Shaquille O'Neal

Basketball Player

• Born: March 6, 1972
• Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey

O’Neal was one of the most dominant and decorated players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His size, athleticism, and gregarious personality made him a popular celebrity and allowed him to branch out into music, film, reality television, video games, books, clothing, and even law enforcement.

Early Life

Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal (shah-KEEL rah-SHAWN oh-NEEL) was born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 6, 1972 to Lucille O’Neal and Joe Toney. His first name means “little one” in Arabic, and his middle name means “warrior.” O’Neal’s parents divorced when O’Neal was an infant. His father fell into a life of drugs and crime and had little contact with O’Neal. Lucille married Army Sergeant Philip Harrison, and young O’Neal, his two half sisters, and a half brother all lived in Newark until Harrison was transferred to a base in West Germany when O’Neal was twelve.

Around the time O’Neal moved to West Germany, he began a tremendous growth spurt. His grandfather and other relatives were very tall, so his size was no big surprise, but constantly buying clothes for a boy of his increasing size was a chore for his parents. By the time O’Neal reached age thirteen, he was 6 feet, 6 inches tall and wore size seventeen shoes. He began playing basketball at Fulda American High School in West Germany, where he met Dale Brown, the head men’s basketball coach at Louisiana State University (LSU), who was there conducting coaching clinics.

O’Neal was fifteen years old in 1987 when the family moved to San Antonio, Texas, where Harrison was reassigned to Fort Sam Houston. O’Neal became a star at Robert G. Cole Junior-Senior High School. As a junior, he led his team to a 32-1 record. Between his junior and senior seasons, he grew to 6 feet, 10 inches tall and 250 pounds. Recognizing the teenager’s potential, Harrison began pushing him to work harder. O’Neal’s team went 36-0 his senior season to win the Texas state championship.

Despite numerous scholarship offers, O’Neal committed to play for Brown and the LSU Tigers. O’Neal had a good freshman season but the team underperformed. He blossomed in his sophomore season and became the star of the team, dominating opponents and finishing near the top of all statistical categories for his position. His junior season was even better, and he won the Adolph Rupp Trophy as National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball player of the year. O’Neal also was a two-time first team All American. He led the nation in blocked shots and set an NCAA record with 17 blocked shots in a game. He also was second in the nation in rebounding. While O’Neal wanted to finish his degree at LSU, professional competition, fame, and money beckoned.

Life’s Work

In 1992, O’Neal—who had reached 7 feet, 1 inch tall and 303 pounds—entered the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. The Orlando Magic selected him first overall. Before O’Neal even set foot on the court, he signed a seven-year, forty-million-dollar contract with the Magic and lucrative endorsement deals with Reebok, Pepsi, and other companies. Although he was raw and inexperienced, his ability and tenacity made him a nearly unanimous choice as 1993 NBA rookie of the year. He averaged over 23 points, led his team to a twenty-win improvement over the previous year’s record, and quickly became a star.

O’Neal’s fame and gregarious personality led him to dabble in music and acting. In 1993, he released his first rap album, Shaq Diesel, a collaboration with the group Fu-Schnickens. The album sold more than one million copies. O’Neal released an album nearly every year during his time in Orlando, and took on acting roles at about the same pace.

In O’Neal’s second season, he scored 29.4 points per game, was selected as an All-Star, and led the Magic to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. His third year, O’Neal led the league in scoring, finished second in most valuable player (MVP) voting, was an All-Star, and led the Magic to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Houston Rockets. O’Neal was injured for most of the 1995–96 season, but the Magic made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the eventual champion Chicago Bulls.

In 1996, O’Neal became a free agent and signed a seven-year, $121 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Los Angeles was an ideal spot for both O’Neal the athlete and O’Neal the entertainer. He also helped the United States basketball team win a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

O’Neal was injured for part of his first season with the Lakers, but still led them to the playoffs before falling to the Utah Jazz. His second season with the Lakers was cut short by a lockout.

The Lakers had arguably two of the best players in the NBA in O’Neal and budding superstar Kobe Bryant. In 1999, coach Phil Jackson joined the team and the Lakers began a remarkable run of three straight NBA championships. O’Neal was dominant during this period. He was named MVP of the NBA Finals all three years and had the highest scoring average for a center in Finals history.

