Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal

Miami Heat
Position	Center
Personal information
Born	(1972-03-06) March 6, 1972 Newark, New Jersey
Nationality	USA
Listed height	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight	325 lb (147 kg)
Career information
College	LSU
NBA draft	1992: 1st overall
Selected by the Orlando Magic
Playing career	1992–present
Career highlights and awards
2000 NBA MVP 3-time NBA Finals MVP 1994 FIBA World Championship MVP 14-time All-Star 2-time All-Star MVP
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (born March 6, 1972), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is one of the most famous American professional basketball players playing today; he is generally regarded as being one of the most dominant players in the National Basketball Association. [1] [2] He currently starts as center for the Miami Heat, after previous stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, and, earlier, the Orlando Magic. Throughout his career, he has been on four NBA Championship teams, most recently in 2006, with the Miami Heat.

At 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m), at least 325 pounds (148 kg) and U.S. shoe size 22, he is famous for his physical stature. He has several nicknames, most of which he conferred upon himself, such as The Diesel, The Big Aristotle (which he says is because of his belief in Aristotle's famous quote, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”), The Big Daddy, "Wilt Chamberneezy", The Big Baryshnikov, M.D.E (Most Dominant Ever), "L.C.L." (Last Center Left), Superman, and most recently after earning his MBA, Doctor Shaq. O'Neal was ranked #9 on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.

Early life

While O'Neal's Army stepfather was stationed in West Germany, Shaquille would attend Fulda American High School, a DODDS school. It was here that Dale Brown, LSU's coach at that time, first met O'Neal. At the time, the thirteen-year old Shaquille O'Neal was already 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 meters), and weighed 223 pounds (101 kilograms). His mature size would lead coach Brown to believe him to be one of the Army's soldiers. Over the next few years, O'Neal's body would further mature, growing an additional 7 inches, while also gaining 80 pounds (36 kilograms) of muscle.

High school career

O'Neal first gained national attention as a star at Robert G. Cole Junior-Senior High School in San Antonio, Texas. He became High School Player of the Year during his playing years there. He led his high school team to a 68-1 record his two years he played there; winning the state title his senior year.

College career

As a young man, he attended Louisiana State University and studied business. While on LSU's basketball team, he was a two-time first team All-American, two-time SEC player of the year, and the national player of the year in 1991. He holds the NCAA record for shots blocked in a game with 17 blocks against Mississippi State on December 3, 1990.

After returning to school in 2000, O'Neal received a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies, and was later inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame.

NBA career

Orlando Magic

O'Neal was drafted as the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. 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. O'Neal had an exceptional rookie season, as he helped the Magic win 20 more games than the previous season, with the team ultimately missing the playoffs by only one game. O'Neal averaged 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds on the season and was named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year. O'Neal played in the All-Star game and scored 14 points. On two occasions during that season, each during a nationally televised game, O'Neal dunked the ball so hard that he broke the backboard support units.

After his first season in Orlando, O'Neal returned to Los Angeles during the summer, where he was cast in a role in Blue Chips (along with future teammate Penny Hardaway), a film about college recruits getting paid to play basketball. He also recorded rap music over that summer.

O'Neal's sophomore season was even better than his first. He averaged 29.3 points and led the NBA in field goal percentage at 60%. He was also voted into another All-Star game and helped the Magic make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. 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.

In his third season, O'Neal led the NBA in scoring, with 2,315 total points and, like his second season, averaged 29.3 points per game. Orlando won 57 games and won the Atlantic Division. The Magic made it all the way to the NBA Finals, but they were swept by the Houston Rockets. By O'Neal's own admission, he was badly outplayed during that series by Houston's more experienced superstar center Hakeem Olajuwon, despite putting up admirable numbers in the series. Nonetheless, Olajuwon saw enough potential in O'Neal that Olajuwon (correctly) predicted that O'Neal would some day return to the Finals and win a championship. O'Neal has stated that this was one of only two times in his life that he ever cried (the other at the death of his grandmother). His father also used the loss as motivation, saying to his son that "maybe you shouldn't have shook Mr. Olajuwon's hand" (in congratulations for his win).

