Shaquille O'Neal

• 1. The Boy From Newark

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  Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal entered the world on the 6th of March 1972, in Newark, New Jersey. His biological father was Joe Toney, a high school basketball All-State guard who had been offered a scholarship to play at Seton Hall University. Toney struggled with drug addiction and went to prison for drug possession when Shaq was just an infant. Upon his release from prison, Toney did not resume a place in O'Neal's life. He agreed to relinquish his parental rights to Phillip Arthur Harrison, a career Army sergeant who became O'Neal's stepfather. The family moved frequently due to Harrison's military career, living on bases in Germany and Texas before settling in San Antonio, Texas. By age 13, O'Neal stood six feet eight inches tall. He credited the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Newark with giving him a safe place to play and keeping him off the streets. "It gave me something to do," he said. "I'd just go there to shoot. I didn't even play on a team." On his 1994 rap album, Shaq Fu: The Return, O'Neal voiced his feelings of disdain for Toney in the song "Biological Didn't Bother". He dismissed his biological father with the line "Phil is my father". O'Neal remained estranged from Toney for decades until they met for the first time in March 2016. O'Neal told him, "I don't hate you. I had a good life. I had Phil." His feelings toward Toney mellowed following Harrison's death in 2013.

• 2. The LSU Titan

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  After graduating from high school in 1989, O'Neal studied business at Louisiana State University. He first met Tigers coach Dale Brown years earlier in Europe when his stepfather was stationed on a U.S. Army base at Wildflecken, West Germany. While playing for Brown at LSU, O'Neal became a two-time All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year. He received the Adolph Rupp Trophy as NCAA men's basketball player of the year in 1991. O'Neal also won college player of the year honors from both Associated Press and UPI. He left LSU early to pursue his NBA career but continued his education even after becoming a professional player. The Orlando Magic selected O'Neal with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. In the summer before moving to Orlando, he spent time in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. O'Neal wore No. 32 because veteran teammate Terry Catledge refused to relinquish the 33 jersey. During his rookie season, O'Neal averaged 23.4 points on 56.2% shooting, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game. He was named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year and was the first rookie to be voted an All-Star starter since Michael Jordan in 1985. The Magic finished 41, 41, winning 20 more games than the previous season, but missed the playoffs by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Indiana Pacers.

• 3. The Lakers Dynasty

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  O'Neal became a free agent after the 1995, 96 NBA season. In the summer of 1996, O'Neal was named to the United States Olympic basketball team and won gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. On the team's first full day at the Olympics in Atlanta, the media announced that O'Neal would join the Los Angeles Lakers on a seven-year, $121 million contract. O'Neal insisted he did not choose Los Angeles for the money. He switched his jersey to No. 34 on the Lakers as the No. 32 jersey he had worn in Orlando was retired in honor of Magic Johnson. The No. 34 jersey was also in honor of his stepfather, who wore that number in the Army. Before the 1999, 2000 season, the Los Angeles Lakers hired Phil Jackson as head coach. Jackson challenged O'Neal, telling him "the [NBA's] MVP trophy should be named after him when he retired." On the 6th of March 2000, O'Neal's 28th birthday, he scored a career-high 61 points to go along with 23 rebounds and 3 assists in a 123, 103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. O'Neal was voted the 1999, 2000 regular season Most Valuable Player, one vote short of becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history. Using Jackson's triangle offense, O'Neal and Kobe Bryant enjoyed tremendous success, leading the Lakers to three consecutive titles from 2000 to 2002. O'Neal was named MVP of the NBA Finals all three times.

