Heart affairs of a large cactus

"Big Daddy"

Shaquille O'Neal (translated from Arabic as "little warrior") is a famous American basketball player, Olympic champion, four-time NBA champion, NBA Most Valuable Player of 2000.

Biography

The famous basketball player was born on March 6, 1972 in Newark (New Jersey, USA). When Shaquille was still a child, his parents divorced and his mother, Lucille O'Neal, married Phil Harrison. Phil was in the military, so the family was constantly moving from place to place. Having become a famous basketball player, Shaquille O’Neal thanked his stepfather for helping and supporting him at the beginning of his sports career: “My father just gave me a basketball and allowed me to carry it with me. After that I ate, walked and slept with the ball. I even used it as a pillow."

In his youth, O'Neal played baseball and American football. But high growth (at 13 almost 2 meters) predetermined for him a career as a basketball player. When Shaquille turned 15, he and his family moved to San Antonio (Texas). Here he played basketball for the school team, but at the same time he was often too lazy to train. The stepfather undertook to return the varmint to the true path, after an educational conversation in the very first game, Shaq scored an incredible 52 points.

When his team became the state champion, many American universities wanted to see Shaquille in their ranks. In 1989, a young and incredibly talented athlete himself could choose where to study and entered the University of Louisiana, where the well-known basketball coach Dale Brown worked at that time. O'Neal almost immediately became No. 1 on the team. Big Daddy, to the surprise of everyone, has established himself as a technical basketball player, which is quite difficult for a person with such dimensions. Not infrequently, Shaq demonstrated strong speed, he simply intimidated many opponents with his size. Despite success in sports, the basketball player never forgot about his studies. Moreover, it was O'Neill who had the best academic performance in the team. However, the basketball player never graduated from the university.

In 1992 Shaquille O'Neal knew he was ready to play in the NBA. Therefore, he temporarily suspends his studies at the university and applies for a draft(the system for selecting athletes in some leagues in the US and Europe). In the rookie rankings, Shaq was number one and was selected by the weakest team of the 1991/1992 Orlando Magic season. The young team immediately offered O'Neal a long-term contract for seven years, for an incredible amount of $ 40 million for a beginner.

Already from the first games of the regular season, it became clear that the NBA hadnew super star. Endless accurate shots in every match, rebounds, slam dunks, block shots performed by Shaq became the hallmark of the Orlando Magic. In the first season, the basketball player signed sponsorship contracts with Reebok, Pepsi, Spalding. Already in his debut season, Shaq was selected to participate in the All-Star Game. At the end of the 1992/93 season, he was recognized as the best rookie of the season. Thanks in large part to the brilliant performance of the debutant, the Orlando Magic managed to significantly improve their positions in the championship, and only a few points did not allow the team to get into the playoffs in 1993.

For the Magic, the basketball player played 4 seasons. During this time, he twice led the team to the playoffs, but the team did not go beyond the conference finals. Realizing that it will be very difficult to become a champion with this team, Shaquille O'Neal, for an incredible $ 120 million, Promoted to the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers. Here the best years of the brilliant and legendary athlete passed.

In the summer of 1996, the New Jersey Giant participated in the Olympic Games that took place in Atlanta. Together with Scotty Pippen, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, the dream team confidently won gold medals, beating the Yugoslav national team in the final match with a score of 95:69.

O'Neal came to the Lakers at the same time as the equally famous Kobe Bryant. Their tandem has long been the best in the national association. For three long seasons, having enough great performers in the team, the team could not reach a high level. Therefore, the owners of the Lakers invited Phil Jackson to the post of head coach. It was under the guidance of this coach Shaquille O'Neal three times in a row (2000-2002) became the champion of the NBA. In 2000, with 120 votes out of 121 possible, the basketball player became the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the championship. In the same season, O'Neal became the most productive player in the NBA and the second most rebounds. On March 6, 2000, Shaquille set his personal NBA scoring record in one game. He scored 61 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.

In the early 2000s, Shaq really had no equal on the basketball court. But he had one drawback, which caused not only anger, but sometimes laughter from both teammates and rivals. Free throws he almost failed. In 2000, in a game with Seattle, O'Neal threw 11 free throws and never hit, setting an NBA anti-record. Many teams deliberately violated the rules on Shaquille, hoping for his helplessness when performing free throws.