O'Neal was injured for a great deal of the 1995-96 season, missing 28 games. The Magic won 60 games and won the Atlantic Division again, but Orlando was swept by the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs. Now a free agent, O'Neal contemplated whether his future would be best served by remaining with the Magic or by moving on to a new team.

By this point, O'Neal had shown an interest in things outside basketball. He started making rap CDs, with some measure of success. He also took an interest in making more movies. O'Neal also began taking classes again at LSU to complete his degree, to fulfill his promise to his mother he would graduate.

Olympic medal record
Men's Basketball
	1996 Atlanta	United States

That summer, O'Neal was named to the United States Olympic team. In the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, O'Neal helped the U.S. win the gold medal in men's basketball. O'Neal has expressed the great pride he felt at the moment that the gold medal was placed around his neck.

Shortly before the Olympics began, O'Neal announced he had made his decision regarding his NBA future — he was moving to Los Angeles to become a Laker.

Los Angeles Lakers

After the 1995-96 season, O'Neal left the Orlando Magic to join the Los Angeles Lakers, enticed by the allure of a seven-year, $120 million contract. He had always wanted to play for the Lakers, and thus turned down an even larger contract offer from the Magic.

O'Neal joined a young Laker squad that had recently returned to the playoffs, but of which little was expected. O'Neal's arrival vastly changed expectations, but he missed a significant number of games due to injury in the 1996-97 season and several players had difficulty meshing with the new focal point of the offense. By 1997-98, key role players Rick Fox and Robert Horry had been added by Laker GM Jerry West. This group meshed well and won 61 regular season games. However, in both of his first two seasons in Los Angeles, O'Neal suffered a lopsided play-off defeat by the Utah Jazz in the 1997 2nd round 4-1 and 1998 Western Conference finals 4-0.

The Lakers were clearly a team on the rise with the tandem of O'Neal and teenage superstar Kobe Bryant. However, the 1998-99 season was marked by nearly constant change within the Lakers. Long-time Lakers point guard Nick Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets after a dispute with O'Neal. 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 Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman was signed, but Rodman only lasted for 23 games before getting the goodbye. The result was no better as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semi-finals (2nd round). The Spurs would go on to win their first title.

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

O'Neal was also voted the 1999-00 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 of the Philadelphia 76ers. Shaq also won the scoring title that year while finishing second in rebounds and third in blocked shots.

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

After the Lakers fell to 5th 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 legend 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 other teams. O'Neal assisted in the recruitment efforts and personally persuaded both men to join the team. Ultimately, each of them signed, forgoing larger salaries in favor a chance to win an NBA Championship, something neither had yet accomplished in his career.

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 extension to his contract. O'Neal remained persistently vocal about this desire, but Laker management was hesitant to meet his demands amid concerns about his work ethic (for several years he had shown up at training camp out of shape and struggled as he got into shape during the season,) about the possibility of further injuries, and a general decline in his game as he continued to age. It is widely 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 believed he would not choose to remain with the Lakers as O'Neal's sidekick.

The Lakers did eventually offer O'Neal a large contract in February 2004 (according to the book Madmen's Ball by Mark Heisler) under which he would have unquestionably continued to remain the highest paid player in the league, but he refused after feeling his services were not needed.

After the Lakers' loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal became 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 due to request of Dr. Buss. O'Neal made comments indicating that he felt the team's decisions were centered around 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, 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 slowly 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 declared 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 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. Despite being hobbled by a deep thigh bruise, O'Neal lead 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 USD. 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 contend that O'Neal was worth more than $20 million per year, particularly given that considerably less valuable players such as Jalen Rose, Allan Houston, Keith Van Horn, Steve Francis, and Stephon Marbury earn almost the same amount. Critics, however, questioned wisdom of the extension, characterizing it as overpaying an aging and often injured player. However, by delivering an NBA championship to the Heat in 2006, O'Neal has perhaps silenced such critics.

