Shaquille O’Neal is an NBA Hall of Famer and had an extremely successful NBA career but when did Shaq retire?
Most NBA fans know of Shaquille O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion and one of the most dominant centers the NBA has ever seen but many fans are confused and wonder, when did Shaq retire? Shaquille O’Neal retired in the year 2011 after a 19-year career in the NBA. O’Neal was pushed to retire due to injuries in the last few seasons of his career. Shaq is one of the most decorated NBA players of all time and is considered by many to be one of the top 10 greatest players of all time.
Over the span of his almost two-decade career, Shaq won 4 NBA Championships, won 3 NBA Finals MVP awards, made 15 all-star appearances and was selected to 14 All-NBA teams. He retired in June 2011 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2016 alongside fellow NBA greats Allen Iverson and Yao Ming. In addition to that his number 34 jersey was retired by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013 and his number 32 jersey was retired by the Miami Heat in 2016.
Shaquille O’Neal played for six teams namely, the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
Shaq was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 1992 and went on to win the Rookie of the Year award. He even led the Magic to an NBA Finals appearance in the 1994-95 season before being swept by the Hakeem Olajuwon-led Houston Rockets. he then left the Magic in Free Agency and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers forming a legendary duo with Kobe Bryant. Shaq went on to win three back-to-back championships with the Lakers in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.
O’Neal won his only NBA Most Valuable Player award for the 1999-2000 season coinciding with his first NBA championship, he won all three Finals MVP awards during his three-peat with the Lakers. Shaq won one more Championship with the Miami Heat in 2006 before finishing his career in short stints with the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
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