In 2004, feeling that Kobe Bryant was gradually being pulled over by the Lakers’ leadership blanket, Shaka, who always wanted to be the first in everything, became uncomfortable in the team, and he moved to Miami Heat. With a new team, he in 2006, the fourth and last time, became NBA champion. In 2008, not so fast and agile, Shaq moved to the Phoenix Suns, a year later he became a player for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and ended his sports career with the Boston Celtics.

June 1, 2011, tormented by injuries, 39-year-old basketball player announced his retirement.

Over a nineteen-year period in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal has achieved brilliant results - a 4-time NBA champion, a 15-time All-Star, a member of the list of the 50 greatest basketball players in NBA history.

There are other interests in Shaq's life besides basketball. In 2005, he received an MBA from the University of Phoenix. May 6, 2012 became a doctor of science in the field of corporate training and personnel management. Music occupies a special place in the giant's life - O'Neill released several solo discs, sang along with Nate Dogg and Westside Connection. Also, the basketball player starred in more than 10 films.

O'Neal Shaquille

FULL NAME - RASHAN SHAKIL (born in 1972)

American basketball player. Three-time NBA champion (2000–2002). Olympic champion (1996), world champion (1994).

He is known as a musician and film actor and, of course, as the No. 1 center of modern basketball. With a height of 216 centimeters and a weight of 142 kilograms, O'Neal is hard to ignore. It's even harder to disrespect him. He is considered to be the heir to the fame of Michael George

Shaquille O'Neal was born on March 6, 1972 in the poor quarter of Newark. His full name - Shakil Rashan - is translated from Arabic as "little warrior". Shaquille had two brothers and a sister, and his parents constantly moved from place to place, because his father, Philip, was a military man. The childhood of the future NBA star took place in New Jersey, Georgia, and even in West Germany.

Constant moving from place to place did not give Shak the opportunity to establish long-term friendly contacts with peers. In addition, as a child, he was very clumsy because of his high growth, which caused constant ridicule. Having once again moved to a new place, Shaq, in order to gain the trust of children from neighboring streets, showed them how he can crack the alarm and enter the premises. The delight of the neighboring children knew no bounds, however, when the pranks were revealed, the boy got a great blow from his parents. So that the street would not have such a detrimental effect on his son, his father turned his attention to sports. Shaq tried his hand at American football, baseball, and finally decided to focus on basketball. However, as before, the main obstacle for him was his physique: too high growth and insufficiently developed muscles led to clumsiness in his movements. It was for this reason that in the ninth grade of the school he was expelled from the basketball team. Fortunately for Shaquille, this trouble coincided with the next move of his father. The family ended up in San Antonio, and Shaquille came to court in the local team. With his arrival, the team suddenly began to show simply phenomenal results. Having suffered only one loss this season, she won the conference championship, and Shaq averaged 32 points, 22 rebounds and 8 blocks per game!

This success made Shaquille believe in his own strength, and he continued to play basketball, but more seriously. He bombarded college basketball coaches with letters urging them to enroll him in the team, and, oddly enough, one of these letters had an effect. Louisiana State University decided to accept O'Neal, and for three years Shaq played on his basketball team. Neither the university nor Shaquille regretted it. Twice he was included in the American team of universities at the end of the championship in the student league, three times he became the first in the number of blocks made during the season. This was a repeat of the achievement of Charles Barkley, but the total number of block shots made by Shaq in the student league was a record - 412. Another achievement of the young basketball player was the title of the best player in the southeastern conference, which he received in 1992. Moreover, O'Neal was the first athlete from the University of Louisiana to win this title.

In 1992, after graduating from three university courses, Shaquille got into the draft, and he was chosen in the first round by the Orlando Magic club, and at the first number! Shaquille celebrated his debut year in the NBA by winning the title of “Best Rookie of the Season”. And at the end of the first week spent in the league, O'Neal was recognized as the best player - this achievement was unique in the NBA. He was also selected to play in the All-Star Game, which was a huge achievement for a league debutant. And in the second year, Orlando managed to get into the finals, which was a huge success for the team. True, in the final series, the Houston Rockets managed to take advantage of Shaquille's inexperience and won the championship title.

Along the way, O'Neill set a number of individual achievements. So, on November 20, 1993, in a match against New Jersey, he set a club record for block shots in one match - 15. In addition, this result repeated the league record. In the same game, Shaq scored 24 points and grabbed 28 rebounds (a career high for O'Neal), so that match was his first triple-double in the NBA.

