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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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: Chemistry, Values, Jamaal Tinsley, Brad Miller, New Jersey Nets
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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: Chemistry, Values, Jamaal Tinsley, New Jersey Nets, Brad Miller
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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: Mike Brown, New Jersey Nets, Michael Curry, Mehmet Okur, Pat Riley
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LeBron James is worth the money, and the wait, for Knicks
By the way, he's worth it At last week's game in New York, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Brian Windhorst heard a Knicks fan yell at LeBron James, "Are you worth the wait or not? We just junked this season and next!" If he isn't, no one is. Aside from...Tags: Basketball, Dwyane Wade, Isiah Thomas, Turkey, Stephon Marbury
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NBA HOT SHOTS
Rudy the recruiter Maybe Rudy Giuliani will change his ubiquitous numerical reference from 9/11 to 2010. The former mayor's ears perked up when he heard that LeBron James is a big Yankees fan, and on ESPN's First Take last week, Giuliani offered to do...Tags: September 11, 2001 Attacks, Mike D'Antoni, New Jersey Nets, Basketball, Regional Authority
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Pistons pound Knicks 110-96
The Detroit Pistons had two days off to regroup from their worst game of the season. That wasn't good news for the New York Knicks. After what players described as a mini-training camp designed to integrate newly acquired Allen Iverson into the...Tags: Mike D'Antoni, Al Harrington, Michael Curry, Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons
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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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Marbury suspended
From Sun news servicesThe New York Knicks needed Stephon Marbury to play, then suspended him a game and docked him nearly $400,000 in salary yesterday after saying he refused. The disgruntled guard insists he never told coach Mike D'Antoni "no" and plans to appeal. D'...Tags: Mike D'Antoni, O.J. Mayo, Mike Bibby, Golden State Warriors, Michael Curry
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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: Basketball, Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion, Miami Heat, National Basketball Association
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Wade rebounds from season-low 12 to season-high 43 in Miami win againrt Suns
PHOENIX (AP) _ Dwyane Wade scored a season-high 43 points and the Miami Heat beat the Phoenix Suns 107-92 Friday night in the first matchup between the teams since the Shaquille O'Neal for Shawn Marion blockbuster trade last February. Neither O'Neal...Tags: Basketball, Dwyane Wade, Raja Bell, Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns
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Celtics Beat 76ers, 102-78
Ray Allen scored 23 points Friday night as the Celtics won their seventh in a row, 102-78 over the 76ers in Boston. He hit 3 of 5 three-pointers and is 13-for-19 on threes the past three games. Rajon Rondo had 12 assists for the Celtics, who are 4-0...Tags: O.J. Mayo, Mike D'Antoni, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Ray Allen
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Marbury suspended by Knicks; Iverson apoligizes to Pistons
The New York Knicks needed Stephon Marbury to play, then suspended him a game and docked him nearly $400,000 in salary Friday after claiming he refused. The disgruntled guard insists he never told coach Mike D'Antoni ''no'' and plans to appeal. Just...Tags: Mike Miller, Mike D'Antoni, Mike Bibby, Michael Curry, Richard Jefferson
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