Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (born March 6, 1972), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is one of the National Basketball Association's most dominant and famous basketball players. He currently plays center for the Miami Heat, after years with both the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers. Throughout his career, he has won four NBA Championships, most recently with the Miami Heat in 2006.

At 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m), 325 pounds (147 kg) and U.S. shoe size 22, he is famous for his physical stature. He has several nicknames, most of which he conferred upon himself, such as The Diesel, The Big Aristotle, The Big Baryshnikov, M.D.E (Most Dominant Ever), Superman, and most recently after earning his MBA, Doctor Shaq. Heralded since he entered the league at 20 years of age, his 14-year career has been one of the most impressive of any player in NBA history and this holds true to an even greater extent for centers. O'Neal was ranked #9 on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.

Childhood

O'Neal, born in Newark, New Jersey, was named "Shaquille Rashaun" by his biological father, Joseph Toney. However, he is not close to his father; one of his songs, "Biological Didn't Bother", explains his feelings. (It is commonly reported that "Shaquille Rashaun" means "little warrior" in Arabic, but this is a misconception as neither "Shaquille" nor "Rashaun" is an Arabic word or name; they are from one or both of Persian and Urdu.)

O'Neal's mother, Lucille O'Neal, married U.S. Army sergeant and future FBI agent Phillip Harrison (whom O'Neal considers his father figure) shortly after Shaquille's birth. O'Neal spent some of his childhood in Germany in Wildflecken, Bavaria, where his stepfather Harrison was stationed with the U.S. Army. It was there that he first began to play basketball and where he would meet his future college coach, Dale Brown.

One childhood story tells that O'Neal fractured both of his wrists while climbing between two trees, trying to imitate Superman, his comic book favorite.

Basketball career

Louisiana State University

He first gained national attention as a star at Robert G. Cole Junior-Senior High School in San Antonio, Texas. He became High School Player of the Year during his playing years there. As a young man, he attended Louisiana State University (LSU) and studied business. While on LSU's basketball team, he was a two-time first team All-American, two-time Southeastern Conference player of the year, and the national player of the year in 1991. He holds the NCAA record for shots blocked in a game with 17 blocks against Mississippi State University on December 3, 1990.

Dale Brown, LSU's coach at that time, states that he first met O'Neal while Brown was visiting Germany, and mistook the then-13 year old for one of the soldiers. At the time, O'Neal was already 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), but weighed only about 223 pounds (101 kg). Over the next several years, he would grow several more inches, but put on 80 pounds (36 kg) of muscle. He also attended Fulda American High School, a DODDS school in Fulda, Germany.

In 2000 O'Neal became a member of the LSU Hall of Fame.

Orlando Magic

O'Neal was drafted first overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. During that summer, prior to moving to Orlando, he spent a significant amount of time in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.

O'Neal had an exceptional rookie season, as he helped the Magic win 20 more games than the previous season, with the team ultimately missing the playoffs by only one game. O'Neal averaged 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds on the season and was named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year. O'Neal played in the All-Star game and scored 14 points. On two occasions during that season, each during a nationally televised game, O'Neal dunked the ball so hard that he broke the backboard support units.

After his first season in Orlando, O'Neal returned to Los Angeles during the summer, where he was cast in a role in Blue Chips (along with future teammate Anfernee Hardaway), a film about college recruits getting paid to play basketball. He also recorded rap music over that summer.

O'Neal's sophomore season was even better than his first. He averaged 29.3 points and led the NBA in field goal percentage at 60%. He was also voted into another All-Star game and helped the Magic make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. On November 20, 1993, against the New Jersey Nets, O'Neal registered the first triple-double of his career, recording 24 points to go along with career highs of 28 rebounds and 15 blocks.

