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Shaquille
O'Neal

Born Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal in Newark, New Jersey on March 6,
1972 the
NBA basketball superstar is
today familiar to millions of fans as Shaq, the 325 pound, 7'1'
player famous for backboard shattering dunks.
Although
born in the States, young Shaq spent most of his childhood in
Germany where his stepfather was stationed in the U.S. Army. It
was there that he learned to play basketball, later returning
to the U.S. playing for Louisiana State University, kicking off
a stellar basketball career.
Beginning
in 1992, he was signed with the Orlando Magic, helping the team
to a total 41 wins.
In
1996, he left Orlando to join the Los Angeles Lakers, and became
part of the gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic team in Atlanta, and
was later selected as one of the 50
Greatest Players in NBA History that same year.
He
later led the Lakers to to three consecutive
NBA titles beginning in 2000 and was named MVP of the NBA Finals
all three times.
In 2004, following
an NBA Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons, O'Neal asked to be
traded
to the Miami Heat.
The following
year, he was plagued by a thigh injury, but rebounded in 2006
to help his team to victory at the NBA
Finals in his fourth career NBA championship.
Off the court,
Shaq has starred or performed in a handful of Hollywood movies
including Kazaam, He Got Game, and a more recent
appearance in Scary Movie 4.
Divorce
News
In September,
O'Neal filed for divorce from wife Shaunie Nelson in a Miami court
saying that the marriage was "irretrievably broken,"
citing Shaunie's secretive financial dealings as a major
cause of the split.
The couple
married in 2002 and have four children, sons Shareef, 6, and Shaqir,
3, and daughter Amirah, 4. The youngest O'Neal, a daughter, was
born Me'arah Sanaa on May 2006. O'Neal has a daughter Taahirah,
9, and Nelson has a son Myles, 8, from previous relationships.
Trade News
Traded
to the Phoenix Suns in February 2008, it was announced that
the Suns had acquired O'Neal from the Miami Heat in exchange for
forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks. Often cited as the
reason for the trade is the star center's recent upheavals in
his personal life along with a recent hip injury, leading to a
less-than-stellar year for both O'Neal and his team.
Then came
the news in July 2009 that the Phoenix
Suns had agreed to trade Shaquille ONeal to the Cleveland
Cavaliers, joining NBA MVP LeBron
James in a blockbuster deal that promises a stellar year for
the Cavs going into the 2009-2010 season.
Shaq
Vs.
In August,
watch for Shaq to star in his own reality TV show that pits him
against top athletes in their own sports. The series promises
to show Shaq's athletic bravado against Steelers quaterback Ben
Roethlisberger, swimmer Michael
Phelps, retired boxer Oscar
De Lay Hoya, tennis star Serena
Williams, cycling champ Lance
Armstrong, and beach volleyball Olympians Misty
May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.
"Shaq
Vs." is set to premiere August 18 and will air Tuesdays at
9 ET/PT.
More about
Shaquille O'Neal around the Web:
NBA.com: Shaquille O'Neal Bio
- Photo, current and game-by-game stats, biography and printable
player profile.
Shaquille
O'Neal | Official Site of BBallOne.com - Biography, facts
and information, career stats and a total of six picture galleries
of the superstar in action.
Yahoo!
Sports - NBA- Shaquille O'Neal - Breaking news, photos,
stats and career profile.
Shaquille
O'Neal - Wikipedia - A full biography, career highlights,
photo.
also see ->
Basketball
| Teens Go One-On-One
with Shaq
|