Shaquille O’Neal Biography
Shaquille O’Neal is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA . O’Neal is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time. He played for six teams over his 19-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is a four-time NBA champion.
Shaquille O’Neal Age
He was born on 6th March, 1972, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Shaquille O’Neal Height
He stand at a height of 7 ft 1 in (216 cm)
Shaquille O’Neal Weight
He weighs 325 lb (147 kg)
Shaquille O’Neal Education
He earned his B.A. degree in general studies from Louisiana State University(LSU), with a minor in political science.
Shaquille O’Neal Nationality
He is an American nationality.
Shaquille O’Neal Ethnicity
He is of African American ethnicity.
Shaquille O’Neal Parents
O’Neal was born to Lucille O’Neal and Joe Toney, who played high school basketball and was offered a basketball scholarship to play at Seton Hall. Toney struggled with drug addiction and was imprisoned for drug possession when O’Neal was an infant. Upon his release, he did not resume a place in O’Neal’s life and instead agreed to relinquish his parental rights to O’Neal’s Jamaican stepfather, Phillip Arthur Harrison, a career Army sergeant.
O’Neal remained estranged from his biological father for decades; O’Neal had not spoken with Toney or expressed an interest in establishing a relationship. On his 1994 rap album, Shaq Fu: The Return, O’Neal voiced his feelings of disdain for Toney in the song “Biological Didn’t Bother”, dismissing him with the line “Phil is my father.”
However, O’Neal’s feelings toward Toney mellowed in the years following Harrison’s death in 2013, and the two met for the first time in March 2016, with O’Neal telling him, “I don’t hate you. I had a good life. I had Phil.
Shaquille O’Neal Siblings
O’Neal has three siblings, Ayesha, Jamal and Lateefah O’Neal. Ayesha was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2016 and in October of 2019, passed away from the cancer.
Shaquille O’Neal Wife
O’Neal married Shaunie Nelson on December 26, 2002. On September 4, 2007, O’Neal filed for divorce from Shaunie in a Miami-Dade Circuit court. Shaunie later said that the couple had gotten back together and that the divorce was withdrawn. However, on November 10, 2009, Shaunie filed an intent to divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
The couple has four children: Shareef (b. January 11, 2000), Amirah (b. November 13, 2001), Shaqir (b. April 19, 2003), and Me’arah (b. May 1, 2006). Nelson also has one son from a previous relationship, Myles. O’Neal has a daughter named Taahirah O’Neal (b. July 19, 1996) from a previous relationship with his ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh.
In summer 2010, O’Neal began dating reality TV star Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander. The couple resided at O’Neal’s home in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and later split in August 2012. O’Neal began dating Laticia Rolle, a model, originally from Gardner, Massachusetts, in early 2014. They later split in March 2018.
Shaquille O’Neal Children
Shaq has a total of six kids. Shaq had his first child Taahirah O’Neal with ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh, Taahirah was born shortly after they broke up. He then had four biological children during his relationship and subsequent marriage to Shaunie O’Neal. These children are Shareef, Amirah, Sharif and Me’arah O’Neal. In addition to that he raised and took care of Shaunie’s son from a previous relationship Myles B. O’Neal. He also looks after his nieces and nephews whenever necessary.
Shaquille O’Neal National Basketball Association
O’Neal played college basketball for the LSU Tigers, O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best centers in the league, winning Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 and leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals.
After four years with the Magic, O’Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. They won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, and his fourth NBA championship followed in 2006. Midway through the 2007–2008 season he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. After a season-and-a-half with the Suns, O’Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009–10 season. O’Neal played for the Boston Celtics in the 2010–11 season before retiring.
O’Neal’s individual accolades include the 1999–2000 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award; the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award; 15 All-Star Game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards; three Finals MVP awards; two scoring titles; 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections.
He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star Game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); the other players are Willis Reed in 1970 and Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998. He ranks 8th all-time in points scored, 6th in field goals, 15th in rebounds, and 8th in blocks.
O’Neal was honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all-time by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team in 1996. Due to his ability to dunk the basketball and score from close range, O’Neal also ranks third all-time in field goal percentage (58.2%).
O’Neal was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017. In October 2021, O’Neal was again honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all-time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
O’Neal has released four rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum. O’Neal is also an electronic music producer, and touring DJ, known as DIESEL. He has appeared in numerous films and has starred in his own reality shows, Shaq’s Big Challenge and Shaq Vs.
He hosts The Big Podcast with Shaq. He was a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings from 2013 to 2022 and is the general manager of Kings Guard Gaming of the NBA 2K League.