In his third season, O'Neal led the NBA in scoring, with 2,315 total points and, like his second season, averaged 29.3 points per game. Orlando won 57 games and won the Atlantic Division. The Magic made it all the way to the NBA Finals, but they were swept by the Houston Rockets. By O'Neal's own admission, he was badly outplayed during that series by Houston's far more experienced superstar center Hakeem Olajuwon, despite putting up admirable numbers in the series. Nonetheless, Olajuwon saw enough potential in O'Neal that Olajuwon (correctly) predicted that O'Neal would some day return to the Finals and win a championship. O'Neal has stated that this was one of only two times in his life that he ever cried (the other at the death of his grandmother). His father also used the loss as motivation, saying to his son that "maybe you shouldn't have shook Mr Olajuwon's hand" (in congratulations for his win).

O'Neal was injured for a great deal of the 1995-96 season, missing 28 games. He was still able to have a good season, but not as good as he had hoped. The Magic won 60 games and won the Atlantic Division again, but Orlando lost to the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs. Now a free agent, O'Neal contemplated whether his future would be best served by remaining with the Magic or by moving on to a new team.

By this point, O'Neal showed interest in many things besides basketball. He started making rap CDs and met with some measure of success. He also took an interest in making more movies. O'Neal also began taking classes again at LSU to complete his degree, to fulfill his promise to his mother he would graduate.

That summer, O'Neal was named to the United States Olympic team. In the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, O'Neal helped the U.S. win the gold medal in men's basketball. O'Neal has expressed the great pride he felt at the moment that the gold medal was placed around his neck.

Shortly before the Olympics began, O'Neal announced he had made his decision regarding his NBA future — he was moving to Los Angeles to become a Laker.

Los Angeles Lakers

After the 1995-1996 season, O'Neal left the Orlando Magic to join the Los Angeles Lakers, enticed by the allure of a seven-year, $120 million contract. He had always wanted to play for the Lakers, and thus turned down an even larger contract offer from the Magic.

O'Neal joined a young Laker squad that had recently returned to the playoffs, but of which little was expected. O'Neal's arrival vastly changed expectations, but he missed a significant number of games due to injury in the 1996-97 season and several players had difficulty meshing with new focal point of the offense. By 1997-98, key role players Rick Fox and Robert Horry had been added by Laker GM Jerry West. This group meshed well and won 61 regular season games. However, in both of his first two seasons in Los Angeles, O'Neal suffered a lopsided play-off defeat by the Utah Jazz.

The Lakers were clearly a team on the rise with the tandem of O'Neal and teenage superstar Kobe Bryant. However, the 1998-99 season was marked by nearly constant change within the Lakers. Long-time Lakers point guard Nick Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets after a dispute with O'Neal. His former back court partner Eddie Jones was packaged with back-up center Elden Campbell for Glen Rice to satisfy a demand by O'Neal for a shooter. Coach Del Harris was fired and former Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman was signed. The result was no better as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semi-finals.

In 1999, the Lakers hired Phil Jackson as their new head coach, and the team's fortunes soon changed. Utilizing Jackson's triangle offense, O'Neal and Kobe Bryant became perhaps the greatest guard-center combination in NBA history, and the two went on to enjoy tremendous success on the court, as they led the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles (2000, 2001, 2002). O'Neal was named MVP of the NBA Finals all three times and has the highest scoring average for a center in Finals history.

O'Neal was also voted the 1999-2000 regular season Most Valuable Player, coming just one vote short of becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history. Fred Hickman, then of CNN, was the sole voter who did not cast his first place vote for O'Neal, instead choosing Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers.

After the Lakers failed to reach the Finals in 2003, the team made a concerted off-season effort to improve its roster. They sought the free agent services of forward legend Karl Malone and aging guard Gary Payton, but due to salary cap restrictions, could not offer either one nearly as much money as he could have made with other teams. O'Neal assisted in the recruitment efforts and personally persuaded both men to join the team. Ultimately, each of them signed, forgoing larger salaries in favor a chance to win an NBA Championship, something neither had yet accomplished in his career.

At the beginning of the 2003-04 season, with two years left on his contract at the time, O'Neal informed the team of his desire for a substantially larger extension to his contract. O'Neal remained persistently vocal about this desire, but Laker management was hesitant to meet his demands amid concerns of lack of work ethic(refusal to play at certain times), about the possibility of further injuries, and a general decline in his game as he continued to age. It is widely believed that there was also concern about O'Neal's relationship with Kobe Bryant, as the two had exchanged public barbs during the off-season, though both have come forward to deny any such occurance. With Bryant scheduled to become a free agent at the end of that season, many believed he would not choose to remain with the Lakers in pursuit of new challenges.