The next two seasons, Shaq managed to hold out at the level he had previously set. He regularly appeared in the lists of the best players in the league for various individual indicators, was recognized as the best player at the end of the week and month. Even in the relatively unsuccessful 1995/96 season, the beginning of which Shaquille was forced to miss due to a hand injury, he managed to convince the audience after his return that the All-Star Game would not do without him.

That season was O'Neal's last with the Orlando Wizards. His contract ended, and Shaquille decided to move to California, to the legendary Los Angeles Lakers team. The basketball player was attracted by the stardom of the new team, and the proximity of Hollywood, which made it possible to try himself in the cinema, and, of course, the $ 120 million that Shaquille was supposed to receive for 7 years of playing for the California club. Before starting to play for the new club, O'Neill, as part of the Dream Team Olympic team, performed at the Atlanta Olympics, where the Americans, as expected, won gold medals. This was already the second medal of the highest category received by Shaquille at international forums; he won the first in 1994 at the World Championships, where the Americans also had no equal.

Due to injuries, Shaq was unable to fully play for the new team in the first season. However, even after missing about a third of the season's games, he set a number of individual achievements that allowed him to return to the All-Star Team. However, Shaquille missed this stellar performance for the first time in his career - the reason for this was a sprain in his left knee received a few days before the match.

The 1997/98 season brought O'Neal to second place in the league in scoring. He once again made the All-Star Team, and in the game against Portland, which took place immediately after this fight, Shaq scored the 10,000th point of his career. In league history, he ranked ninth in the number of appearances it took a player to reach that mark. In the same season, Shaq scored more than 30 points in four games in a row, thus repeating the achievement of Magic Johnson, dating back to 1986.

The real peak of Shaquille O'Neal's career came at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. Three seasons in a row, starting in 1999/2000 and ending in 2001/02, the Lakers became NBA champions. A team that achieves such an achievement is called a "dynasty" in the NBA, and there have only been four such teams in the history of the league.

The Lakers owe much of their success to coach Phil Jackson, who managed to rally the team in the name of achieving a common goal. The main strike force of the team was Shaquille O'Neal. All three seasons, he was recognized as the best player in the final series. O'Neill himself fully acknowledged Jackson's merits in the team's success and in his own. He said he was a stone without a rim before Jackson joined the team. And only following the instructions of the coach, who from the very beginning of his work at the club outlined a plan for O'Neill to improve his skills, he was able to give his game new colors. And now on his stellar fingers flaunt as many as three rings of the NBA champion.

Perhaps the only player who managed to at least occasionally restrain O'Neal in those years was Sacramento center Vlade Divac. It was thanks to the excellent game of the Yugoslav legionnaire from the Kings that on the way to the third championship, the Lakers had big problems in the fight with the Sacramento. That series ended with the victory of O'Neal and his team only in the final, seventh match. After him, despite the defeat, the main heroes of the league were precisely the Sacramento players - the only team that managed to seriously resist the seemingly invincible squad led by Phil Jackson.

Here it is necessary to say a few words about Shaquille's style of play. It is determined by his physical data, thanks to which Shaq often allowed himself to ignore the opponents trying to interfere with him. His favorite technique was as follows: having received the ball, O'Neal moved with him through to the ring. He didn't need fancy tricks like Abdul-Jabbar's skyhook, because the giant Shaq just needed to take another step or two towards the shield. It's not as easy as it seems at first glance. Without such inherent qualities of O'Neill as fearlessness and power, the ability to position and feel the game, without the ability to intimidate opponents and force them to part, he would not have been able to use his natural advantages so successfully. It is almost impossible to move Shaquille, as well as to stay on your feet when this huge man rushes at you with the ball in his hands. Defenders constantly beat him on the hands and feet, and not all blows were punished with fouls - otherwise, most of the matches involving Shaq would have ended ahead of time due to the removal of all the players of the opposing team. The NBA even has a term for defensemen: "Hack e Shaq," which can be translated as "Shaq slash." It was the tough play of the defenders that caused a large number of injuries, due to which Shaq was forced to miss many matches, and, ultimately, his premature aging. Nevertheless, all NBA observers without a doubt put O'Neal on a par with such great centers as Chamberlain or Abdul-Jabbar.

After the defeat in the final series of the 2003/04 championship from Detroit, Shaquille, unexpectedly for many, decided to leave the team. With just a year left on his contract with the Lakers, the prospect of O'Neal becoming a free agent didn't sit well with the club's owners. And after Phil Jackson left the post of Los Angeles coach, with whom all the team's successes were associated, Shaquille began to insistently demand that the club's management exchange him. In addition, he had a serious dispute for leadership in the team with the young and athletically impudent Kobe Bryant, and the club's management took the side of the younger and more promising Kobe. Shaq did not want to remain in the team on the sidelines and left.

