Isaiah Morris · Elmer Bennett · Litterial Green · Steve Rogers · Popeye Jones · Matt Geiger · Predrag Danilović · Henry Williams · Chris King · Robert Werdann · Darren Morningstar · Brian Davis · Ron Ellis · Matt Fish · Tim Burroughs · Matt Steigenga · Curtis Blair · Brett Roberts

National Basketball Association number one overall draft picks

v • d • e Los Angeles Lakers 1999–2000 NBA Champions

2 Fisher \| 3 George \| 4 Harper \| 5 Horry \| 8 Bryant \| 10 Lue \| 11 Celestand \| 16 Salley \| 17 Fox \| 20 Shaw \| 34 O'Neal (Finals MVP) \| 40 Knight \| 41 Rice \| 45 Green \| Head Coach Jackson Assistant Coaches Winter \| Hamblen \| Cleamons

v • d • e Los Angeles Lakers 2000–01 NBA Champions

2 Fisher \| 3 George \| 4 Harper \| 5 Horry \| 8 Bryant \| 10 Lue \| 12 Penberthy \| 14 Medvedenko \| 17 Fox \| 20 Shaw \| 34 O'Neal (Finals MVP) \| 35 Madsen \| 40 Foster \| 54 Grant \| Coach Jackson Assistant Coaches Winter \| Hamblen \| Cleamons

v • d • e Los Angeles Lakers 2001–02 NBA Champions

2 Fisher \| 3 George \| 5 Horry \| 8 Bryant \| 10 Hunter \| 14 Medvedenko \| 17 Fox \| 20 Shaw \| 23 Richmond \| 34 O'Neal (Finals MVP) \| 35 Madsen \| 52 Walker \| Head Coach Jackson Assistant Coaches Winter \| Hamblen \| Cleamons \| Rambis

v • d • e Miami Heat 2005–06 NBA Champions

1 Wright \| 3 Wade (Finals MVP) \| 5 D. Anderson \| 8 Walker \| 20 Payton \| 24 Kapono \| 25 Simien \| 30 Barron \| 32 O'Neal \| 33 Mourning \| 40 Haslem \| 42 Posey \| 49 S. Anderson \| 51 Doleac \| 55 Williams \| Head Coach Riley Assistant Coach Spoelstra

National Basketball Association's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar • Nate Archibald • Paul Arizin • Charles Barkley • Rick Barry • Elgin Baylor • Dave Bing • Larry Bird • Wilt Chamberlain • Bob Cousy • Dave Cowens • Billy Cunningham • Dave DeBusschere • Clyde Drexler • Julius Erving • Patrick Ewing • Walt Frazier • George Gervin • Hal Greer • John Havlicek • Elvin Hayes • Magic Johnson • Sam Jones • Michael Jordan • Jerry Lucas • Karl Malone • Moses Malone • Pete Maravich • Kevin McHale • George Mikan • Earl Monroe • Hakeem Olajuwon • Shaquille O'Neal • Robert Parish • Bob Pettit • Scottie Pippen • Willis Reed • Oscar Robertson • David Robinson • Bill Russell • Dolph Schayes • Bill Sharman • John Stockton • Isiah Thomas • Nate Thurmond • Wes Unseld • Bill Walton • Jerry West • Lenny Wilkens • James Worthy

Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award

NBA Most Valuable Player Award

NBA Rookie of the Year Award

NBA scoring champions

NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award

Associated Press (AP) College Men's Basketball Player of the Year Award winners

Adolph Rupp Trophy winners

UPI College Basketball Player of the Year Award winners

v • d • e 1991 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans

First Team Kenny Anderson • Jimmy Jackson • Larry Johnson • Shaquille O'Neal • Billy Owens

Second Team Stacey Augmon • Keith Jennings • Christian Laettner • Eric Murdock • Steve Smith

v • d • e 1992 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans

First Team Jimmy Jackson • Christian Laettner • Harold Miner • Alonzo Mourning • Shaquille O'Neal

Second Team Byron Houston • Don MacLean • Anthony Peeler • Malik Sealy • Walt Williams

Southeastern Conference (SEC) Men's Basketball Player of the Year

v • d • e Orlando Magic

Founded in 1989 • Based in Orlando, Florida

The Franchise	Franchise • Expansion Draft • All-time Roster • Draft history • Records • Seasons • Current season

Arenas	Amway Arena • Amway Center

Coaches	Guokas • Hill • Adubato • Daly • Rivers • Davis • Jent • Hill • Van Gundy

D-League Affiliate	Reno Bighorns

Administration	RDV Sports, Inc. (Rich DeVos, Owner & Chairman) • Otis Smith (General Manager) • Stan Van Gundy (Head Coach)

Important Figures	Nick Anderson • Darrell Armstrong • Chip Caray • Terry Catledge • Michael Doleac • Julius Erving • Steve Francis • John Gabriel • Pat Garrity • Drew Gooden • Horace Grant • Anfernee Hardaway • Brian Hill • Grant Hill • Dwight Howard • Rashard Lewis • Tracy McGrady • Mike Miller • Jameer Nelson • Shaquille O'Neal • Bo Outlaw • Donald Royal • Dennis Scott • Rony Seikaly • Brian Shaw • Scott Skiles • Reggie Theus • Hedo Türkoğlu • Sam Vincent • Ben Wallace • John Weisbrod • Dominique Wilkins • Gerald Wilkins