The Lakers did eventually offer O'Neal a large contract in February 2004 (according to the book Madmen's Ball by Mark Heisler) under which he would have unquestionably continued to remain the highest paid player in the league, but he refused after feeling his services were not needed.

After the Lakers' loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal became angered by comments made by Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak regarding O'Neal's future with the club, as well as by the departure of Lakers coach Phil Jackson due to request of Dr. Buss. O'Neal made wrongful comments indicating that he felt the team's decisions were centered around a desire to appease Bryant, to the exclusion of all other concerns, and O'Neal promptly demanded a trade. The Dallas Mavericks and their team owner Mark Cuban were extremely interested in O'Neal and were willing to make a trade with the Lakers, but Kupchak wanted Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs' superstar, in return. Cuban refused to let go of Nowitzki and the Lakers ended trade talks with Dallas. However, Miami showed interest and slowly a trade agreement was made.

Miami Heat

On July 14, 2004, O'Neal was officially traded to the Miami Heat for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a first-round draft choice. Upon signing with the Heat, O'Neal declared that he would bring a championship to Miami. He claimed that one of the main reasons for wanting to be traded to Miami was because of up and coming star, Dwayne Wade. With O'Neal on board, the new-look Heat surpassed expectations, claiming the best record in the Eastern Conference. Despite being hobbled by a deep thigh bruise, O'Neal lead the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals and a Game 7 against the defending champion Detroit Pistons, losing by a narrow margin. He also narrowly lost the 2004-05 MVP Award to Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash in one of the closest votes in NBA history.

In August, 2005, O'Neal signed an 5-year-extension with the Heat for US $100 million dollars. Supporters applauded O'Neal's willingness to take what amounted to a pay cut, and the Heat's decision to secure O'Neal's services for the long term. They contend that O'Neal was worth more than $20 million per year, particularly given that considerably less valuable players such as Jalen Rose, Allan Houston, Keith Van Horn, Steve Francis, and Stephon Marbury earn almost the same amount. Critics, however, questioned wisdom of the extension, characterizing it as overpaying an aging and often times injured player.

In the second game of the 2005-2006 season, O'Neal injured his right ankle and subsequently missed the following 18 games. Since his return O'Neal averaged a career low in minutes per game. Many critics stated that Heat coach Pat Riley correctly managed O'Neal during the season, limiting his minutes to a career low. Riley felt doing so would allow O'Neal to be healthier and fresher come playoff time. Although O'Neal averaged career (or near-career) lows in points, rebounds, and blocks, O'Neal said in an interview "Stats don't matter. I care about winning, not stats. If I score 0 points and we win I'm happy. If I score 50, 60 points, break the records, and we lose, I'm pissed off. 'Cause I knew I did something wrong. I'll have a hell of a season if I win the championship and average 20 points a game." During the 2005-2006 season, the Heat recorded only a .500 record without O'Neal in the line-up.

On April 11, 2006, Shaquille O'Neal recorded his second career triple-double against the Toronto Raptors with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a career high 10 assists.

O'Neal finished the season as the league leader in field goal percentage; he joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players in league history to lead the league in field goal percentage nine times.

In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, the Miami Heat would go onto win their first NBA Championship. Led by both O'Neal and star Dwayne Wade, the Heat would go on to defeat the two-time defending Eastern Conference Champion Detroit Pistons in a rematch of the 2005 Conference Finals, and then defeat the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals. O'Neal put up considerably lower numbers compared to those he recorded during the 2005-2006 regular season, but to O'Neal's credit, he had twice delivered dominant games in order to close out a playoff series: a 30 point, 20 rebound effort in game 6 against the Chicago Bulls in the first round, and a 28 point, 16 rebound, 5 block effort in game 6 against the Pistons. It was O'Neal's fourth title in seven seasons, and ensured the promise of delivering an NBA championship to Miami.

