Summary
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 5...
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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It's the best place for Dodgers to be
Be thankful, Dodgers fans, for the National League West, where even your running-in-place heroes are contenders in baseball's worst division. . . . In the American League West, a 49-52 record would put Andruw Jones & Co. 13 games behind the runaway...Tags: Andruw Jones, Kevin Garnett, National League, Frank Robinson, Ohio State Buckeyes
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Pro athletes? They'll take Manhattan (Beach)
Los Angeles Times Staff WriterRichard Montgomery immediately recognized the tall blond in the tennis dress in the deli section of his local Ralphs, so he walked up and introduced himself to tennis star Maria Sharapova. Montgomery, who had heard she lived in Manhattan Beach, told...Tags: Derek Armstrong, Soccer, New York Rangers, Derek Lowe, Nomar Garciaparra
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The most important job in life
Sentinel ColumnistThe scars of deadbeat fathers run deep. Society's score card says so: National numbers from various sources, including the Department of Health and Human Services, say that 63 percent of all youth suicides, 85 percent of all youth in prisons, 71 percent...Tags: Minority Groups, Barack Obama, National or Ethnic Minorities, Employment Opportunities, National Basketball Association
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Housing woes a real show
Associated PressLOS ANGELES—Tabloid magazines like to reassure us that celebrities are just like us—they go grocery shopping, take their dogs for a stroll around the neighborhood, even pump their own gas. These days, that can also hold true when it comes...Tags: Vin Baker, National Basketball Association, Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Celebrity
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Many younger voters may see Obama's color as advantage
For all of us old-timers who were brought up in the time of Jim Crow, who feel advantaged over African-Americans, think about this: Millions of younger Americans have grown up admiring such black favorites as Tiger Woods, Shaquille O'Neal, Venus and...Tags: Serena Williams, Tiger Woods
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NFL parents push support of their sons - but not too far
Sentinel ColumnistYour baby boy or baby girl has toddled up to you and said, "I am going to be a pro athlete one day." You know their chances of making it that far are pretty slim, but you smile and say, "You can be whatever you want to be, dear." So you keep driving them...Tags: Donovan McNabb, Kenard Lang, National Basketball Association, Football, High Schools
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Tyronn Lue narrows choices to three, includes Heat
South Florida Sun-SentinelVeteran NBA point guard Tyronn Lue said Sunday he is scheduled to take a physical with the Heat this morning and is hopeful of receiving a contract offer from the team shortly thereafter. In South Florida for Zo's Summer Groove, Lue said before the...Tags: Kevin Garnett, National Basketball Association, Tyronn Lue, Basketball, Dwyane Wade
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Celebrity sales show extent of housing crisis
Of The Associated PressTabloid magazines like to reassure us that celebrities are just like us -- they go grocery shopping, take their dogs for a stroll around the neighborhood, even pump their own gas. These days, that also can hold true when it comes to the plummeting real...Tags: Britney Spears, National Basketball Association, Johnny Carson, Celebrity, Joely Fisher
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Tyronn Lue considering signing with Miami Heat
Sun-Sentinel.comVeteran NBA point guard Tyronn Lue said today he is scheduled to take a physical with the Miami Heat on Monday morning and could sign with the team shortly thereafter. The Heat, however, later said an offer would not be extended Monday. In South Florida...Tags: Defense, Kevin Garnett, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Tyronn Lue
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Mario Chalmers gets quick introduction to the pro game
SENTINEL INSTITUTEOn the third day of Miami Heat rookie Mario Chalmers' NBA career, he experienced another professional first: his first injury. Chalmers scored 10 points in the first quarter of the Heat's 95-84 loss Wednesday to Indiana in the Orlando Pro Summer League,...Tags: National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Basketball Association, Jason Williams, Basketball, Dwyane Wade
Jul 24, 2008
|Column| Los Angeles Times
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|Story| Los Angeles Times
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|Column| Orlando Sentinel
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|Column| Orlando Sentinel
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|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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|Story| Allentown Morning Call
Jul 13, 2008
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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|Story| Orlando Sentinel
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