Shaquille O’Neal Television
O’Neal appeared on NBA Ballers and NBA Ballers: Phenom, in the 2002 Discovery Channel special Motorcycle Mania 2 requesting an exceptionally large bike to fit his large size famed custom motorcycle builder Jesse James, in the first Idol Gives Back in 2007, on an episode of Fear Factor, and on an episode of MTV’s Jackass, where he was lifted off the ground on Wee Man’s back. O’Neal was a wrestling fan and made appearances at many WWE events.
O’Neal and his mother, Lucille Harrison, were featured in the documentary film Apple Pie, which aired on ESPN. O’Neal had a 2005 reality series on ESPN, Shaquille, and hosted a series called Shaq’s Big Challenge on ABC.
O’Neal was pranked on the MTV show Punk’d when a crew member accused him of stealing his parking space. After O’Neal and his wife went into a restaurant, Ashton Kutcher’s crew members let the air out of O’Neal’s tires. O’Neal and the crew member then got into an altercation and after Kutcher told O’Neal he had been Punk’d, O’Neal made an obscene gesture at the camera.
O’Neal starred in a reality show called Shaq Vs. which premiered on August 18, 2009, on ABC. The show featured O’Neal competing against other athletes at their own sports. On July 14, 2011, O’Neal announced that he would join Turner Network Television (TNT) as an analyst on its NBA basketball games, joining Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley. He hosted the show Upload with Shaquille O’Neal which aired on TruTV for one season.
O’Neal joined the cast in the South Korean variety television show Off to School where he went to Seo Incheon High School. The show features various celebrities attending a selected high school as students for three days. The producer of the show, Kim No-eun said, “We’ve worked hard on our guest list this season, so Chu Sung Hoon will be appearing on a cable channel for the first time.
Shaquille O’Neal will be on the show as well. We succeeded in casting him after a lot of effort. O’Neal will be visiting Korea for a promotion and will be visiting the school on the last day. He will have lunch with the students. We’re even preparing a big match between Chu Sung Hoon and Shaquille O’Neal. We’re specially preparing a uniform for Shaquille O’Neal.” In October 2022, O’Neal signed a long-term contract extension with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports to continue as a host on Inside the NBA.
Shaquille O’Neal Music
O’Neal began to compose rap music in 1993. He released five studio albums and 1 compilation album. Although his rapping abilities were criticized at the outset, one critic credited him with “progressing as a rapper in small steps, not leaps and bounds”. His 1993 debut album, Shaq Diesel, received platinum certification from the RIAA.
O’Neal was featured alongside Michael Jackson as a guest rapper on “2 Bad”, a song from Jackson’s 1995 album HIStory. He contributed three tracks, including the song “We Genie”, to the Kazaam soundtrack. O’Neal was also featured in Aaron Carter’s 2001 hit single “That’s How I Beat Shaq”. Shaq also appears in the music video for the release.On October 23, 2021, O’Neal performed his first ever set as DJ DIESEL on the bassPOD stage at the 2021 Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Shaquille O’Neal conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra at the Boston Symphony Hall on December 20, 2010. O’Neal also started DJing in the 1980s at LSU. Currently, he produces electronic music and tours the world under the stage name, DIESEL and managed by Medium Rare. In July 2017, O’Neal released a diss track aimed at LaVar Ball, the father of NBA point guard Lonzo Ball. The three-minute song was released in response to Ball claiming him and his younger son LaMelo, would beat O’Neal and his son Shareef in a game of basketball.
Shaquille O’Neal Wrestling
O’Neal made several appearances in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994, including at the Bash at the Beach pay per view, where he presented the title belt to the winner of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship match between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. In July 2009, O’Neal served as the guest host for a live broadcast of WWE’s Monday Night Raw. As part of the show, O’Neal got into a physical altercation with seven-foot-tall wrestler Big Show.
In September 2012, O’Neal made a guest appearance on Total Nonstop Action Wrestling’s Impact Wrestling program, where he had a backstage segment with Hulk Hogan. O’Neal has made numerous appearances at televised events over the years for four different promotions. His favorite wrestlers are Tony Atlas, Junkyard Dog, André the Giant, and Brock Lesnar.
In April 2016, O’Neal participated in his first-ever match, when he was a surprise celebrity entry in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32. O’Neal eliminated Damien Sandow, and had another confrontation with Big Show before being eliminated himself by most of the other wrestlers.
In July at the 2016 ESPY Awards on the red carpet, Big Show and O’Neal had another brief confrontation. A match was proposed for WrestleMania 33, which O’Neal accepted. In January 2017, the two began calling each other out on social media, posting workout videos of themselves preparing for the potential match.
After weeks of discussion, the match was cancelled. According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the match was canceled due to monetary reasons, as both parties could not agree on a deal. Big Show later stated it was scheduling issues on O’Neal’s part that caused the cancellation.