Accolades

NBA highlights

* Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 (youngest player on the list and only active player remaining from the list).
* NBA Most Valuable Player: 2000
* 2-time The Sporting News NBA Most Valuable Player: 2000, 2005
* 4-time NBA Champion: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006
* 3-time NBA Finals MVP: 2000, 2001, 2002
* 13-time NBA All-Star: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
* 2-time NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2000, 2004
* 13-time All-NBA::* First Team: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006:* Second Team: 1995, 1999:* Third Team: 1994, 1996, 1997
* 3-time All-Defensive::* Second Team: 2000, 2001, 2003
* NBA Rookie of the Year: 1993
* The Sporting News NBA Rookie of the Year: 1993
* NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1993
* 2-time All-Dunkadelic Team Section::* Second Team : 2005, 2006
* 2-time NBA regular-season leader, points per game: 1995 (29.3), 2000 (29.7)
* 3-time NBA regular-season leader, total points: 1995 (2315), 1999 (1289), 2000 (2344)
* 5-time NBA regular-season leader, PER: 1998 (28.8), 1999 (30.6), 2000 (30.6), 2001 (30.2), 2002 (29.7)
* 5-time NBA regular-season leader, field goals made: 1994 (953), 1995 (930), 1999 (510), 2000 (956), 2001 (813)
* 9-time NBA regular-season leader, field goal %: 1994 (.599), 1998 (.584), 1999 (.576), 2000 (.574), 2001 (.572), 2002 (.579), 2004 (.584), 2005 (.601), 2006 (.600)

Accomplishments/milestones

* Joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to lead the league in field goal percentage for
**nine seasons
**five consecutive seasons (1998–2002)
* Only player in NBA history to::* average at least 20 points per game and 10 rebounds per game in a season for 13 consecutive seasons, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon, all with 12 consecutive seasons.:* reach 4,700 points, 2,200 rebounds, 500 assists, 400 blocks, and 100 steals in his playoff career while shooting at least 55% from the field.
* One of five players in NBA history to be selected to the NBA All-Star Game for 13 consecutive seasons; the others are Jerry West, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Karl Malone.
* One of three players in NBA history to reach 24,500 points, 11,000 rebounds, 2,600 assists, and 2,300 blocks in his career (the others are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon; note that the NBA did not record blocked shots as an official statistic until the 1973-1974 season).
*One of four players in NBA history to be awarded the NBA Finals MVP three times (the others are Magic Johnson (3), Tim Duncan (3), and Michael Jordan (6) [1])
** Joins Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to win three consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards (2000, 2001, 2002)
* NBA playoff records (12)::* Most free throws attempted, all-time: 2,085 (1994–present):* Most free throws attempted, half: 27 (May 20, 2000 vs. Portland Trail Blazers):* Most free throws attempted, quarter: 25 (May 20, 2000 vs. Portland Trail Blazers):* NBA Finals (9)::* Most points scored in a 4-game series: 145 (NBA Finals 2002):* Most free throws made in a 4-game series: 45 (NBA Finals 2002):* Most free throws attempted in a 4-game series: 68 (NBA Finals 2002):* Most blocks made in a 4-game series: 11 (NBA Finals 2002):* Most blocks made in one game: 8 (NBA Finals 2001; tied with Tim Duncan and Patrick Ewing):* Most free throws made in one game, half: 13 (NBA Finals 2000):* Most free throws made in one game, quarter: 9 (NBA Finals 2000; tied with Allen Iverson):* Most free throws attempted in one game: 39 (NBA Finals 2000):* Most free throws attempted in one game, quarter: 16 (NBA Finals 2000, NBA Finals 2002)
* Orlando Magic franchise records (2)::* Most rebounds, game: 28 (November 20, 1993 vs. New Jersey Nets).:* Most blocks, game: 15 (November 20, 1993 vs. New Jersey Nets).
* Los Angeles Lakers franchise records (8)::* Most offensive rebounds, season: 336 (1999-2000).:* Most offensive rebounds, all-time, playoffs: 561 (1996–2004).:* Most offensive rebounds, game, playoffs: 11 (May 6, 2001 vs. Sacramento Kings).:* Most free throws attempted, game: 31 (November 19, 1999 vs. Chicago Bulls).:* Most free throws attempted, game, playoffs: 39 (June 9, 2000 vs. Indiana Pacers).:* Most free throws attempted, half: 20 (March 14, 2002 vs. Golden State Warriors).:* Most free throws attempted, half, playoffs: 22 (June 9, 2000 vs. Indiana Pacers).:* Most free throws attempted, quarter, playoffs: 16 (June 9, 2000 vs. Indiana Pacers).
* Miami Heat franchise records (1)::* Most free throws attempted, quarter, playoffs: 10 (May 2, 2006 vs. Chicago Bulls; tied with Lamar Odom) [2]