The dispute for him was won by Miami, thus, at the end of his NBA career, Shaq ended up almost in the same place where he once started it - in Florida. In two seasons with the Miami Heat, O'Neal could earn $60 million - of course, if he plays until the end of his term.

In addition to constant performances on the basketball court, Shaquille manages to find time for show business. While still in Orlando, he released his first single as part of the Fuu Schickens rapper group. And the first full-fledged album called "Shaq Diesel" secured his rapper nickname for the basketball player O'Neal. Shaquille's most successful musical project was the Reverence album released in California, which brought him considerable income. The basketball player also owns several record companies and a clothing company.

Plus, Shaquille regularly acts in films. While playing in Orlando, he starred in the films KB-4 and Gambling. Four films with his participation have already been released in Hollywood: "Special Effects", "Kaazam" (in this film he played the role of a genie appearing ... from a tape recorder), "Steel Shak" and "Good Sandwich". And in the TV series "Cousin", which was released on the screens of America a few years ago, O'Neill acted as a director. It is unlikely that O'Neill's paintings belong to the category of masterpieces of cinematography, and the basketball player himself does not count on the Oscar. Rather, his film business is just a well-to-do man's attempt at entertainment...

But the participation of Shaquille, which has already become traditional, in the Christmas holidays held in orphanages, where he, in the role of Shaka Klaus, distributes sweets and gifts to children, is rather caused by memories, because his childhood was not as well-off as the life of his two daughters.

• Shaquille O'Neal's date of birth: February 17, 1963
• NBA teams: Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics
• Position: center
• Game number: 34
• Hobbies: reading, collecting old cars
• Where he lives: Mount Dora, USA
• Instagram Shaquille O'Neal: shaq, 6.8 million subscribers
• Net Worth: $400 million
• Personal life: On December 26, 2002, he married Shawnee Nelson. She filed for divorce in November 2009. Since 2010, she has been dating Nicole Alexander (Instagram -, 360 thousand subscribers)
• Children: three daughters (Takhira, Amira and Miara) and two sons (Sharif and Shakir)

Shaquille O'Neal

American professional basketball player who played for several National Basketball Association teams including the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat. Drafted first overall by the Magicians in the 1992 NBA Draft.

At the end of the debut season, he was recognized as the rookie of the year. In the 1994/1995 season, he reached the NBA Finals with Orlando. In 1996, as a free agent, he moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he became the champion three times in a row - in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In 2004, he was traded to the Miami Heat due to friction with Kobe Bryant, and in 2006 the Heat won the title.

In the course of the 2007/2008 season, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, and a year and a half later, to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He spent his final season with the Boston Celtics before retiring.

In 2000, he was recognized as the most valuable player of the season, three times he was recognized as the best player in the final series. 15 times selected to participate in the All-Star Game, three times became the MVP of such games. Eight times he was included in the first symbolic team of the season, twice - in the second, four times - in the third. In 1995 and 2000 he became the top scorer of the season.

In 1994, he was recognized as the most valuable player in the World Basketball Championship, which the US team won. He also became an Olympic champion in 1996 in Atlanta.

Shaquille O'Neal Highlights

We bring to your attention a selection of the ten best playing actions of Shaquille O'Neal from his career in the National Basketball Association.

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (Shaquille Rashaun O "Neal). Born March 6, 1972 in Newark (New Jersey). An outstanding American basketball player, actor.

Orlando Magic (1992-1996), Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004), Miami Heat (2004-2008), Phoenix Suns (2008-2009) and Cleveland Cavaliers (2009- 2010), as well as the Boston Celtics (2010-2011). Olympic champion (1996), world champion in 1994, 4-time NBA champion (2000-02, 2006). In 1996, he was included in the list of the 50 best players in the history of the NBA, and from the entire list he was the youngest. In addition, he was recognized as the most valuable player in the NBA in 2000, for 15 years (1993-2009) he took part in the All-Star Games, together with Wilt Chamberlain holds the Association record - 9 seasons (of which 5 in a row) with the highest percentage hits from the game. Shaquille O'Neal was named the MVP of the All-Star Game (NBA) three times in his career (2000, 2004, 2009). He currently works as a TV presenter and commentator on the sports channel TNT.

