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:
Shaquille O’Neal, like virtually everyone else, had a tough 2020. The big man, however, still managed to learn an important lesson during the year.
Stephen A. Smith often speaks ill of the Cowboys organization but it was still a surprise when Shaquille O’Neal called his radio show.
Shaquille O’Neal is no stranger to feuding with other big men. In fact, he recently revived his beef with Bill Walton, saying he wasn’t a Hall of Famer.
Hall of Fame basketball player Shaquille O’Neal scored a 780 on the SAT in high school but earned a doctorate degree in 2012.
Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t like Dwight Howard and other Lakers’ role players overly celebrating LA’s 17th NBA championship victory.
While Shaquille O’Neal hasn’t played professional basketball in quite a while, he’s still making money thanks to Phil Jackson’s advice.
Hall of Fame basketball player Shaquille O’Neal has joined an investment group led by former high-ranking executives at Walt Disney.
Can LeBron James match or better some of the greatest NBA Finals closeout performances in Los Angeles Lakers history?
A look at the top five players with the highest scoring averages in NBA Finals history.
Shaquille O’Neal can seemingly do it all. If he hadn’t taken a nap in 1996, he might have even saved The Notorious B.I.G.’s life.