Other

* Key member of the 1994 USA World Championship and 1996 Olympic basketball team, both of which won gold.
* Ranked #9 in SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.
*O'Neal and teammate Gary Payton became only the 11th and 12th players to reach the NBA Finals with three different teams.
* Says he can't shoot free throws because he fell out a tree as a child and broke both his wrists.
* Won the Male Athlete of the Year Award at the BET Awards '05.
* In the 1995/96 NBA Season, his last with the Orlando Magic, O'Neal went 0.500 from behind the 3 point arc hitting the only 3 pointer of his 14 season career.
* As of the end of the 05-06 season, O'Neal has recorded 48 games of scoring 40 or more points in the regular season.
* As of the end of the 05-06 season, O'Neal has recorded 3 games of scoring 50 or more points (all in the regular season).

Player profile

O'Neal is a physically exceptional player. His 7 ft 1 in/330-lb (2.16 m / 150 kg) frame gives him enormous power, and for a man of that size, he is quick and very explosive. His "drop step", (called the "Black Tornado" by Shaq) in which he posts up a defender, turns around and using his elbows for leverage powers past him for a slam dunk, has proven virtually unstoppable. In addition, he is a talented and stylish passer, and his height makes him an effective defender able to block shots. His dominating physical presence inside the paint has caused dramatic changes in many teams' offensive and defensive strategies that can be seen over the course of his career.

Trying to defend O'Neal, teams put two, or sometimes even three defenders on him, giving his teammates a lot of uncontested shots. Because of his strength and quickness, O'Neal goes to the foul line a lot, and as a consequence, opposing teams often use up many fouls on him, limiting the playing time of their big men. However, critics point out that he plays with excessive power that should be called as fouls. While he deals out a lot of physical abuse to defenders, O'Neal's defenders claim that because of his enormous size, officials allow him to take more physical abuse than other players. All considered, O'Neal appears to be one of the most difficult players in NBA history to officiate due to his physicality (both given and taken) under the basket.

O'Neal is also noted for his ability to form symbiotic relationships with young, talented guards. Playing alongside him, talents like Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade blossomed into legitimate superstars. Eventually, his relationships with Hardaway and Bryant diminished through several altercations. However, O'Neal has embraced his relationship with Wade and the two have shown to be fully supportive of each other in their 2 years together.

O'Neal is one of the worst free-throw shooters in the NBA. His lifetime average is a low 53.1%. In hope of exploiting O'Neal's poor foul shooting, opponents often commit intentional fouls against him, a tactic known as "Hack-a-Shaq"; this technique, which started while at LSU was so named by former Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson. In perspective, however, terrible free-throw shooting is common among NBA big men, and is a trait shared by other greats such as Wilt Chamberlain.

Many feel that O'Neal's star power in the NBA causes referees to turn a blind eye to some of his rule infractions. Many claim that his awkward shooting stance and general forward motion cause him to violate Rule 10, Section I-d, a rarely-enforced rule stating that the shooter cannot cross the plane of the free throw line until the ball has touched the basket ring or backboard. However, this lane violation is occasionally called on O'Neal's free throw attempts.

For several years, O'Neal has suffered from arthritis in his right big toe, due to more than a decade of running, jumping and dunking with his 330 lb (150 kg) frame. He has also been criticized for his philosophy that a team should bide its time and work harder at the end of the season, questioning his work ethic. In recent seasons, O'Neal also seems to have more often found himself in foul trouble in games, further limiting his minutes.