When Shaquille was 15 years old, he and his family moved to San Antonio (Texas). Playing for the school team, he became a state champion.

In 1989, O'Neal entered Louisiana State University, where famous basketball coach Dale Brown worked at the time. O'Neill almost immediately became the leader of the team. During his three years at the university, O'Neal was twice selected to the All-American All-American team, becoming a two-time SEC Conference Player of the Year and receiving the Adolf Rapp Award as NCAA Player of the Year in 1991.

O "Neal left Louisiana State University a year before graduation to continue his career in the NBA, but received a graduation diploma after he became a professional player. Later, Louisiana State University introduced O'Neal to the College Hall of Fame and installed a 400-pound a bronze statue of O "Neill in front of the building of the university sports hall. O'Neal played for the Louisiana State University varsity team from 1989 to 1992, becoming the only college alumnus to be named College Player of the Year.

In 1992, he stopped training when he left for the NBA's Orlando Magic. Only on December 16, 2000, Shaquille O'Neal received a diploma of higher education from the University of Louisiana.

On June 26, 2005, Shaquille O'Neal received an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from the University of Phoenix. The Miami Heat center was the most famous and highest alumnus of 2,200 graduating masters. At the time of his retirement, Shaquille was the only basketball player in the NBA with an MBA degree.

He was married to Shoni Nelson (now divorced). Has five children: two sons and two daughters with Shawnee Nelson and another daughter with his ex-girlfriend Arnetta.

After completing three years at Louisiana State University, Shaquille O'Neal was selected first overall in the 1992 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. The Wizards immediately offered O'Neal a seven-year, $40 million contract, a record for a league rookie. Later, O'Neal would team up with the Miami Heat along with second and third picks Alonzo Mourning and Christian Leittner. Summer, before the start of the season, Shaquille spent under the tutelage of a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame Magic Johnson.

The debut season was a success for Shaquille, he helped win Orlando 20 more wins than the previous one, but unfortunately the team lost its place in the playoffs to Indiana. in the 1992-93 season, O'Neal scored 23.4 points and made 13.9 rebounds, becoming the "best rookie in the NBA." In the same season, he made his debut at the All-Star Game and scored 14 points.

During the season, Shaquille was remembered for two incidents: during a game against the Phoenix Suns, O'Neal hit the ball from above with such force that he broke the supports of the basketball backboard. The second incident took place in New Jersey, when O'Neal's spectacular dunk knocked over a basketball backboard, breaking the 24-second clock.

The second season for O'Neal was more successful than the debut. After the draft, Anferney Hardaway came to Orlando, making up a powerful tandem with Shaquille, who averaged 29.3 points per game in the 1993-94 season. Shaq led the NBA in field goal percentage with 60%. With his help, the team got into the NBA playoffs for the first time in its history. On November 20, 1993, in a game against the New Jersey Nets, O'Neal recorded the first triple-double in his career: 24 points, 28 rebounds and 15 blocks. At the end of the season, he entered the third NBA All-Star Team.

In his third 1994–95 season, Shaquille O'Neal led the NBA in scoring and was selected to play in his third consecutive All-Star Game. O'Neal took second place in the voting for the title of the most valuable player of the regular season, losing to David Robinson. O'Neal, along with Hardaway, created one of the best duets in the league, thanks to which the team became the conference leader with 57 wins. The Magic won their first playoff series against the Boston Celtics in the 1995 NBA Playoffs. They then crushed Chicago in the Conference Semifinals and won the Atlantic Division Final against Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers. However, Orlando lost outright to the Houston Rockets in the final. According to O'Neal, in the series with Houston, despite his decent performance, he was beaten by a more experienced basketball player Hakim Olajuwon. Shaquille also noted that then for the second time in his life he cried (the first was due to the death of his grandmother). At the end of the season, he was named to the second NBA All-Star Team. O'Neal averaged 28 points, 12.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists in the then NBA playoffs.

In the 1995-96 season, O'Neal missed 28 games due to injury. Despite O'Neal's injuries, the Magicians finished the regular season 60-22, finishing second in the Eastern Conference behind Chicago, and the Bulls, in turn, ended the season with an NBA record for the most championship wins (72 On average, in a season per game, Shaquille scored 26.6 points and entered the third team of NBA stars, and also participated in the fourth all-star match for himself, scoring a record 25 points and 10 rebounds. easily defeated Detroit and Atlanta in the first two rounds of the 1996 NBA Playoffs, but in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Wizards lost to the future NBA champion, the Chicago Bulls. with a choice of where to continue your career.