Retired Numbers	6 (The Sixth Man)

Conference Championships (2)	1995 • 2009

Division Championships (4)	1995 • 1996 • 2008 • 2009

Rivals	Detroit Pistons • Miami Heat

Culture	1995 NBA Finals • Superman • Li'l Penny • Superman II • Superman dunk • Stuff the Magic Dragon

Media	TV: Sun Sports • Fox Sports Florida • Radio: WDBO-AM • Announcers: David Steele • Matt Guokas • Dennis Neumann • Richie Adubato

v • d • e Los Angeles Lakers

Formerly the Detroit Gems and the Minneapolis Lakers • Founded in 1946 • Based in Los Angeles, California

The Franchise	Franchise • Team History • All-Time roster • Draft history • Seasons • Records • Head coaches • Current season

Arenas	Minneapolis Auditorium • Minneapolis Armory • Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena • The Forum • Staples Center

Coaches	Kundla • Mikan • Castellani • Pollard • Schaus • van Breda Kolff • Mullaney • Sharman • West • McKinney • Westhead • Riley • Dunleavy • Pfund • Johnson • Harris • Rambis • Jackson • Tomjanovich • Hamblen • Jackson

D-League Affiliate	Los Angeles D-Fenders

Administration	Dr. Jerry Buss (Majority Owner) • Anschutz Entertainment Group (Minority Owner) • Magic Johnson (Minority Owner) • Mitch Kupchak (Vice President & GM of Basketball Ops.) • Phil Jackson (Head Coach)

Important Figures	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar • Elgin Baylor • Kobe Bryant • Dr. Jerry Buss • Wilt Chamberlain • Michael Cooper • Vlade Divac • Derek Fisher • Pau Gasol • Gail Goodrich • Chick Hearn • Robert Horry • Phil Jackson • Eddie Jones • Magic Johnson • John Kundla • Mitch Kupchak • Clyde Lovellette • Slater Martin • George Mikan • Vern Mikkelsen • Shaquille O'Neal • Lamar Odom • Jim Pollard • Kurt Rambis • Pat Riley • Byron Scott • Nick Van Exel • Jerry West • Jamaal Wilkes • James Worthy

Retired Numbers	13 • 22 • 25 • 32 • 33 • 42 • 44 • Chick Hearn (Microphone) Minneapolis Lakers Hall of Famers (Mikan, Mikkelsen, Martin, Lovellette, Pollard, Coach Kundla)

NBA Championships (15)	1949 • 1950 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1972 • 1980 • 1982 • 1985 • 1987 • 1988 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2009

Rivals	Boston Celtics • Philadelphia 76ers • Detroit Pistons • Houston Rockets • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings • San Antonio Spurs

Culture and Lore	"Showtime" • Wilt the Stilt • Mr. Clutch • Magic • Jack Nicholson • Lakers vs. Celtics • Chick Hearn • Jack Kent Cooke • The Fabulous Forum • Staples Center • The Punch • Big Game James • Celebrity fans • Shaq–Kobe feud • 81 • Black Mamba • The Diesel • Lawrence Tanter • I Love L.A.

Media	TV: KCAL • Fox Sports West • Radio: KSPN-AM • KWKW • Announcers: Joel Meyers • Stu Lantz • Spero Dedes • Mychal Thompson

v • d • e Miami Heat

Founded in 1988 • Based in Miami, Florida

The Franchise	Franchise • History • Expansion Draft • All-Time roster • Seasons • Broadcasters • Draft history • Records • Head coaches • Current season

Arenas	Miami Arena • American Airlines Arena

Head coaches	Rothstein • Loughery • Gentry • Riley • Van Gundy • Riley • Spoelstra

Important figures	Pat Riley • Micky Arison • Ron Rothstein • Stan Van Gundy • Alonzo Mourning • Tim Hardaway • Jamal Mashburn • Keith Askins • Erik Spoelstra • Bimbo Coles • Glen Rice • Steve Smith • Rory Sparrow • Rony Seikaly • Eddie Jones • P. J. Brown • Dan Majerle • Dwyane Wade • Shaquille O'Neal • Mike Inglis • Eric Reid

D-League Affiliate	Sioux Falls Skyforce

NBA Championships (1)	2006

Culture and lore	Knicks vs. Heat • Knicks 1999 upset • Flash • Michael Baiamonte • Burnie • 2006 NBA Finals