Media personality

Shaquille O'Neal cracking jokes with the media the week before game one of the 2006 NBA Finals.

O'Neal is generally liked by the media for his playful tone in interviews and generally eloquent manner in comparison to other athletes. He has been called "The Big Aristotle", a name that was self-given, for his composure and insights during these interviews.

O'Neal's humorous and sometimes incendiary comments fueled the Los Angeles Lakers' long standing rivalry with the Sacramento Kings; O'Neal frequently referred to the Sacramento team as the "Queens." During the 2002 victory parade, after the Lakers beat the Kings in a tough seven game series enroute to completing a three-peat of championship titles, O'Neal stated that Sacramento would never be the capital of California.

He also received some media flak for mocking Chinese speech when interviewed about newcomer center Yao Ming, but he was able to downplay the media attention to the event. Yao himself stated he did not find it offensive, but could see how others might misinterpret the remark as a racist comment. O'Neal's supporters point out that he made the comments in reaction to Yao being overpromoted by marketers and the media. Some blame this hype for allowing Yao to edge O'Neal in fan voting for the starting position of center at the All-Star Game.

During the 2005 NBA playoffs, O'Neal lamented of his poor play due to injury as being comparable to Erick Dampier, a Dallas Mavericks center who had failed to score a single point in one of their recent games. The quip inspired countless citations and references by announcers during those playoffs, though Dampier himself offered little response to the insult. The two would meet in the 2006 NBA Finals.

On May 24, 2005, when Brian Hill was re-announced as head coach of his former team, the Orlando Magic, O'Neal was quoted as saying, "It's good that he's back. When I buy the team [Magic] in three years, he'll be working for me." Whether or not this will raise speculation of O'Neal's life after playing basketball remains to be seen. [3]

He is very vocal with the media, and often jabs at former Laker teammate Kobe Bryant. In the summer of 2005, when asked about Kobe, he responded, "I'm sorry, who?" and continued to pretend that he did not know who Kobe was until well into the 2005-2006 season.

O'Neal appeared on the Season 5 finale of Punk'd, MTV's celebrity prank show. Prior to his appearance, Ashton Kutcher decided to trick him as a revenge for leaving the Lakers by being traded to Miami Heat for three players back in July 2004.

He has also appeared in many other shows such as Saturday Night Live.

When the Lakers faced the Miami Heat on January 16, 2006, O'Neal and Kobe Bryant made headlines by engaging in handshakes and hugs before the game, an event that is believed to signify the end of the so-called "Shaq-Kobe feud" that had festered since the center left Los Angeles. O'Neal was quoted as saying that he accepted the advice of NBA legend Bill Russell to make peace with Bryant.[4]

On January 27, WWE.com posted a page saying that O'Neal attacked World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Carlito with a chair because the WWE were having their pay-per-view in Miami - however, the clip showed that this was more for comedic effect than any real malice. Moreover, according to reputable sources, O'Neal's appearance was a publicity stunt designed to mimic the acting that incorporates the WWE.

Private life

O'Neal married his long-time girlfriend, Shaunie Nelson, on December 26, 2002; they have four children: Shareef Rashaun, Amirah Sanaa, Shaquir Rashaun, and Me'arah Sanaa. His daughter, Me'arah Sanaa O'Neal, was born at 4:57 a.m. on May 1, 2006, which was, coincidentally, the same day Kobe Bryant's second daughter was born. She weighed 8 lb., 1 oz., and was 21 inches long.

O'Neal also has a daughter, Taahirah, by ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh. Nelson has another son, Myles, from a previous relationship.

O'Neal, whose mother is a Baptist and stepfather a Muslim, has not formally announced affiliation with a specific faith; however, he had at one time been linked to Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam.

Education

O'Neal left LSU for the NBA after three years. However, he promised his mother he would eventually return to his studies and complete his bachelor's degree. He fulfilled that promise in 2000, earning his bachelor of science in general studies[5]. Coach Phil Jackson let O'Neal miss a home game so he could attend graduation. At the ceremony, he told the crowd "now I can go and get a real job". It has yet to be decided if he will actually pursue this career after retiring from basketball.

