Highlights
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (born March 6, 1972) is a professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat. O'Neal is known for his size (7-foot-1, up to at least 360 pounds and a size 23 shoe), strength and physical style of play. O'Neal is considered one of the best players in the basketball history and has won four NBA championships, including three with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Heat. The 2006-07 season is O'Neal's 16th in the NBA; he has been selected to the All-Star team each year. O'Neal was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2000 and the Finals MVP in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In 1996, the 50th anniversary of the NBA's founding, O'Neal was nam...
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (born March 6, 1972) is a professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat. O'Neal is known for his size (7-foot-1, up to at least 360 pounds and a size 23 shoe), strength and physical style of play. O'Neal is considered one of the best players in the basketball history and has won four NBA championships, including three with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Heat. The 2006-07 season is O'Neal's 16th in the NBA; he has been selected to the All-Star team each year. O'Neal was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2000 and the Finals MVP in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In 1996, the 50th anniversary of the NBA's founding, O'Neal was named one of the 50 greatest players in league history by a panel of former players, coaches, general managers, team executives and media. O'Neal was the youngest player among the top 50. In addition to his professional accomplishments, O'Neal is one of the most popular figures in sports, considered appealing to fans because of the likeable image he portrays despite his intimidating size. His stardom is such that he most often is referred to only by his nickname, "Shaq," and over the years has also given himself other enduring nicknames like "Diesel" and "The Big Aristotle." O'Neal's stepfather, Phillip Harrison, married his mother Lucille when Shaquille was an infant. Harrison was a member of the United States Army, so O'Neal once lived on a U.S. Army base in Wildflecken, West Germany. O'Neal graduated from Robert G. Cole Junior-Senior High School in San Antonio, Texas, where he didn't play basketball until he was a junior. O'Neal has said he considers his birthplace of Newark, N.J. to be home. O'Neal was a two-time All-American at Louisiana State University under coach Dale Brown, who discovered O'Neal during a visit to Germany. In 1991 O'Neal earned the Adolph Rupp trophy, presented to college basketball's top player. After three seasons at LSU, O'Neal declared for the 1992 NBA Draft and was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Orlando Magic. O'Neal immediately established himself as a physical force in the post and demanded constant double teams because of his size and strength. O'Neal's presence altered the game because defenders would leave their men to help with O'Neal, leading to more open shots for O'Neal's teammates. O'Neal's physical play and ability to open the floor for his teammates have been cited as his most valuable assets over his career. O'Neal was named the league's rookie of the year after averaging 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and shooting 56 percent from the floor for Orlando in 1992-93. The Magic improved its victory total by 20 games from the season before. O'Neal would play three additional seasons for Orlando, leading the Magic to a Finals loss to Houston in 1995, before signing as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. With the Lakers, O'Neal built on his reputation as a dominant player and gained more popularity while playing for one of the league's glamour franchises and for coach Phil Jackson, who had coached Michael Jordan in Chicago. But the Lakers advanced no further than the second round of the playoffs during O'Neal's first three seasons with the team. In 2000, O'Neal teamed with emerging star Kobe Bryant to win the first of three straight NBA championships. The Lakers lost to San Antonio in the second round of the 2003 playoffs before making it back to the Finals in 2004, losing to the Detroit Pistons. During this time the internal bickering between O'Neal and Bryant became public, eventually leading to a rift that prompted O'Neal to ask Lakers owner Jerry Buss for a trade. O'Neal claimed Buss rebuffed O'Neal's desire for a contract extension and sided with Bryant in their feud. In the summer of 2004 the Heat acquired O'Neal by sending Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant to Los Angeles. O'Neal teamed with young star Dwyane Wade to immediately elevate the Heat to championship contenders. O'Neal had a strong season while leading the Heat to the Eastern Conference finals, where it lost to Detroit in seven games. O'Neal played more of a supporting role to Wade the next season as the Heat beat Detroit in the East finals and went on to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in the Finals. O'Neal had his least productive professional season in 2006-07. O'Neal shot 59 percent from the field but averaged career lows of 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 28.4 minutes per game. Shaq has appeared in several motion pictures including Kazaam, The Kid and I and more recently, Scary Movie 4. In 2007 he produced and starred in a television series, Shaq's Big Challenge aimed at helping kids get back into shape. This reality TV show focused on six Florida pre-teens and their battle to lose weight. In September 2007 O'Neal filed for divorce in Miami-Dade Circuit Court from Shaunie, his wife of five years. The O'Neal's, who resided on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida, have four children together. Each also has one child from previous relationships.