Retired numbers	13 • 23 • 33 • 10

Rivals	Chicago Bulls • New York Knicks • Detroit Pistons • Los Angeles Lakers

{{Navbox | name = Phoenix Suns | title = Phoenix Suns | titlestyle = background:#423189; color:#FF8800; | bodystyle = width:100%; | groupstyle=background:#FF8800; color:gray; | state = autocollapse | abovestyle = background:#FF8800; color:gray; | above=Founded in 1968 · Based in Phoenix, Arizona

|group2=The Franchise |list2=Franchise · Expansion Draft · History · All-time roster · Head coaches · Seasons · Records

|group3=Arenas |list3= Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum · US Airways Center

|group4 = D-League Affiliate |list4 = Iowa Energy

|group5=Culture & Lore |list5= The Suns Gorilla · 1976 NBA Finals · The Shot 'Heard' Round the World · 1993 NBA Finals · Curse of the Coin Flip · 1993 Runner-up Curse · Seven Seconds or Less

|group6=Important Figures |list6= Jerry Colangelo · Charles Barkley · · Kevin Johnson{ · Shawn Marion · Steve Nash{{·}]] Amar'e Stoudemire · Paul Westphal · Cotton Fitzsimmons · Joe Proski

|group7=Ring of Honor & Retired Numbers |list7= 5 · 6 · 7 · 9 · 24 · 33 · 34 · 42 · 44 · 832 · Jerry Colangelo · Joe Proski

|group8=Hall of Famers |list8= Charles Barkley · Jerry Colangelo · Gail Goodrich · Connie Hawkins

|group9=Key Personnel |list9= Owner: Robert Sarver · General Manager: Steve Kerr · Head Coach: Alvin Gentry · Voice of the Suns: Al McCoy

|group10=Head Coaches |list10=Kerr · Colangelo · Fitzsimmons · van Breda Kolff · Colangelo · MacLeod · Van Arsdale · Wetzel · Fitzsimmons · Westphal · Fitzsimmons · Ainge · Skiles · Johnson · D'Antoni · Porter · Gentry

|group11=Western Conference
Championships (2) |list11=1976 · 1993

|group12=Pacific Division
Championships (6) |list12=1981 · 1993 · 1995 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007

|group13=Seasons (41) |list13=1968-69 · 1969-70 · 1970-71 · 1971-72 · 1972-73 · 1973-74 · 1974-75 · 1975-76 · 1976-77 · 1977-78 · 1978-79 · 1979-80 · 1980-81 · 1981-82 · 1982-83 · 1983-84 · 1984-85 · 1985-86 · 1986-87 · 1987-88 · 1988-89 · 1989-90 · 1990-91 · 1991-92 · 1992-93 · 1993-94 · 1994-95 · 1995-96 · 1996-97 · 1997-98 · 1998-99 · 1999-2000 · 2000-01 · 2001-02 · 2002-03 · 2003-04 · 2004-05 · 2005-06 · 2006-07 · 2007-08 · 2008-2009

|group13=Media |list13=TV: FS Arizona · KUTP · Radio: KTAR · Announcers: Gary Bender · Tom Leander · Scott Williams · Eddie Johnson · Al McCoy · Tim Kempton

}}

v • d • e Cleveland Cavaliers current roster

00 Jackson \| 1 Gibson \| 2 M. Williams \| 5 Karl \| 11 Ilgauskas \| 13 West \| 14 Green \| 15 Moon \| 17 Varejão \| 18 Parker \| 21 Hickson \| 23 James \| 31 J. Williams \| 33 O'Neal \| 44 Powe

Head coach Brown \| Assistant coaches Egan \| Hunt \| Jent \| Malone

v • d • e 2K Sports NBA 2K

Video games	NBA 2K · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10

Cover athletes	'00: Allen Iverson • '1: Allen Iverson • '2: Allen Iverson • '3: Allen Iverson • '4: Allen Iverson • '5: Ben Wallace • '6: Shaquille O'Neal • '7: Shaquille O'Neal • '8: Chris Paul • '9: Kevin Garnett • '10: Kobe Bryant

v • d • e NBA Live

Video games	95 · 96 · 97 · 98 · 99 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 06 · 07 · 08 · 09 · 10

Cover athletes	'95: 1994 NBA Finals action shot • '96: Shaquille O'Neal • '97: Mitch Richmond • '98: Tim Hardaway • '99: Antoine Walker • '00: Tim Duncan • '01: Kevin Garnett • '02: Steve Francis • '03: Jason Kidd • '04: Vince Carter • '05: Carmelo Anthony • '06: Dwyane Wade, Yuta Tabuse (Japanese cover) • '07: Tracy McGrady, Pau Gasol (Spanish cover), Boris Diaw and Tony Parker (French cover), Dirk Nowitzki (German cover) • '08: Gilbert Arenas, Dirk Nowitzki (German cover), Andrea Bargnani (Italian cover) • '09: Tony Parker, Luol Deng (UK cover), Andrea Bargnani (Italian cover), Pau Gasol (Spanish cover) • '10: Dwight Howard

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Respect Buy this CD	Shaq Diesel Buy this CD	Shaq Diesel Buy this CD	Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1 Buy this CD	You Can't Stop the Reign Buy this CD
Best of Shaquille O'Neal Buy this CD	Shaq-Fu: Da Return Buy this CD	How You Like That Buy this CD

Persondata
NAME	O'Neal, Shaquille Rashaun
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	the Diesel; the Big Aristotle; Superman
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Professional basketball player
DATE OF BIRTH	March 6, 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH	Newark, New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH

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Shaquille O'Neal

Biography