In the summer of 1995, Shaquille joined the US Men's Basketball Team, winning gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

At the end of the 1995-96 season, O'Neal left the Orlando Magic and signed 7-year, $121 million contract with Los Angeles Lakers.

In 1999, Phil Jackson became the head coach of the team. Under his leadership and largely due to the concept of a triple offense, the Los Angeles Lakers team went on to three consecutive NBA titles in the 1999/00, 2000/01 and 2001/02 seasons.

O'Neal and Bryant came into their own on the court. Shaquille was recognized as the NBA Playoffs MVP for three years, while his average performance was the best for a center in the history of the NBA playoffs. Shaquille O'Neal won the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 1999-00 season with 120 votes out of 121 possible. In the same season, O'Neal became the most productive player in the NBA, second in rebounds and third in blocked shots. On March 6, 2000, Shaquille set a personal best in scoring against the Los Angeles Clippers with 61 points (24 field goals from 35 shots) and 23 rebounds.

On July 14, 2004, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. on Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a high level of future draft picks. The acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal in the 2004/05 season was one of the major acquisitions of the Miami Heat in the history of the club. After signing the contract, O'Neal promised the fans that he would bring the championship ring to Miami. On March 2, 2005, another experienced center Alonzo Mourning, who had recovered from his illness, was signed as a free agent. O'Neal gave up his number in the Lakers, reclaiming the #32 he wore while playing for the Magic. Miami ended the 2004/05 championship with the second-best record in club history with 59 wins, but lost to Detroit in the conference finals.

In August 2005, O'Neal extended the Heat's contract for 5 years for $100 million. Jason Williams, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker and James Posey came to Miami before the start of the season. In the second game of the 2005/06 season, O "Neil injured his right ankle and then missed the next 18 games. After the return of O'Neal, Stan Van Gundy resigned, citing family circumstances, and Pat Riley returned to the post of head coach of the team. After a not very successful start, Miami found its game and completed the regular season with 52 wins. 2006 offs O'Neal and Dwyane Wade led the Miami Heat to victory in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons (replay of the 2005 Conference Finals).

By reaching the NBA Finals for the first time and defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in it, Miami won its first championship title. Dwyane Wade was named Player of the Year.

The following season, O'Neal missed 35 games after injuring his left knee, undergoing surgery in November. The Heat struggled during O'Neal's absence and won seven of their eight games with his return. But misfortune pursued the team further: Wade soon dislocated his left shoulder. Weakened by injuries to their leaders O'Neal and Wade, the Heat managed only 44 wins and were eliminated from the championship race in the first round, the first such case in league history in 50 years.

Shaquille O'Neal signed a move from the worst club in the NBA of the 2007/08 season, the Miami Heat, to the Phoenix Suns coming in first place in the Western Conference. For O'Neal, Miami received forward Sean Marion and point guard Marcus Banks. O'Neil made his debut with the Suns on February 20, 2008 against his former Lakers team, scoring 15 points and 9 rebounds. The Lakers won 130-124. After the exchange, in Phoenix, O'Neal's statistics were 12.9 points average over 28 games (all starts). In two and a half years at Phoenix, the center earned about $50 million (the same money he would have received in Miami). The Suns lost in the first round of the playoffs.

On March 22, 2009, Shaquille O'Neal took fifth place on the list of the most productive basketball players in NBA history.

On June 25, 2009, the Phoenix Suns traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers. to Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovich, the 46th pick in the 2009 draft and a $500,000 cash settlement. For Phoenix, the trade cut player wage costs, and for Cleveland, the deal bolstered a front line whose weakness was a major reason for their loss in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals to the Orlando Magic and their powerful center Dwight Howard.

On February 25, 2010, O'Neal suffered a severe injury to his right big toe while attempting to cover a shot by Glen Davis against the Boston Celtics. He underwent surgery on his thumb on March 1 and returned to the court on April 17 in the first round playoff game against the Chicago Bulls. Since the retirement of Lindsey Hunter on March 5, O'Neal has become the oldest active player in the NBA.