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 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 (or near-career) lows in points, rebounds, and blocks, O'Neal 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, Shaquille 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 star Dwyane Wade, the 2nd seeded Heat defeated the two-time defending Eastern Conference Champion and top-seeded Detroit Pistons in a rematch of the 2005 Conference Finals, and then defeat the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals.

O'Neal handing over the championsip ball when the NBA Champion Heat visited the Whitehouse

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 Shaq declared another championship was on the way, by saying, "We will see you again next year!"

On Feburary 26, 2007, O'Neal approached his 25,000th carrer points against the New York Knicks. He just needed 5 points to reach this mark.

Accolades

NBA highlights

• Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 (youngest player on the list and only active player remaining from the list).
• NBA Most Valuable Player: 2000
• 2-time The Sporting News NBA Most Valuable Player: 2000, 2005
• 4-time NBA Champion: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006
• 3-time NBA Finals MVP: 2000, 2001, 2002
• 14-time NBA All-Star: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
• 2-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2000, 2004
• 13-time All-NBA:

• First Team: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• Second Team: 1995, 1999
• Third Team: 1994, 1996, 1997

• 3-time All-Defensive:

• Second Team: 2000, 2001, 2003

• NBA Rookie of the Year: 1993
• The Sporting News NBA Rookie of the Year: 1993
• NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1993
• 2-time NBA regular-season leader, points per game: 1995 (29.3), 2000 (29.7)
• 3-time NBA regular-season leader, total points: 1995 (2315), 1999 (1289), 2000 (2344)
• 5-time NBA regular-season leader, field goals made: 1994 (953), 1995 (930), 1999 (510), 2000 (956), 2001 (813)
• 9-time NBA regular-season leader, field goal %: 1994 (.599), 1998 (.584), 1999 (.576), 2000 (.574), 2001 (.572), 2002 (.579), 2004 (.584), 2005 (.601), 2006 (.600)

Accomplishments/milestones

• Joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to lead the league in field goal percentage for
  • nine seasons
  • five consecutive seasons (1998–2002)
• Only player in NBA history to:

• average at least 20 points per game and 10 rebounds per game in a season for 13 consecutive seasons, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon, all with 12 consecutive seasons.
• reach 4,900 points, 2,300 rebounds, 500 assists, 400 blocks, and 100 steals in his playoff career while shooting at least 55% from the field.

• One of three players in NBA history to be selected to the NBA All-Star Game for 14 consecutive seasons; the others are Jerry West and Karl Malone.
• One of three players in NBA history to reach 24,500 points, 11,000 rebounds, 2,600 assists, and 2,300 blocks in his career (the others are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon; note that the NBA did not record blocked shots as an official statistic until the 1973-1974 season).
• One of four players in NBA history to be awarded the NBA Finals MVP three times (the others are Magic Johnson (3), Tim Duncan (3), and Michael Jordan (6) [3])
  • Joins Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to win three consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards (2000, 2001, 2002)
• Surpassed the career 25,000-point mark against the New York Knicks on Feburary 26, 2007.
• NBA playoff records (12):

• Most free throws attempted, all-time: 2,177 (1994–present)
• Most free throws missed, all-time: 1,014 (1994–present)
• Most free throws attempted, half: 27 (May 20, 2000 vs. Portland Trail Blazers)
• Most free throws attempted, quarter: 25 (May 20, 2000 vs. Portland Trail Blazers)
• Most offensive rebounds, all-time: 816 (1994–present)
• NBA Finals (11):
• Most points scored in a four-game series: 145 (NBA Finals 2002)
• Most free throws made in a four-game series: 45 (NBA Finals 2002)
• Most free throws attempted in a four-game series: 68 (NBA Finals 2002)
• Most blocks made in a four-game series: 11 (NBA Finals 2002)
• Most blocks made in one game: 8 (NBA Finals 2001; tied with Bill Walton (1977 vs Philadelphia, Hakeem Olajuwon (1986 vs Boston), Patrick Ewing (1986 vs Houston) and Tim Duncan (2003 vs New Jersey)
• Most free throws made in one game, half: 13 (NBA Finals 2000)
• Most free throws made in one game, quarter: 9 (NBA Finals 2000; tied with Allen Iverson)
• Most free throws attempted in one game: 39 (NBA Finals 2000)
• Most free throws attempted in one game, quarter: 16 (NBA Finals 2000, NBA Finals 2002)
• Highest field goal percentage, all-time: .603%
• Highest scoring average for a center: 29.0 points per game

