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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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: Moving, Philadelphia 76ers, Contracts, Justice System, New York Knicks
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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: Moving, Philadelphia 76ers, Contracts, Justice System, New York Knicks
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News from around the world
Los Angeles Times Staff WriterUS sports history on display at new L.A. museum By BETH HARRIS, AP Sports Writer Beth Harris, Ap Sports Writer Thu Nov 27, 10:27 pm ET LOS ANGELES – When Gary Cypres' sports memorabilia collection reached 10,000 pieces and threatened to overflow their...Tags: Transportation, American Airlines, Inc., Kobe Bryant, Jan Perry, U.S. Cellular Field
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Breakdown: Heat recap
Heat 107, Suns 92 PRESSURE COOKIN': After shooting 22 of 74 during the previous eight games, Daequan Cook shot 6 of 11 for 15 points. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra pulled Cook aside for a meeting before Friday's shootaround and let him know "his position's...Tags: Steve Nash
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Wade rises to challenge
South Florida Sun-SentinelThis wasn't about squaring off with Shaq for the first time since last season's trade. It wasn't about Shawn Marion's return to U.S. Airways Center. And it wasn't about the removal of Michael Beasley from the starting lineup. It was about what it...Tags: Miami Heat, Steve Nash, National Basketball Association, Basketball, Shawn Marion
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Winderman on NBA: James only part of Knicks' plan; Bosh also on radar
A weekly look at five talking points that have the league buzzing: 1. The waiting game. So LeBron James goes to New York, feels the love, helps pummel the Knicks, and then tells everyone he'll be back for good in 2010. OK, it didn't go quite that way...Tags: National Basketball Association, Pain, Antoine Walker, New Jersey Nets, Michael Curry
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Michael Beasley out of Heat starting lineup
SunSentinel.comMichael Beasley will not spend his entire rookie season as a starter. Beasley, the No. 2 overall pick in last June's NBA Draft, was removed from the Miami Heat's starting lineup for Friday night's game against the Phoenix Suns at U.S. Airways Center....Tags: Miami Heat, National Basketball Association, Basketball, Jamaal Magloire, Shawn Marion
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O'Neal claims no hard feelings
South Florida Sun-SentinelRevisionist history has Shaquille O'Neal convinced there are no bad feelings when it comes to his departure last season from the Heat. Addressing the South Florida media in advance of Friday's game against the Heat, the Suns center said only...Tags: Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade
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Wade's 43 too much for Suns, Shaq
South Florida Sun-SentinelThis wasn't about squaring off with Shaq for the first time since last season's trade. It wasn't about Shawn Marion's return to U.S. Airways Center. And it wasn't about the removal of Michael Beasley from the starting lineup. It was about what it...Tags: Steve Nash, National Basketball Association, Basketball, Shawn Marion, Jamaal Magloire
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Shaq to Heat: "It ended the way I wanted it to end"
South Florida Sun-SentinelFriday night, Shaquille O'Neal insists, will be "just another game," even though it's also the first time the Phoenix Suns center will face the Miami Heat since last February's trade. As for Phoenix's March 4 visit to AmericanAirlines Arena? "I'll...Tags: Pat Riley, Miami Heat, National Basketball Association, Basketball, Terry Porter
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Shaq casts himself as victim from Heat trade
SunSentinel.comRevisionist history has Shaquille O'Neal convinced there is no bad history when it comes to his departure last season from the Miami Heat. Addressing the South Florida media following this morning's shootaround at U.S. Airways Center, the Phoenix Suns...Tags: Pat Riley, Miami Heat, Basketball, Los Angeles Lakers, Renovation
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Rolling out a TARP for entitled athletes
There's no helping H. Wayne Huizenga, last heard whining about what Barack Obama's tax plan would cost him, though his net of that portion of his Dolphins sale would still exceed the combined median incomes of 9,000 American workers. There's no saving...Tags: New York Times, Manny Ramirez, H. Wayne Huizenga, Iraq War, Kobe Bryant
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