O'Neill's stats hit bottoms across almost every major metric, taking on a much smaller role than in previous years. He played 53 games for Cleveland in 2009-10, averaging 12.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. In the playoffs, Cleveland came out on top with 61 wins in the regular season. The Chicago Bulls were beaten 4-1 in the first round, but the Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history not to reach the NBA Finals despite first seeding in two consecutive seasons. On May 13, the Cavaliers were eliminated from the playoffs, losing 4–2 to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In the playoffs, O'Neal averaged 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

On August 4, 2010, Shaquille O'Neal signed a two-year contract with the Boston Celtics., for the 2010/11 season he received $ 1.4 million. The contract was signed for 2 years on the terms of the veteran minimum for a total of $ 2.8 million. Before the start of the 2010/11 season in Boston, in addition to Shaquille, he decided to sign a contract with several centers at once: Jermain O'Neal and Semih Erden. On February 7, Boston traded an injured Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for young forward Jeff Green, center Nenad Krstic, and a first-round pick in the upcoming draft. Publicly, Shaquille stated that he did not want to take someone's place in the Celtics.

In the 2010/11 season, in addition to Shaquille, who missed a total of 43 games due to injuries to his right leg, knee, calf and thigh ligaments, and lower leg, Jermaine O'Neal missed 57 games, Delonte West 57 games, Kevin Garnett 9 games and Rejon Rondo 12 games. Only 35-year-old Ray Allen and 33-year-old Paul Pierce played in all 81 games. On April 3, O'Neal returned to the floor in a match against the Miami Heat, having played only five minutes. The lost game was his last in the regular season. Boston finished the regular season with 52 with 25 losses. In the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the New York Knicks in a series of four games. In the next round, Boston lost to the Miami Heat in a five-game series. O "Neal missed the first round of the 2011 playoffs, returned in the second round. His time on the floor was limited to 12 minutes in two games.

On June 1, 2011, Shaquille O'Neal announced his retirement from professional basketball through his Twitter account. On June 3, 2011, O'Neal held a press conference at his home in Orlando where he officially announced his retirement, explaining that he was retiring due to injuries.

Shaquille O'Neal is considered one of the best centers in NBA history. With a height of 2 m 16 cm and a weight of over 140 kg, he dominated under the rings, surpassing any opponent. In 1996, O "Neal was included in the list of the 50 best players in the history of the NBA, becoming the youngest representative there. For 15 years (1993-2009) he took part in the All-Star Games and, together with Wilt Chamberlain, holds the Association record - 9 seasons (of which 5 - in a row) with the highest percentage of hits from the field. One of the weaknesses of Shaquille were free throws. In 2000, in a game with Seattle, O'Neal made 11 free throws and never hit, setting NBA anti-record Many teams deliberately violated the rules on Shaquille, hoping for his helplessness when performing free throws, this tactic was called Hack-a-Shaq. During his career, Shaquille O "Neal spent more than 1,400 matches in the NBA, averaging 24 points per game and making 11 rebounds. On April 3, 2013, the Los Angeles Lakers retired number 34 by ceremonially lifting the jersey of their former center Shaquille O'Neal under the arches of the Staples Center. Shaquille O'Neal showed his eccentricity of character outside the basketball court - he recorded several rap albums and acted in films.

Interesting Shaquille O'Neal Facts:

Shaquille O'Neal's hands and feet are phenomenal in size, for example, according to the American system of shoe measurements, he has a foot size 23, which approximately corresponds to the size 60 in the European system of shoes.

Shaquille O'Neal had exhibition fights with world middleweight champions Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley, both losing on points.

His first and middle names, Shaquille Rashaun, mean Little Warrior in Arabic.

Shaquille O'Neal: “When I was 15 years old and I was already two meters tall, my father, an army sergeant, took me to his base to play basketball with the military. And they teased me: “Hey, bull, nothing will come of you, you will still go to serve in the army, like a father.” You won’t believe it, but after such raids, I went home and roared into the pillow.

On May 6, 2012, he became a doctor of science in corporate training and personnel management.

Recorded a track called Connected with famous artists Nate Dogg and Westside Connection.

Filmography of Shaquille O'Neal :

1994 - Gambling
1996 - Did you call the genie?
1997 - Excellent hamburger
1997 - Steel
2001 - Fuck you, Freddie
2001 - Wash
2001 - My wife and children - cameo
2004 - After Sunset
2006 - Very scary movie 4 - cameo
2008 - Boys like it
2009-2013 - Southland
2011 - Such different twins - cameo
2011 - Old New Year
2013 - Odnoklassniki 2 - Officer Fluso
2013 - The Smurfs 2 (voice)
2014 - Mixed

From an interview with Shaquille O'Neal:

“Would you rather fight a hundred duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck?”