Despite the Lakers’ success in the early 2000s, a rift developed between O’Neal and Bryant. After the 2004 season, Jackson left the Lakers and O’Neal asked for a trade. The Miami Heat traded four players to get O’Neal, and O’Neal promised Miami fans that he would bring them a championship. He had a strong first season, was selected for his twelfth All-Star team, and took the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals, only to lose to the Detroit Pistons.

O’Neal signed a five-year, $100 million extension before the 2005–2006 season but was injured early. Coach Pat Riley managed O’Neal’s playing time when he returned and throughout the season so that O’Neal would be fresh for the playoffs. Together with young superstar Dwyane Wade, O’Neal led the Heat to the NBA championship that season, fulfilling his promise to the fans and cementing his reputation as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

O’Neal continued to battle injury during his final seasons with the Heat and slowly went from dominant star to complementary player as age and weight began to take their toll on his body. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns in February, 2008. He played well, but the Suns were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. In the 2008–2009 season, the Suns did not make the playoffs, marking the first time since his rookie season that O’Neal did not play in the postseason.

The summer of 2009 brought another trade, this time to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where O’Neal played alongside young star LeBron James. Although the Cavaliers were among the favorites for the NBA championship and finished the regular season with the league’s best record, they were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.

In early 2010, O’Neal and his wife of six years, Shaunie, reached a divorce settlement. They each had a child from a previous relationship and had four children together. Later in 2010, O’Neal signed a contract with the Celtics. While he initially proved a strong addition in Boston, injuries eventually plagued his season and the Celtics were eliminated from the 2011 playoffs by the Heat. That summer O'Neal officially retired from the NBA, making the announcement over social media. At the time of his retirement he was ranked fifth all-time for total points, with 28,596, and twelfth for rebounds, with 13,099. The Lakers retired his jersey in 2013 in honor of his legacy with the team.

After his playing career O'Neal began working as a basketball analyst on the TNT television network, eventually hosting his own humorous segment called "Shaqtin' a Fool." In 2013 he also became involved in the business end of basketball, purchasing a minority stake in the Sacramento Kings—a team he once ridiculed in his days with the Lakers as the "Queens." He announced his intention to help turn around the franchise, which had suffered through many losing seasons and a lack of fan support. O'Neal also participated in various other business ventures and media appearances during his retirement, and continued his acting and music careers. He began dabbling in professional wrestling in 2016.

O'Neal was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. That same year the Heat announced the retirement of his jersey, giving him the rare honor of having such recognition from multiple teams. In 2017 O'Neal was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.

Significance

O’Neal often referred to himself as Superman, and his accomplishments bear out that assertion. He was a fifteen-time NBA All-Star, four-time NBA Champion, three-time NBA Finals MVP, NBA MVP, rookie of the year, an Olympic gold medalist, and a Hall of Fame inductee. His imposing height and size, combined with often surprising agility, made him a formidable presence on the court, and his abilities often caused opposing defenses to abandon their normal strategies. He was often credited with influencing the very way basketball was played. His playful personality and willing relationship with the press also made him one of the most popular stars of his time, engaging with fans in every city he played in.

O’Neal also found success as a musician, actor, product endorser, and pop-culture celebrity while amassing a tremendous fortune. This helped him make a further impact as a philanthropist and advocate. He donated more than one million dollars to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and supported many other children’s causes. He returned to LSU in 2000 to finish his bachelor of arts degree in general studies and earned a master of business administration degree online through the University of Phoenix in 2005. In 2012 he earned a doctorate in education from Barry University. He also served as a reserve officer, deputy, or sheriff trainee in many of the cities where he played, satisfying a love of law enforcement instilled in him by his stepfather.

Bibliography

Amick, Sam. "Shaquille O'Neal Buys a Stake in the Sacramento Kings." USA Today. USA Today, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2015

Jackson, Phil, and Michael Arkush. The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul. New York: Penguin, 2004. Print.

Kaye, Elizabeth. Ain’t No Tomorrow: Kobe, Shaq, and the Making of a Lakers Dynasty. Chicago: Contemporary, 2002. Print.

MacMullan, Jackie. "Shaquille O'Neal Announces Retirement." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 2 June 2011. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.

Nelson, Murry. Shaquille O’Neal: A Biography. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 2006. Print.

O’Neal, Shaquille. Shaq Talks Back. New York: St. Martin’s, 2001. Print.

"Shaquille O'Neal." Basket Ball Hall of Fame, www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/shaquille-oneal/. Accessed 20 July 2021.

"Shaquille O'Neal." Basketball Reference, 2021, www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/onealsh01.html. Accessed 20 July 2021.