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:
Never get in the way of an angry Shaquille O’Neal.
Ben Wallace embraced the challenge of guarding Shaquille O’Neal head-up during the 2004 NBA Finals between the LA Lakers and Detroit Pistons. Big Ben’s willingness to defend O’Neal by himself paid dividends, though it came at the expense of an AND1 sneaker.
Shaquille O’Neal joined Charles Barkley in ripping Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons during the inaugural episode of Inside the NBA for the 2021-22 season. But he struck a different tune this time around. On Tuesday’s pregame show, O’Neal brought up Simmons’ dealings with mental health after previous reports indicated the three-time All-Star told the team […]
Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most physically dominant and punishing centers in NBA history. But he felt he was being cheated by a flopping Dikembe Mutombo in the 2001 NBA Finals despite giving Deke three stitches on his lip earlier in the series. Mutombo felt the accusations were utterly foolish.
Shaquille O’Neal got emotional when remembering the late Kobe Bryant during the reveal of the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team. O’Neal recalled what he called Bryant’s “defining moment” during a playoff loss against the Utah Jazz.
Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal has become a successful commentator on TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA,’ as he, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Ernie Johnson have become the voice of the NBA. Ahead of the new 2021-22 season, Shaq revealed what gives the hit TNT show an edge over other similar programs.
Hall of Fame centers Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning went 1-2 in the 1992 NBA Draft, and O’Neal’s citation of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell sparked an individual rivalry that lasted for years. However, the two became friends after Mourning recovered from a near-fatal kidney disease and won a ring with Shaq in Miami.
LeBron James has won four championships, two coming with the Heat and one each with the Cavs and Lakers, but he could have won another. In fact, his former Cavs teammate, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, strongly believes The King would have won his first title sooner had it not been for a teammate’s unfortunate injury.
A former Phoenix Suns player learned the hard way not to mess with Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaquille O’Neal’s time with the Los Angeles Lakers was over based on a moment he witnessed between Kobe Bryant and owner Jerry Buss.