• Orlando Magic franchise records (2):

• Most rebounds, game: 28 (November 20, 1993 vs. New Jersey Nets).
• Most blocks, game: 15 (November 20, 1993 vs. New Jersey Nets).

• Los Angeles Lakers franchise records (8):

• Most offensive rebounds, season: 336 (1999-2000).
• Most offensive rebounds, all-time, playoffs: 561 (1996–2004).
• Most offensive rebounds, game, playoffs: 11 (May 6, 2001 vs. Sacramento Kings).
• Most free throws attempted, game: 31 (November 19, 1999 vs. Chicago Bulls).
• Most free throws attempted, game, playoffs: 39 (June 9, 2000 vs. Indiana Pacers).
• Most free throws attempted, half: 20 (March 14, 2002 vs. Golden State Warriors).
• Most free throws attempted, half, playoffs: 22 (June 9, 2000 vs. Indiana Pacers).
• Most free throws attempted, quarter, playoffs: 16 (June 9, 2000 vs. Indiana Pacers).

• Miami Heat franchise records (1):

• Most free throws attempted, quarter, playoffs: 10 (May 2, 2006 vs. Chicago Bulls; tied with Lamar Odom) [4]

Other

• Key member of the 1994 USA World Championship and 1996 Olympic basketball team, both of which won gold.
• Ranked #9 in SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.
• O'Neal and teammate Gary Payton became only the 11th and 12th players to reach the NBA Finals with three different teams.
• Set an NBA record by missing all 11 of his free throw attempts in a game against Seattle on December 8, 2000.
• Says he can't shoot free throws because he fell out of a tree as a child and broke both his wrists.
• Won the Male Athlete of the Year Award at the BET Awards '05.
• In the 1995/96 NBA Season, his last with the Orlando Magic, O'Neal went 0.500 from behind the 3 point arc hitting the only 3 pointer of his 14 season career.
• As of the end of the 05-06 season, O'Neal has recorded 48 games of scoring 40 or more points in the regular season.
• As of the end of the 05-06 season, O'Neal has recorded 3 games of scoring 50 or more points (all in the regular season).

Player profile

O'Neal's free throw shooting is probably his only major weakness.

In his career, O'Neal established himself as an unstoppable low post presence, putting up impressive lifetime averages of 26.3 points on .580 field goal accuracy, 11.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game (as of September 2006).

Prime reason for his dominance is his exceptional physique. His 7 ft 1 in/330-lb (2.16 m / 150 kg) frame gives him enormous power, and for a man of that size, he is quick and very explosive. His "drop step", (called the "Black Tornado" by Shaq) in which he posts up a defender, turns around and, using his elbows for leverage, powers past him for a high-percentage slam dunk, has proven virtually unstoppable. The ability to dunk over most determined opposition contributes to his stellar lifetime field goal accuracy of .580; in fact, he is the third most accurate scorer of all time [5]. In addition, opposing teams often use up many fouls on him, limiting the playing time of their big men. O'Neal's dominating 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. Trying to defend O'Neal, teams put two, or sometimes even three defenders on him, giving his teammates a lot of uncontested shots. Because of his strength and quickness, O'Neal is often fouled. In fact, he is the fourth-ranked player all-time in free throws taken [6], having shot 9744 in 971 games. In addition, he is a powerful rebounder and good blocker (11.8 rpg, 2.5 bpg).