• 4. The Trade And Fourth Ring

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  After the 2001, 2002 season, O'Neal told friends that he did not want another season of limping and being in virtually constant pain from his big right toe. The feud between O'Neal and Bryant climaxed during training camp before the 2003, 2004 season when Bryant criticized O'Neal for being out of shape. After the series, O'Neal was angered by comments made by Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak about O'Neal's future with the club. He promptly demanded a trade. On the 14th of July 2004, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and a future first-round draft choice. Upon signing with the Heat, O'Neal promised the fans that he would bring a championship to Miami. He claimed one of the main reasons for wanting to be traded to Miami was because of their up-and-coming star Dwyane Wade, to whom he gave the nickname "Flash". In the second game of the 2005, 06 season, O'Neal injured his right ankle and missed the next 18 games. Pat Riley assumed head coach responsibilities after Stan Van Gundy resigned. During the 2005, 06 season, the Heat recorded only a .500 record without O'Neal in the line-up. In the Finals, the Heat were underdogs against the Dallas Mavericks led by Dirk Nowitzki. The Heat won the next three games at home, then won Game 6 in Dallas to deliver the first NBA title for the franchise and O'Neal's fourth title.

• 5. The Numbers And The Weakness

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  O'Neal established himself as an overpowering low post presence, putting up career averages of 23.7 points on .582 field goal accuracy, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. At seven feet one inch tall and U.S. shoe size 23, he became famous for his physical stature. His physical frame gave him a power advantage over most opponents. On two occasions during his first season in the NBA, his powerful dunks broke the steel backboard supports, prompting the league to increase the brace strength and stability of the backboards for the following 1993, 94 season. O'Neal's primary weakness was his free throw shooting, with a career average of 52.7%. He once missed all 11 of his free throw attempts in a game against the Seattle SuperSonics on the 8th of December 2000, a record. In hope of exploiting O'Neal's poor foul shooting, opponents often committed intentional fouls against him, a tactic known as "Hack-a-Shaq". O'Neal was the third-ranked player all-time in free throws taken, having attempted 11,252 free-throws in 1,207 games up to and including the 2010, 11 season. He only made one three-point shot during his entire career. He made the shot during the 1995, 96 NBA season with the Orlando Magic. His career three-point-shot record is 1 for 22 (a 4.5% career percentage).

• 6. The Rap And The Screen

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  Beginning in 1993, O'Neal began to compose rap music. He released five studio albums and one compilation album. His 1993 debut album, Shaq Diesel, received platinum certification from the RIAA. O'Neal was featured alongside Michael Jackson as a guest rapper on "2 Bad", a song from Jackson's 1995 album HIStory. He contributed three tracks, including the song "We Genie", to the Kazaam soundtrack. O'Neal also started DJing in the 1980s at LSU. In 2016, O'Neal lip synced the B-52s song "Love Shack" on the television show Lip Sync Battle. Since the second word of the song's title sounds just like O'Neal's famous nickname, host LL Cool J pointed out that O'Neal was singing a "love song to himself." O'Neal produces electronic dance music and tours the world under the stage name DJ Diesel. On the 23rd of October 2021, O'Neal performed as DJ Diesel on the bassPOD stage at the 2021 Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Nevada. Acting with Blue Chips and Kazaam, O'Neal appeared in films that were panned by some critics. O'Neal is one of the first African Americans to portray a major comic book superhero in a motion picture, having starred as John Henry Irons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Steel.

• 7. The Degree And The Badge

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  O'Neal dropped out of 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 B.A. degree in general studies from LSU, with a minor in political science. 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". Subsequently, O'Neal earned an online MBA degree through the University of Phoenix in 2005. Toward the end of his playing career, O'Neal began work on an educational doctorate at Barry University. His doctoral capstone topic was "The Duality of Humor and Aggression in Leadership Styles". O'Neal received his Ed.D. degree in Human Resource Development from Barry in 2012. O'Neal maintained a high level of interest in the workings of police departments and became personally involved in law enforcement. On the 2nd of March 2005, O'Neal was given an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshal title and named the spokesman for the Safe Surfin' Foundation. Upon his trade to Miami, O'Neal began training to become a Miami Beach reserve officer. On the 8th of December 2005, he was sworn in, but elected for a private ceremony to avoid distracting attention from the other officers. He assumed a $1-per-year salary in this capacity.