Shaquille O’Neal
While he’s no longer hitting the hardwood, Shaquille O’Neal still casts a massive shadow over the NBA landscape.
After towering over the NCAA competition at LSU, O’Neal entered into the 1992 NBA Draft and joined the Orlando Magic as the first overall pick. Shaq didn’t miss a beat and quickly emerged as a dominant force in the paint. A championship, however, never materialized, and the big man eventually left for Hollywood.
With the Lakers, O’Neal famously teamed up with Kobe Bryant. While the two men didn’t always see eye-to-eye, they did earn three NBA titles together in Los Angeles. The Diesel then returned to Florida, where he’d win a fourth ring with the Miami Heat, before bouncing around the league and ultimately retiring in 2011.
In addition to his on-court exploits — Shaq still stands tall as one of the greatest big men to ever play the game — the center hasn’t slowed down in retirement. He’s a prolific investor, a celebrity pitchman, and a part of TNT’s NBA coverage.
- Former teams: Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics
- Position: Center
- Accomplishments: Four-time NBA champion, three-time NBA Finals MVP, 1993 Rookie of the Year, 2000 NBA MVP, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016
- Drafted: No. 1 overall in 1992 by the Orlando Magic
- Shooting hand: Right
- Nicknames: Shaq, Diesel, The Big Aristotle
Read the latest about Shaquille O’Neal’s playing career and history:
Before he became a dominant big man, Shaquille O’Neal got in trouble for playing like Magic Johnson.
Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant formed a historically dominant duo with the LA Lakers. But a $150 million problem prevented the two from winning even more titles together.
Kobe Bryant and Shaq dominated together on the LA Lakers. O’Neal recently opened up about the moment he learned of Bryant’s death in 2020. This looks at the years Shaq and Kobe played together, what O’Neal recently said about Bryant’s death, and how the two of them are both NBA legends.
Shaquille O’Neal may have gotten his toughness from his mother when he was a little boy.
Shaquille O’Neal eventually confessed his true feelings about being passed over for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Did he deserve a spot on the 1992 Dream Team?
Following a scuffle with Dennis Rodman during a Bulls-Lakers matchup, Shaquille O’Neal said he was willing to get suspended to fight “The Worm.”
Current LA Lakers owner Jeanie Buss confirms Shaquille O’Neal was not traded to the Miami Heat in 2004 because of Kobe Bryant.
These days, it’s tough to view Shaquille O’Neal as anything other than an established NBA veteran. During his time in the association, Shaq proved to be one of the greatest big men ever to hit the hardwood; now, in retirement, he’s moved into the media, giving him license to comment on the current state of […]
While Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant found plenty of success on the basketball court, they didn’t aways see eye-to-eye.
Shaquille O’Neal saw Michael Jordan’s feud with Nick Anderson up close, and the legendary center has fond memories of Jordan embarrassing Anderson, O’Neal’s teammate on the Magic.
