Shaquille O’Neal Net Worth (Updates 2022), Biography | Family | Career and more

Key Facts About Shaquille O’Neal

• Shaquille O’Neal’s professional career began in college. He was, however, a basketball player prior to that. He attended LSU (Louisiana State University) and was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 1992.
• While Shaquille O’Neal dropped out of school to pursue a career in sports, he eventually finished his degree and graduated from LSU.
• During his time with the Orlando Magic, O’Neal won Rookie of the Year two years in a row (1992 and 1993).
• He joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 and remained with them until 2004. He led the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive championships as a player, in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
• He left the Lakers due to tensions with another NBA star, Kobe Bryant, and went on to play for the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.
• Shaquille O’Neal retired from the NBA in 2011.
• Aside from basketball, Shaquille O’Neal dabbled in music (releasing four rap albums and a few singles) and acting (he played in a few feature films, including Kazaam and Steel). He also played himself in the 2014 Lego Movie.

Growing Up

On March 6, 1972, Shaquille O’Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey. When O’Neal was an infant, his biological father struggled with drug addiction and was imprisoned for drug possession. They never dated, and his father gave up parental rights to O’Neal’s stepfather.

O’Neal found refuge at the Boys and Girls Club in Newark. He didn’t play on a team, but he did shoot hoops in the open space. His stepfather, on the other hand, was in the military, and the family was soon transferred to bases in Germany and Texas.

O’Neil led his high school team to a 68-1 record over two years, as well as a state championship in his senior year. He went on to play for the Louisiana State University team after high school, where he was a two-time All-American, two-time SEC Player of the Year, and other honors.

 

Shaquille O’Neal Relationship & More

Affairs	N/A
Girlfriend	N/A
Best Friend	N/A
Spouse	Shaunie O’Neal (m. 2002–2011)
Divorce	Shaunie O’Neal (m. 2002–2011)
Children	Shareef O’Neal, Shaqir O’Neal, Taahirah O’Neal, Myles B. O’Neal, Me’arah O’Neal, Amirah O’Neal
Parents:	Joseph Toney, Phillip A. Harrison, Lucille O’Neal
Siblings	Jamal O’Neal, Ayesha O’Neal, Lateefah O’Neal

 

NBA Star

O’Neal was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in 1992. A year later, he was named Rookie of the Year and voted an All-Star starter, a feat not accomplished since Michael Jordan. Shaq helped the Magic reach their first playoff series in his second season. The following year, they reached the finals but were defeated by the Houston Rockets.

O’Neal was injured for much of the 1995-96 season, but the Orlando Magic still finished with a winning record. O’Neal and the Magic won the first two rounds of the playoffs that year, but were eventually defeated by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

O’Neal was a member of the men’s Olympic basketball team in Atlanta in 1996. That team went on to win the gold medal at the Olympics. As tensions rose among his coach, teammates, and the local Orlando media during the Olympics, O’Neal announced his intention to join the Los Angeles Lakers. O’Neal was offered a seven-year, $121 million contract by the Lakers.

This move paired O’Neal with a young Kobe Bryant, bringing together two of the game’s biggest names on one team. While his first few years with the Lakers were promising, they were unable to win a championship. O’Neal battled injuries and personnel changes until a change in leadership changed everything.

The arrival of former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson in the 1999-00 season set the Lakers on a path that would lead to them becoming a dominant force for many years. Jackson pushed O’Neal to play better defense. Shaquille and the Lakers won the NBA championship that year and went on to win it again the following two years.

In 2004, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. The following year, Shaq agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract with the team. While he could have demanded more money, he stated that he was after another championship. The following year, the Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks to win the team’s first championship and O’Neal’s fourth.

Beginning in 2008, O’Neal’s days of signing long-term contracts with teams were over. That year, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he failed to make the playoffs for the first time since his rookie season. He was traded at the end of his first season with the team to help the team’s budget. More one-year stints would follow, including with the Cleveland Cavaliers (alongside LeBron James) and the Boston Celtics in his final season.

 

Career

O’Neal was drafted first overall in the 1992 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic, and he was mentored by Magic Johnson before moving to Orlando. O’Neal made history by becoming the first player in NBA history to be named Player of the Week in his first week. He was a member of the Magic until the 1995 season, when he became a free agent.

He was named to the United States Olympic basketball team in 1996, which went on to win a gold medal. Following the Olympics, he signed a seven-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. O’Neil kept improving his stats while leading his team to championships.

O’Neal was injured frequently throughout his career, but his most crippling injury was degenerative arthritis in his toe. He underwent surgery in 2002 and missed the first 12 games of the 2002-2003 season. In 2003, the Lakers were seeded fifth and did not advance to the finals.

O’Neal’s final few seasons were spent on different teams. From 2004 to 2008, he was a member of the Miami Heat, where he set more career highs and suffered a few more injuries. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns for a season in 2008. From 2009 to 2010, he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and from 2010 to 2011, he was with the Boston Celtics, where he retired.

Shaquille O’Neal has a net worth of $400 million.

Highlights

Here are some of Shaq’s career high points:

• NBA Champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006)
• NBA finals MVP (2000, 2001, 2002)
• 15 Time NBA All-Star
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (1993)
• Olympic Gold Medalist (1996)