On his own half of the hardwood, O'Neal is known to be a capable defender, witnessed by his twice being named to the All-NBA Second Defensive Team. O'Neal's presence and shot blocking ability intimidate opposing players shooting near the basket. O'Neal is a much less effective defender at the perimeter, sometimes targeted for pick-and-roll by opposing teams. O'Neal is also known to step up his game in big games, having been voted three-times NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. Because of his poor free-throw shooting (see below), often he is placed on the bench at closing moments of games, when free-throws become very important. In addition because of his susceptibly at the free throw line he is rarely called upon to take shots late in close ball games. As a teammate, he is also noted for his ability to form symbiotic relationships with young, talented guards. Playing alongside him, talents like Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade blossomed into legitimate superstars. Eventually, his relationships with Hardaway and Bryant diminished through several altercations. However, O'Neal has embraced his relationship with Wade and the two have shown to be fully supportive of each other in their two years together.

O'Neal's main weakness is his free-throw shooting. His lifetime average is a low 53.1%. He once missed all 11 free throws in a game against the Seattle SuperSonics on December 8, 2000, a record. [7] In hope of exploiting O'Neal's poor foul shooting, opponents often commit intentional fouls against him, a tactic known as "Hack-a-Shaq"; this technique, which started while at LSU was so named by former Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson.

Media personality

O'Neal is generally liked by the media for his playful tone in interviews and generally eloquent manner in comparison to other athletes. He has been called "The Big Aristotle and Master", a name that was self-given, for his composure and insights during these interviews.

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. Yao himself stated he did not find it offensive, but could see how others might misinterpret the remark as a racist comment. O'Neal's supporters said it was a reaction to Yao being overpromoted 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.

On May 24, 2005, when Brian Hill was re-announced as head coach of his former team, the Orlando Magic, O'Neal was quoted as saying, "It's good that he's back. When I buy the team Magic in three years, he'll be working for me." Whether or not this will raise speculation of O'Neal's life after playing basketball remains to be seen. [8]

He 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.

He has also appeared in many other shows such as Saturday Night Live.

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 is 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.[9]

WWE

On January 27, 2006, WWE.com posted a clip of O'Neal attacking World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Carlito with a chair after Carlito had insulted the Miami Heat in their own arena (the WWE was having a pay-per-view in Miami). Shaq explained in the clip that it was done also as a favor to his friend, WWE superstar Kane. However, the clip showed that this was more for comedic effect than any real malice. Moreover, according to reputable sources, O'Neal's appearance was a publicity stunt designed to mimic the acting that incorporates the WWE. Also, on the January 1, 2007 edition of WWE Raw, the Miami Heat (also with O'Neal) appeared. When Cryme Tyme came out, they shook hands with the team, and hugged O'Neal. When they finished hugging him, O'Neal checked his shirt and pockets, implying that something was stolen from him, as stealing is a part of Cryme Tyme's gimmick.

Private life

O'Neal married his long-time girlfriend, Shaunie Nelson, on December 26, 2002; they have four children: Shareef Rashaun, Amirah Sanaa, Shaquir Rashaun, and Me'arah Sanaa. His daughter, Me'arah Sanaa O'Neal, was born at 4:57 a.m. on May 1, 2006, which was, coincidentally, the same day Kobe Bryant's second daughter was born. She weighed 8 lb., 1 oz., and was 21 inches long.

O'Neal also has a daughter, Taahirah, by ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh. Nelson has another son, Myles, from a previous relationship.

O'Neal, whose mother is a Baptist and stepfather a Muslim, has not formally announced affiliation with a specific faith.

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 [10]. 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 online MBA through the University of Phoenix in 2005. He has stated his intentions to begin work on his doctoral degree in psychology or criminology in 2006.

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. [11]

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

Reserve police officer

Off court, 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 police academy in Los Angeles, and became a reserve officer with the L.A. Port Police.

On March 2, 2005, he was given an honorary U.S. Deputy Sherif title and named the spokesman for the Safe Surfin' Foundation; he will serve an honorary role on the task force of the same name, which tracks down sexual predators who target children on the Internet. [12]

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 (he elected a private ceremony so not to distract the other officers from their special moment). 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. O'Neal credits this as his first "arrest".