With a duck the size of Shaka.

- Shaq, would you agree to star in the sequel to the film "The Genie Was Called?"

No, but I would love to star in the new film "Mr. Steel"

- How much food do you consume per day and what is your favorite?

My favorite food is pasta casserole and deep fried chicken.

- Favorite movie of all time?

- "Journey to America"

What other sports did you play as a child?

Baseball and American football.

What physical problems do you have to live with after so many years of professional basketball?

My only physical "problem" is that I'm still sexy.

- Do you still have the biggest bed in the world?

I had the biggest bed in the world, but then someone decided to argue with this, so I also doubled its size. Now my whole room is an ode to a big bed.

What kind of fans to talk during the game of abomination did you have to play against? Who was the most memorable and what did he say?

No one has ever tried to tell me nasty things, because they know that I would immediately knock out all my teeth.

Where would you be now if not for basketball?

Without basketball, I would probably be a military man or a policeman now.

You seem to enjoy everything you do. What advice would you give to people who would like to have the same attitude towards life, but their pessimism gets in the way?

I usually tell people, "Aim for the stars, but reach for Pluto."

The former center of the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA champion team, is very popular. Shaquille is 216 cm tall and weighs 143 kg.

Shaquille Rashawn Oneil was born on March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey. His father's name was Joseph Tooney and his mother was Lucille Oneil. Later, his parents divorced and his mother got married, so Shaquille spent some of his Childhood in Germany in Wildflecken, Bavaria. His stepfather was a military man, so the family often moved from place to place.

Already at the age of 13, he was 6 feet and 6 inches tall. Shaquille began to play in Germany, but then, taking seriously the game, he returned to America. This basketball genius entered the NBA after his first season at the University of Louisiana and was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic. The accolades that Shaquille received in his first year in the NBA have not yet been received by any newcomer. Therefore, it is not surprising that in 1993 he already became the “Rookie of the Year”. The following season, Shaquille averaged 29.3 points per game. Unfortunately, due to injuries in the 1995-1996 season, he did not play in as many as 28 games!

In 1996, after signing an incredibly lucrative contract, Oneil moved from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers for $120 million. It was with the Lakers that he forged one of the most lucrative partnerships in sports history with future superstar Kobe Bryant. But Shaq's injury did not give him the opportunity to play well, which means that the Lakers also played poorly. Finally, in 1999, with the arrival of head coach, Phil Jackson, things began to noticeably improve. The Lakers, led by Shaq and Kobe, won 3 NBA titles between 2000 and 2002. Despite the tremendous success, two significant players in the team fought for leadership. This ongoing dispute eventually led to the loss of the Lakers' reputation and the collapse of the collaboration between Shaquille and Bryant and the eventual sale of Oneal, after the Lakers were unable to continue the contract that Shaq felt he deserved.

In July 2004, Shaquille was officially sold in Miami. His arrival in Miami was confirmed in 2005: Oneil signed a 5-year, $100 million contract. Oneal continued his successful season with his new team, recording the second triple-double of his career against the Toronto Raptors with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in April 2006.

Shaquille Oneil, or: Shaq, Superman, Diesel, Big Aristotle, Shak Fu, Dr. Shaq is one of the most famous basketball players in the NBA, he is in the top 50 of the greatest players and ranked 9th in the top 75 NBA players in SLAM magazine. He also starred in films such as "Kazaam" and "Steel Shak". He also read rap and released a lot of CDs. Shaquille wants to complete his basketball career in September 2008 and complete his master's degree by the end of 2010.

Funny incidents in the life of Shaquille and interesting facts

He once broke his wrists while falling from a tree. He was just trying to imitate his favorite hero - Spider-Man! Also, according to the stories of his father, Phillip Harrison, Shaquille grew up very quickly. “Pants bought on Saturday may be too small next Friday,” Shaka's father recounted.

Once, in order to attract the attention of friends by any means, the young Shaquille showed the boys an incredible trick: he cracked the fire alarm. After that, he got a bunch of followers, but... later he was caught and got a hard hit from his father, so he switched to basketball.

Shaquille rose to prominence at 21. After debuting with the Orlando Magic in 1992, he signed a 13-million contract with Coca-Cola, a 15-million contract with Reebok.

Shaquille owns a mansion in Orlando, Florida. The mansion has a basketball court, a homemade cinema with two rows of chairs, a Superman symbol on the floor, a Widescreen TV and another Superman symbol on his blanket!