Subsequently, O'Neal earned an online MBA through the University of Phoenix in 2005. He has stated his intentions to begin work on his doctoral degree in psychology or criminology in 2006.

It's just something to have on my resume [for] when I go back into reality. Someday I might have to put down a basketball and have a regular 9-to-5 like everybody else.[6]:— Shaquille O'Neal, in reference to his completion of an MBA degree

Police aspirations

Off court, O'Neal has maintained a high level of interest in the workings of the police department, and has become personally involved in law enforcement. O'Neal went through the police academy in Los Angeles, and became a reserve officer with the L.A. Port Police.

In March 2005 he was given an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshal title and named the spokesman for the Safe Surfin' foundation; he will serve an honorary role on the task force of the same name, which tracks down sexual predators who target children on the Internet.[7]

Upon his trade to Miami, O'Neal began training to become a Miami Beach reserve officer; on December 8, 2005, he was sworn in as a reserve officer (he elected a private ceremony so not to distract the other officers from their special moment). Shortly thereafter, in Miami, O'Neal was a witness to a hate crime and called Miami-Dade police, giving them a description of the suspect and helping police, over his cell phone, track the offender. O'Neal credits this as his first "arrest".

O'Neal has expressed an interest in working with the special victims detective unit, to stop crimes against children; he stated that he does not simply want to be involved in "photo ops" but wants to "get down and dirty" and make arrests. [8]

In 1998, O'Neal had a brief run-in with the law when he was accused by Kim Grant, an employee at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, of simple battery. Although she did not claim to be injured, Grant said that she had encountered O'Neal outside the BET Soundstage night club, located on the resort's grounds, and that O'Neal grabbed her by the neck and manhandled her. She filed a police complaint against O'Neal over the incident, but investigators later dropped the case. This incident did not affect O'Neal's background investigation.

Filmography and commercials

Blue Chips (1994)
Kazaam (1996)
Good Burger (1997)
Steel (1997)
The Wash (2001)
Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
Like Mike (2002)
Scary Movie 4 (2006)

Discography

Shaq Diesel (1993, certified gold)
Shaq Fu - Da Return (1994)
The Best of Shaquille O'Neal (1996)
You Can't Stop the Reign (1996)
Respect (1998)
Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1 (2001, unreleased)

Television and video game appearances

* O'Neal appeared on NBA Ballers and NBA Ballers: Phenom.
* O'Neal had a 2005 reality series on ESPN, Shaquille
* O'Neal appeared in the arcade and console video game NBA Jam.
* O'Neal starred in Shaq Fu, a fighting game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis that is often cited as one of the worst video games of all time.
* O'Neal has appeared on the MTV show Punk'd. Also, He has been featured in an episode of MTV's Jackass, where he was lifted off the ground on Wee Man's back.
* O'Neal has appeared on the animated series Static Shock on the episode "Static Shaq", as a cameo.
* O'Neal appeared in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, bedridden after Larry David's character tripped him while stretching.
* O'Neal appeared in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 as a playable boxer.
* O'Neal appeared in an episode of My Wife and Kids.
* O'Neal featured on the covers of video games NBA Live 1996, NBA 2K6, NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC, and NBA Inside Drive 2004.
* O'Neal appeared on the movie CB4 in a small "interviewing" scene.
* O'Neal appeared on an episode of Fear Factor.
* O'Neil appeared in the 311 (band) music video for the hit single You Wouldn't Believe in 2001.

Autobiography

* Shaq Talks Back: The Uncensored Word on My Life and Winning in the NBA Hardback (April 10, 2001)
* Shaq Talks Back: The Uncensored Word on My Life and Winning in the NBA Paperback, Revised (Feb. 18, 2002)

See also

*List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game

External links

*NBA player profileNBA's Shaquille O'Neal Page
*ShaqAttaq.net Shaquille O'Neal Fan Site
*Basketball-Reference.com Career Statistics
*Miami Heat Team Website

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