On the November 11, 2020 episode of AEW Dynamite, Jade Cargill interrupted Cody Rhodes and teased the arrival of O’Neal in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He made a cameo appearance on Being The Elite and it was later confirmed that O’Neal had been appearing backstage at recent AEW tapings, including Full Gear.
He appeared on the December 9 episode of AEW Dynamite and addressed AEW in a sit-down interview with Tony Schiavone and Brandi Rhodes. At the end of the interview, O’Neal got water thrown on him by Brandi after telling her to get pointers from Cargill, who had broken Brandi’s arm several weeks ago.
On the March 3, 2021 episode of AEW Dynamite titled The Crossroads, O’Neal teamed with Jade Cargill to defeat Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. During the match, O’Neal paid tribute to Brodie Lee with his signature gesture and powerbomb and was driven through two tables by Cody, who hit O’Neal with a flying crossbody tackle as O’Neal was standing on the ring apron, knocking O’Neal through the tables that were set up at ringside.
Shaquille O’Neal House
Shaquille O’Neal had more relists (five) for his Florida home than NBA championships (four), but the big man finally sold the mega-mansion for $11 million. That’s a discount of roughly 60% compared with his original price of $28 million.
At 31,000 square feet, the Shaq-sized estate overlooks Lake Butler in the gated golf community of Isleworth outside Orlando, and the amenity list is as extensive as any in the country. There’s a 6,000-square-foot Miami Heat-themed basketball court, 17-car showroom, cigar room, wine cellar, custom theater, safe room, recording studio, aquarium adorned with hieroglyphics and a 95-foot-long swimming pool dubbed “Shaq-apulco.”
Elsewhere are 12 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and a grand foyer with dual mahogany staircases, tray ceilings and marble floors. The 44-foot-long office and primary suite with cheetah-print carpet both take in views of the water.
The four-acre grounds also include a tiki-style cabana and 700 feet of lakefront with a private dock. Gates and a 10-foot privacy wall guard the property, and for extra security, there are 15 cameras inside and 18 outside.
Records show he bought the property for $3.95 million in 1993.
Shaquille O’Neal Shoe Size
O’Neal’s size helped make him the basketball icon he is today, it also led to the former Los Angeles Lakers star struggling to find the right shoes when he was growing up. In fact, Shaq even tried putting his leather shoes in water at one point, hoping it would help them grow.
Like his height and muscle-filled frame, Shaq’s shoes are huge. The 15-time All-Star wears a size 22.
But while he didn’t have to worry about finding sneakers that fit him throughout his NBA career, O’Neal did as a kid. And he later helped a 13-year-old buy size-18 kicks because of it.
“Mom couldn’t afford shoes. The kid had big feet,” O’Neal said to WGCL-TV in 2019 after buying the kid 10 pairs of shoes, per the Los Angeles Times. “That used to be me, my mom, and my dad.”
Since his parents couldn’t afford to buy him the coolest sneakers when he was younger, Shaq said he at one point had to “cut grass, walk dogs, [and] babysit” for money so that he could buy some Air Jordans.
Shaquille O’Neal Movie
Shaquille featured in Kazaam, it is a 1996 fantasy comedy family film. It was directed by Paul Michael Glaser, written by Christian Ford and Roger Soffer based on a story by Glaser, and starring Shaquille O’Neal as the title character, a 5,000-year-old genie who appears from a magic boombox to grant a 12-year-old boy three wishes.
O’Neal is one of the first African Americans to portray a major comic book superhero in a motion picture, having starred as John Henry Irons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Steel. He is preceded only by Michael Jai White, whose film Spawn was released two weeks before Steel.
He voiced animated versions of himself on several occasions, including in the animated series Static Shock (2002; episode “Static Shaq”), in Johnny Bravo (1997; episode “Back on Shaq”), in Uncle Grandpa (2014; episode “Perfect Kid”), and in The Lego Movie (2014). He also had a voice over role in the 2013 film The Smurfs 2.
O’Neal appeared as himself on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, bedridden after Larry David’s character accidentally tripped him while stretching, and in two episodes each of My Wife and Kids and The Parkers. He appeared in cameo roles in the films Freddy Got Fingered, Jack and Jill and Scary Movie 4. O’Neal appeared in the 311 music video for the hit single “You Wouldn’t Believe” in 2001, in P. Diddy’s video for “Bad Boy for Life”, the video for Aaron Carter’s “That’s How I Beat Shaq”, the video for Owl City’s “Vanilla Twilight” and the video for Maroon 5’s “Don’t Wanna Know”.
O’Neal appeared in the movie CB4 in a small “interviewing” scene. O’Neal appeared in a SportsCenter commercial dressed in his Miami police uniform, rescuing Mike the Tiger from a tree. O’Neal reportedly wanted a role in X2 (2003), the second installment of the X-Men film series, but was ignored by the filmmakers. O’Neal appeared as Officer Fluzoo in the comedy sequel Grown Ups 2.
