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:
While it seems like everything Shaquille O’Neal touches turns to gold, the big man makes less than you’d imagine performing as a DJ.
While Shaquille O’Neal has made plenty of smart business decisions, he naively passed up a partnership with Starbucks.
A look at a dream team that would include only those who played for former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson.
Shaquille O’Neal once got in the ring with “Sugar” Shane Mosley for his television show in 2010. He did better than you might expect.
The Shaquille O’Neal vs David Robinson ‘beef’ hit an all-time high in 1994 when The Admiral scored 71 points to win the scoring title.
While Shaquille O’Neal was a legendary basketball player, he still appeared in some infamously awful movies. At least they paid well…
Shaquille O’Neal told Conan O’Brien about the pain he’s endured since the recent death of his sister and Kobe and how watching 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony will be too painful to watch.
Vinnie Johnson earned just $5 million in 14 years in the NBA, but his business savvy in retirement built his net worth to be equal to Shaq’s.
LeBron James has gone to nine NBA Finals. He could have went to another one, though, had it not been for Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaquille O’Neal has amassed a fortune from his basketball career and numerous business ventures including his ownership of the Sacramento Kings.