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Lakers travel to Phoenix to face Suns
Tonight at Phoenix, 7:30 PDT, TNT Site -- US Airways Center. Radio -- 570, 1330. Records -- Lakers 8-1, Suns 8-4. Record vs. Suns (2007-08) -- 3-1. Update -- Shaquille O'Neal had one rebound in the Suns' 109-97 loss Monday to Utah. It was only...Tags: National Basketball Association
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Dolphins Q&A with Harvey Fialkov
Sun-Sentinel.comAsk Harvey! Sun-Sentinel Dolphins writer Harvey Fialkov answers YOUR questions about the team! You can read his latest comments below. To submit your question, e-mail here. Please include your name, city and state with each question. ----------------...Tags: Wages and Pensions, Veterans Affairs, Derrick Coleman, Foreign Aid, Ethics
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Orlando Magic's magical moments: Pat Williams remembers all 20 seasons
Now it can be told. Jimmy Hewitt was giving Pat Williams (above) a ride back to the Orlando airport one day in 1985 when Williams "lobbed the idea of a NBA franchise in Florida." But Pat was thinking Tampa or Miami! "No, Orlando!" was the reply. And, as...Tags: Insider Trading, Florida State Seminoles, Nick Anderson, Dwight Howard, Ohio State University
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Moving to front office not always a slam-dunk for former NBA players
It was two hours before the Orlando Magic's home game with Portland last week, but there was plenty of activity as players on both sides tipped through their pregame routines. Players wearing both suits and jerseys. Near the Magic sideline, General...Tags: Jay-Z, John Stockton, Terry Porter, Mike D'Antoni, Rafer Alston
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Wade misses Heat practice
Miami Heat G Dwyane Wade sat out practice Monday to get treatment on a sprained right ankle. Wade, the NBA's second-leading scorer at 27.9 points per game, is listed as a game-time decision in Miami's matchup in Washington tonight. He has played...Tags: Chicago Bulls, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Fines, Boston Celtics
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Basketball coaching legend Pete Newell dies
Associated PressBERKELEY, Calif. — Pete Newell, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who won an NCAA championship and Olympic gold medal and later tutored some of the game's greatest big men, died Monday. He was 93. His death was confirmed by the University of...Tags: Basketball, Oscar Robertson, National Collegiate Athletic Association, World War II, Awards and Prizes
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Jamaal Magloire out as 4 big centers loom
South Florida Sun-SentinelThe bulk won't be available when the brawn is needed. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Tuesday that center Jamaal Magloire will not be back from the fractured third metacarpal in his left hand in time for the upcoming run against some of the beefiest...Tags: Basketball, New Jersey Nets, Injuries, Mark Blount, Jamaal Magloire
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Heat Q&A with Ira Winderman
Sun-Sentinel.comAsk Ira! Sun-Sentinel Heat writer Ira Winderman answers YOUR questions about the team! You can read his latest comments below. To submit your question, e-mail here. Please include your name, city and state with each question. --------------------...Tags: Wages and Pensions, Veterans Affairs, Derrick Coleman, Foreign Aid, Ethics
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Athletic Shorts: Celtics' Garnett Suspended 1 Game For Hit
The Hartford CourantThe Celtics' Kevin Garnett was suspended one game by the league Monday for hitting the Bucks' Andrew Bogut in the face Saturday. He will miss the Knicks game tonight. ... Suns center Shaquille O'Neal was fined $25,000 for verbally abusing an official...Tags: ESPN, Kevin Garnett, Manchester Road Race, Ohio State University, Boston Celtics
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Newell, renowned coach, instructor of big men, dies
Pete Newell, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who became the first to guide teams to an NCAA championship, a National Invitation Tournament title and an Olympic gold medal, died yesterday in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. He was 93. His death was confirmed by...Tags: Kevin Garnett, Preakness Stakes, Iowa Hawkeyes, NCAA Tournament, Boston Celtics
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Rockets' second half tops Thunder
Luis Scola scored 23 points, Yao Ming added 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets made a second-half surge without injured seven-time All-Star Tracy McGrady to beat the host Oklahoma City Thunder 100-89 on Monday night. McGrady left the game...Tags: Brevin Knight, Steve Nash, Houston Rockets, Tracy McGrady, Basketball
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Lakers face test from another rugged East team, the Bulls
The Lakers get another chance against a strong, robust, successful Eastern Conference team.
Well, it's a team from the East anyway.
The Chicago Bulls have seen better days (pick a year, almost any year from the 1990s), and are off to an injury-plagued...Tags: LeBron James, Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Steve Francis
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