Shaquille O’Neal is a former American basketball player, shortly called Shaq. After his retirement, he became a sports analyst and is doing well in that. During his NBA career, he won four championships and also several awards. He is a great personality, known for his philanthropic efforts.
Shaquille O’Neal facts
| Fact | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal |
| Date of birth | March 6, 1972 |
| Place of birth | Newark, New Jersey |
| Height | 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 meters) |
| Weight | 325 pounds (147 kilograms) |
| Position | Center |
| NBA teams played for | Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics |
| College | Louisiana State University (LSU) |
| Draft year | 1992 |
| Draft pick | 1st overall (by the Orlando Magic) |
| Jersey number | 32 (Orlando), 34 (Lakers, Heat, Suns, Celtics), 33 (Cavaliers) |
| Other notable achievements | Olympic gold medalist (1996), 2-time scoring champion (1995, 2000), 3-time All-Star Game MVP (1999, 2000, 2004), 8-time All-NBA First Team selection (1998-2006), NBA All-Rookie First Team (1993), FIBA World Championship gold medalist (1994) |
Who is Shaquille O’Neal?
Shaquille is a retired basketball player and is currently working as an analyst, actor and also businessman. He was born on March 6, 1972, in Newark, New Jersey. He is a well-known basketball player who has won four NBA championships, 15-time NBA All-star and three-time NBA finals. O’Neal is from a military family and kept on moving frequently throughout his childhood due to the profession.
O’Neal played college basketball for Louisiana State University and thrashed all the records that he can. On seeing his performance, he entered the 1992 NBA draft and was drafted by the Orlando Magic as the first overall pick. To draft in as the first pick you should have some unique stuff, as O’Neal. After entering into the team he showed his ability and became one of the prominent forces in the team. He was awarded the Rookie of the year in his first season and played a major role in bringing the Magic to the finals in 1995.
O’Neal spent 4 seasons with the Magic and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. O’Neal showed all his capability and techniques for the Lakers. It was the most successful period in his career as he won three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002 and was also named NBA finals MVP in all three finals.
After his successful reign with the Lakers, he then played for Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics before he retires in 2011.
Off the court, he released some rap albums, acted in a few movies and was a successful businessman too. The man is a complete package filled with a lot of stuff. He donated millions of dollars to various charities throughout his career. As an advocate, he established several educational programs and initiatives to help children and adults. He is a good human being and the impact he created in American football will remain forever.
Shaquille O’Neal Family
O’Neal is also called ‘Shaq’. He was born to his parents, Lucille O’Neal and Joe Toney on March 6, 1972. But he was primarily raised by his stepfather, Phillip Harrison. He has married twice till now. First, he married Shaunie Nelson and was blessed with four children named Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah. But unfortunately, due to some reasons, the couple divorced in 2011.
Later he got engaged to the reality TV star Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander but they did not marry. As of now, he is in a long-term relationship with Annie Ilonzeh. She is an actress by profession and is a former beauty queen. They are seen together on various red carpets and at events. They don’t have children together but he is in a close relationship with his children and posts pictures with his children on social media.
Is Shaquille O’Neal fine? What happened to him?
The big man posted a picture on Twitter that showed him lying in a bed and being monitored by the equipment. But the reason for hospitalizing was not stated by him. Along with the picture, he tagged his TNT Colleagues, Ernie Johnson and Candace Parker, and told them that he misses being with them.
His mate Parker replied by telling, “Love ya, big Fella”. The tweet that he posted got around 7.9 million views on Twitter alone. His fans rushed in and showed their support for him in the comment section. After a while, it is informed that Shaq has undergone surgery due to a hip problem. His surgery was successful and is doing fine now.
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