Shaquille O'Neal

NBA star Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (Shaq) is currently a center for the Boston Celtics. His first and middle names mean “little warrior”. O'Neal is a three-time NBA Finals MVP and was also named by the NBA to be one of the 50 Greatest Players in history. He played for three seasons at Louisiana State University before being drafted by the Orlando Magic as the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. In the beginning, he established himself as top centers in the league and won Rookie of the year in 1992-93 seasons and helped the Orlando Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals.

In 1996, Shaq signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent. With Kobe Bryant, Shaq won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004 and led the Heat with Dwayne Wade to the NBA Championship in 2006. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns on February 2008 and to the Cleveland Cavaliers, on June 25, 2009. The Cleveland Cavaliers deal sent Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to the Suns, along with the 46th overall selection in the 2009 NBA draft and $500,000 in cash. [1] In August 2010, Shaq signed a 2-year, $2.8M deal with the Boston Celtics for the veteran's minimum salary.http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/08/05/shaq_aboard_for_two_years/ It remains to be seen if he will start in the 2010-2011 season, or if he will come off of the bench.

O'Neal's wife Shaunie filed for divorce in 2009 after reports that O'Neal had an affair with Laura Govan for five years. Govan is the fiance of Gilbert Arenas, who plays for the Washington Wizards.http://www.examiner.com/x-31558-Arlington-Celebrity-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m12d2-Gilbert-Arenas-moves-out-leaving-behind-a-pregnant-fiance

Shaquille O'Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 6, 1972. He attended Cole High School were he led the basketball team to the state championship during his senior year. He then attended Louisiana State University and under the tutelage of Dale Brown, established himself as one of the premiere players in the nation. He was twice named an All-American, but after his junior year, he decided to leave college early and enter the NBA draft.NBA.com: Shaquille O'Neal Bio Page

O'Neal was selected with the first pick in the 1992 draft by the Orlando Magic. After an impressive season, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. In his third season, he led the league in scoring and also guided the Magic to their first ever NBA Finals where they eventually lost to Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.

In 1995, O'Neal signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, and after the team acquired Kobe Bryant and then hired Phil Jackson as head coach in 1999 the Lakers went on to win three straight NBA Championships. During this time O'Neal won all three NBA Finals MVP awards and also a Most Valuable Player Award in the 1999-2000 season.NBA.com: Shaquille O'Neal Bio Page

In 1996, he won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the U.S. men's national basketball team.NBA.com: Shaquille O'Neal Bio Page

In 2004, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for players Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a draft pick. In 2006, O'Neal led Miami to an NBA championship, the first in the franchise's history.NBA.com: Shaquille O'Neal Bio Page

In 2008, with O'Neal battling injuries and the Heat transitioning to a younger roster, Miami traded O'Neal to the Phoenix Suns for Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks. The Suns were eliminated in the first round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs.NBA.com: Shaquille O'Neal Bio Page

During the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, O'Neal was awarded the distinction of MVP. He shared the honor with Laker Kobe Bryant. It was the third time each of the men won the award.

On February 27, 2009, Shaquille O'Neal scored 45 points and recorded 11 rebounds in a 133-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors. It was Shaq's biggest offensive game in six years. He made 20 of 25 shots and the game was the 49th 40 point game of his career.ESPN.com: Shaq's biggest offensiver performance in six years (February 27, 2009)

On June 25, 2009, the Phoenix Suns traded O'Neal to Cleveland Cavaliers. In return, the Phoenix Suns received Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, second-round pick in the 2010 draft and cash. ESPN.com: Cavaliers hoping pair works out

Shaq is also wearing number 33, the number he wore in high school and college before turning pro. Number 33 is unavailable when Shaq was with the Lakers because it was retired for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He wore number 32 when he was in Orlando, Miami and Phoenix.ESPN.com: Shaq going back to No. 33

On February 25, 2010, Shaq suffered a right thumb sprain when playing against the Boston Celtics.[1] He had surgery and played in the first round of the playoffs against the Chicago Bulls scoring 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 24 minutes.[2]

On September 11, 2008, O'Neal announced a timetable of 735 days for his retirement. This would have O'Neal playing two more seasons in the NBA and retiring at the end of his current contract. O'Neal has expressed interest in pursuing a career in law enforcement after retiring from basketball.ESPN.com: Suns' O'Neal puts timetable on retirement (September 11, 2008)

On October 22, 2008, it was reported that O'Neal and fellow teammate Grant Hill were considering becoming part of a group to purchase the Orlando Magic. The prospective deal would take place possibly after the 2009-2010 season when O'Neal and Hill will retire from the NBA.Sac Bee.com: Shaq and Hill want to buy the Orlando Magic

On March 21, 2009, O'Neal announced that he will be Twittering during the halftime periods of his games. This comes days after Charlie Villanueva of the Milwaukee Bucks was reprimanded by his coach for sending a Twitter update during the halftime of a recent game.CBSSports.com: Hot New Thing? Shaq Prepared to 'Tweet' at Halftime

A video surfaced in April 2009 showing O'Neal reacting to a prank reportedly perpetrated by teammate Louis Amundson. O'Neal is shown opening the doors of his van to find filled with of styrofoam packing material. "I'm unleashing havoc on every Suns person, player, or worker," he announces. He then asks, "Who was it: Lou? Was it Lou? I'm gonna get him tomorrow, don't worry about it. Stay tuned tomorrow."YouTube Video: Phoenix Suns: Shaq Gets Pranked (Time: 9:53)

In May of 2009, O'Neal attended a three-day broadcasting program at Syracuse University. While he intends to play four additional seasons, he reportedly would like to pursue a broadcasting career after his playing days end.The New York Times: O'Neal Hopes to Be Next Big Thing in Broadcasting