At approximately 4 AM on January 28, 2007, O'Neal was helping a Miami Heat security official unload his luggage after returning from an away game when a driver identified later by the Miami Herald as 18 year old Emmnueo Cibrin struck O'Neal's Cadillac Escalade. As Cibrin attempted to flee the scene, O'Neal contacted the police and followed Cibrin to a gas station where the police arrived to deal with the matter. Afterward O'Neal claimed he adhered to standard police procedure, specifically "pursuing at a safe distance and speed." [13]

O'Neal has expressed an interest in working with the special victims detective unit, to stop crimes against children; he stated that he does not simply want to be involved in "photo ops" but wants to "get down and dirty" and make arrests. [14]

In 1998, O'Neal had a brief run-in with the law when he was accused by Kim Grant, an employee at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, of simple battery. Although she did not claim to be injured, Grant said that she had encountered O'Neal outside the BET Soundstage night club, located on the resort's grounds, and that O'Neal grabbed her by the neck and manhandled her. She filed a police complaint against O'Neal over the incident, but investigators later dropped the case.

Quotes

• "I am kind of disappointed in myself because if I make free throws I'd be at 30,000 rather than 25,000"[15] - After reaching the milestone of 25,000 career points on February 26, 2007 versus the New York Knicks

Filmography

• Blue Chips (1994)
• Kazaam (1996)
• Good Burger (1997)
• Steel (1997)
• He Got Game (1998)
• The Wash (2001)
• Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
• Like Mike (2002)
• Scary Movie 4 (2006)

Discography

• Shaq Diesel (1993, certified platinum)
• Shaq Fu - Da Return (1994, certified gold)
• The Best of Shaquille O'Neal (1996)
• You Can't Stop the Reign (1996)
• Respect (1998)
• Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1 (2001)

Publications

• Shaq and the Beanstalk and Other Very Tall Tales (1999) Hardcover

Television and video game appearances

• O'Neal 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.
• O'Neal also appeared in NBA Jam (2003) as a current player and as a 90's All-Star.
• O'Neal appeared on NBA Ballers and NBA Ballers: Phenom.
• O'Neal had a 2005 reality series on ESPN, Shaquille
• O'Neal starred in Shaq Fu, a fighting game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis
• 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 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.
• O'Neal has been featured in an episode of MTV's Jackass, where he was lifted off the ground on Wee Man's back.
• O'Neal has appeared on the animated series Static Shock on the episode "Static Shaq", as a special guest.
  • Due to being a fan of The Man Of Steel, it was planned for Shaq and Superman to meet in a Season 3 episode of Static Shock. He was not located in time to do the episode. [16]
• O'Neal appeared in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, bedridden after Larry David's character tripped him while stretching.
• O'Neal appeared in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 as a playable boxer.
• O'Neal appeared in 2 episodes of both My Wife and Kids and the The Parkers.
• O'Neal appeared on the movie CB4 in a small "interviewing" scene.
• O'Neal appeared on an episode of Fear Factor. [17]
• O'Neal appeared in the 311 (band) music video for the hit single "You Wouldn't Believe" in 2001.
• O'Neal makes a cameo in P. Diddy's video for "Bad Boy 4 Life".
• O'Neal appeared with Aaron Carter in the video for Carter's song "That's How I Beat Shaq".

Autobiography

File:Shaqback.jpg

O'Neal's autobiography Shaq Talks Back

• Shaq Talks Back: The Uncensored Word on My Life and Winning in the NBA Hardback (April 10, 2001)
• Shaq Talks Back: The Uncensored Word on My Life and Winning in the NBA Paperback, Revised (Feb. 18, 2002)

See also

• List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game
• List of Individual NBA Scoring Champions

External links

• Shaquille O'Neal at NBA.com
• ShaqAttaq.net Shaquille O'Neal Fan Site
• Shaq destroys entire goal - only time this has been done in the NBA
• Basketball-Reference.com Career Statistics
• Miami Heat Team Website
• Shaquille O'Neal at IMDb