Shaquille O'Neal

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Lore & Background

After playing college basketball for the LSU Tigers, O'Neal was selected by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best centers in the league, winning NBA Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 and leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After four years with the Magic, O'Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. They won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Amid a feud between O'Neal and his teammate Kobe Bryant, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, and his fourth NBA championship followed in 2006. Midway through the 2007–2008 season he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. After a season-and-a-half with the Suns, O'Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009–10 season. O'Neal played for the Boston Celtics in the 2010–11 season before retiring.

In Their Own Story

The Georgia Dome roared as Shaquille O'Neal caught the pass near the free-throw line. He faked once, then bulldozed past his defender, leaping for a two-handed jam that shook the backboard. The crowd, already electric, erupted as he landed with a grin. Later, in the gold medal game, he stood at center court, arms raised, as the flag rose. For a kid from Newark, this was more than a game—it was a promise kept to his mother, a moment etched in Olympic history. What the cameras didn't catch: the way he whispered to a young fan during warmups, 'Watch this one,' before rattling the rim; or how he spent the bus ride to the final cracking jokes that left even stoic teammates in stitches. That was Shaq—a giant who played like a hurricane and laughed like a kid.

Reader's Guide

O'Neal's individual accolades include the 1999–2000 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award; the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award; 15 All-Star Game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards; three Finals MVP awards; two scoring titles; 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections. He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); the other players are Willis Reed in 1970 and Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998. He ranks 9th all-time in points scored, 6th in field goals, 15th in rebounds, and 8th in blocks. O'Neal was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team in 1996. Due to his ability to dunk the basketball and score from close range, O'Neal also had a 58.2% career field goal percentage and led the league in field goal percentage ten times. O'Neal was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017. In October 2021, O'Neal was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Did You Know?

• O'Neal has released four rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum, and his second, Shaq Fu: Da Return, going gold.
• He is also an electronic music producer and touring DJ, known as Diesel.
• He was a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings from 2013 to 2022 and is the general manager of Kings Guard Gaming of the NBA 2K League.
• He is also the general manager of the Sacramento State Hornets men's basketball team.