Shaquille O’Neal Investments
O’Neal is also an active businessman and investor. He was an active bond investor in the early 1990s but continued to wade into stocks and made investments in various companies such as General Electric, Apple, and PepsiCo. He described what has worked best for him in stock investing was where he felt a personal connection with the company.
He has also been an active real estate entrepreneur. O’Neal was looking to expand his business ventures with real-estate development projects aimed at assisting Orlando home owners facing foreclosure.
His plans involved buying the mortgages of those who had fallen into foreclosure and then selling the homes back to them under more affordable terms. He would make a small profit in return, but wanted to make an investment in Orlando and help out homeowners.
In conjunction with Boraie Development, O’Neal has developed projects in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, including, CityPlex12 and One Riverview. O’Neal is on the advisory board for Tout Industries, a social video service startup company based in San Francisco.He received the position in return for breaking news of his NBA retirement on the service.
In September 2013, O’Neal became a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings. In January 2022, O’Neal sold his stake in the Kings. In June 2015, O’Neal invested in technology startup Loyale3 Holdings Inc., a San Francisco brokerage firm whose website and mobile app enables companies to sell a piece of their IPOs directly to small investors who put up as a little as $100 and also allows investors to regularly buy small amounts of shares in already public companies.
O’Neal is an investor for esports team NRG Esports. He has also appeared in television commercials promoting the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive league ELeague. In late 2016, O’Neal purchased the Krispy Kreme location at 295 Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta. O’Neal is also the global spokesperson for the company.
In 2018, O’Neal created his part music festival, circus and carnival, Shaq’s Fun House, in partnership with Medium Rare, which is held annually. The event usually features celebrity DJs and performers. In early 2019, O’Neal joined the Papa John’s board of directors and invested in nine stores in the Atlanta area. In addition, he became the spokesperson for the company as part of the three-year contract.
In 2021, O’Neal, among other high-profile athletes and celebrities, was a paid spokesperson for FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange. In November 2022, FTX filed for bankruptcy, wiping out billions of dollars in customer funds as well as O’Neal’s personal stake in the company. He, alongside other spokespeople, is currently being sued for promoting unregistered securities through a class-action lawsuit.
Shaquille O’Neal Video Games
O’Neal starred in Shaq Fu, a fighting game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis. A sequel, Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, was released in 2018. O’Neal also appeared in Backyard Basketball in 2004, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 as a playable boxer, and as an unlockable character in Delta Force: Black Hawk Down. O’Neal was also an unlockable character in UFC Undisputed 2010.
O’Neal was featured on the covers of video games NBA Live 96, NBA 2K6, NBA 2K7, NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC, NBA Hoopz, and NBA Inside Drive 2004. O’Neal appeared in the arcade version of NBA Jam (1993), NBA Jam (2003) and NBA Live 2004 as a current player and as a 1990s All-Star.
Shaquille O’Neal Salary
PAST SALARIES
SEASON TEAM SALARY
2010/11 Boston Celtics $1,352,181($1,838,213*)
2009/10 Cleveland Cavaliers $20,000,000 ($27,475,254*)
2008/09 Phoenix Suns $21,000,000 ($28,437,406*)
2007/08 Phoenix Suns $20,000,000 ($28,443,307*)
2006/07 Miami Heat $20,000,000 ($29,207,589*)
2005/06 Miami Heat $20,000,000 ($30,468,997*)
2004/05 Miami Heat $27,696,430 ($43,261,765*)
2003/04 Los Angeles Lakers $24,749,999 ($39,922,139*)
2002/03 Los Angeles Lakers $23,571,429 ($38,824,200*)
2001/02 Los Angeles Lakers $21,428,572 ($35,671,469*)
2000/01 Los Angeles Lakers $19,285,715 ($33,147,154*)
1999/00 Los Angeles Lakers $17,142,858 ($30,563,281*)
1998/99 Los Angeles Lakers $15,000,000 ($27,267,883*)
1997/98 Los Angeles Lakers $12,857,143 ($23,766,144*)
1996/97 Los Angeles Lakers $10,714,000 ($20,259,579*)
1995/96 Orlando Magic $5,700,000 ($11,075,230*)
1994/95 Orlando Magic $4,800,000 ($9,610,086*)
1993/94 Orlando Magic $3,900,000 ($8,002,859*)
1992/93 Orlando Magic $3,000,000 ($6,340,463*)
Total $292,198,327 ($473,583,018*)
Shaquille O’Neal Net Worth
His net worth is estimated to be USD 400 million.
Shaquille O’Neal Instagram
DR. SHAQUILLE O’NEAL Ed.D. (@shaq)
