Actors - Shaquille O'Neal

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Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (born March 6, 1972), frequently referred to simply as "Shaq", is one of the National Basketball Association's most dominant basketball players. O'Neal first played for the Orlando Magic, later signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, and now plays for the Miami Heat. At 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m), 326 pounds (148 kg) and U.S. shoe size 22, he is famous for his physical stature. He has several nicknames, most of which he conferred upon himself, such as "the Diesel" "the Big Aristotle", "M.D.E (Most Dominant Ever)", "Superman", and most recently after earning his MBA, "Doctor Shaq". Heralded since he entered the league at 20 years of age, his 13-year career has become one of the most impressive stints of any player in NBA history and a standard for centers for years to come, prompting many to consider Shaquille O'Neal as one of the greatest centers to ever play the game.

Childhood

O'Neal, born in Newark, New Jersey, was named "Shaquille Rashaun" by his biological father, Joseph Toney. However, he is not close to his biological father; one of his songs, "Biological Didn't Bother", explains his feelings. (It is commonly reported that "Shaquille Rashaun" means "little warrior" in Arabic, but this is a misconception as neither "Shaquille" nor "Rashaun" is an Arabic word or name.)

O'Neal's mother, Lucille O'Neal Harrison, would marry U.S. Army sergeant Phillip Harrison (whom O'Neal considers his father figure) shortly after Shaquille's birth. O'Neal spent some of his childhood in Germany in Wildflecken, Bavaria, where his stepfather Harrison was stationed with the U.S. Army. It was there that he learned to play basketball.

O'Neal fractured both of his wrists while climbing between two trees, trying to imitate Superman, his comic book favorite, and sometimes explains that this is why he makes only half of his free throws.

Basketball career

Louisiana State University

He first gained national attention as a star at Robert G. Cole Junior-Senior High School in San Antonio, Texas. He became High School Player of the Year during his playing years there. As a young man, he attended Louisiana State University (LSU) to study and graduate with a bachelor degree in business. While on LSU's basketball team, he was a two-time first team All-American, two-time Southeastern Conference player of the year, and the national player of the year in 1991. He holds the NCAA record for shots blocked in a game with a whopping 17 blocks against Mississippi State University on December 3, 1990.

Dale Brown, LSU's coach at that time, states that he first met O'Neal while Brown was visiting Germany, and mistook the then-13 year old for one of the soldiers. At the time, O'Neal was already 7 feet tall, but weighed only about 223 pounds. Over the next several years, he would grow only one more inch, but put on 80 pounds of muscle.

Orlando Magic

O'Neal was drafted first overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. During that summer, prior to moving to Orlando, he spent a significant amount of time in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.

O'Neal had an exceptional rookie season, as he helped the Magic win 20 more games than the previous season, with the team ultimately missing the playoffs by only one game. O'Neal averaged 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds on the season and was named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year. O'Neal played in the All-Star game and scored 14 points.

After his first season in Orlando, O'Neal returned to Los Angeles during the summer, where he was cast in a role in Blue Chips
, a film about college recruits getting paid to play basketball. He also recorded rap music over that summer.

O'Neal's sophomore season was even better than his first. He averaged 29.3 points and led the NBA in field goal percentage at 60%. He was also voted into another All-Star game and helped the Magic make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

In his third season, O'Neal led the NBA in scoring, with 2,315 total points and, like his second season, averaged 29.3 points per game. Orlando won 57 games and won the Atlantic Division. The Magic made it all the way to the NBA Finals, but there were swept by the Houston Rockets. By O'Neal's own admission, he was badly outplayed during that series by Houston's far more experienced superstar center Hakeem Olajuwon. Nonetheless, Olajuwon saw enough potential in O'Neal that Olajuwon (correctly) predicted that O'Neal would some day return to the Finals and win a championship.

O'Neal was injured for a great deal of the 1995-96 season, missing 28 games. He was still able to have a good season, but not as good as he had hoped. The Magic won 60 games and won the Atlantic Division again, but Orlando lost to the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs. Now a free agent, O'Neal contemplated whether his future would be best served by remaining with the Magic or by moving on to a new team.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Shaquille O'Neal ]

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Actors - Shaquille O'Neal

Childhood

Basketball career

Louisiana State University

Orlando Magic

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