SHAQUILLE O'NEAL
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (Newark, March 6, 1972) is a sports commentator on the TNT television channel and a former American basketball player who served as a pivot. Measuring 2.16 m, Shaq, as he became popularly known, is officially listed as one of the greatest players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and often described by experts and sports enthusiasts as one of the most dominant players in the history of the League .
Early life
O'Neal stayed away from his biological father for decades; O'Neal had not spoken to Toney or expressed
an interest in establishing a relationship. On his 1994 rap album, Shaq Fu: The Return, O'Neal expressed
his disdain for Toney in the song "Biological Didn't Bother", dismissing him with the phrase "Phil is my
father". However, O'Neal's feelings towards Toney softened in the years after Harrison's death in
013, 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. "
O'Neal credits the Boys and Girls Club of America in Newark with a safe place to play and meet outside
the streets. "It gave me something to do," he said. "I was just going to shoot. I didn't even play in
a moment." Because of his stepfather's career in the army, the family left Newark, moving to military
bases in Germany and Texas.
high school
At Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas, O'Neal led his team to a 68-1 record in two years and helped the team win the state championship during their senior year. His 791 rebounds during the 1989 season remain a state record for a player in any classification. O'Neal's tendency to throw hooks drew comparisons to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, inspiring him to wear the same shirt number as Abdul-Jabbar, 33. However, his varsity did not have a 33 shirt, so O'Neal chose to wear 32 before college.
College
He entered Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1989, aged 18, to study business. In his first season at
LSU, O'Neal averaged 13.9 points and 12 rebounds per game. During the holidays, he competed in the National
Sports Festival, a competition that brought together the country's top amateur athletes. Against players up
to four years older, Shaquille averaged 24.5 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, making him the most valuable
player in the tournament.
He showed great physical improvement in his second season at LSU, related to the height of his jump. In his first year at university,
he jumped 40.6 centimeters; in the second, he increased the vertical span of his jump to one meter. The center pivot became the
centerpiece of LSU's offensive game and was chosen co-captain of the team. Shaquille became one of the NCAA's most dominant players,
leading the university league in rebounds, with 15.2 per game. In addition, he was the sixth best in points (28.5 per game), fourth in
stumps (4.8) and 14th in using pitches (63.9%)
In 1991, Dale Brown enlisted two renowned former NBA players to help Shaquille's growth: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill
Walton. Kareem taught Shaq his famous sky hook, while Walton taught him offensive moves and blocking techniques.
Walton was impressed by Shaq's ability: "He reminds me of Charles Barkley. Shaquille has that quick, uncontrollable
explosion, like Barkley. It's a brute force that you can't get in the weight room. It comes from somewhere else,
deep down in your soul. The boy must have the physical talent and personal discipline to be the best of all.
During his three seasons at LSU. The center also collected numerous individual distinctions: in 1991 and 1992, he was
elected the Southeast Confederation's Player of the Year and included in the first All-American team, which included
the best amateur basketball players in the country. In 1991, Shaquille received the Adolph Rupp Trophy, awarded by
the Associated Press to the best player in the university league and the award for best amateur athlete in the world,
offered by Tanqueray. The pivot also set a series of records, both in the league and at LSU, which included him in his
team of the century and in the university Hall of Fame.
His time at the university was immortalized in two ways: in 2009, LSU retired the 33 shirt, worn by O'Neal during his
time with the team, and in 2011, inaugurated a full-size bronze statue of the pivot.
NBA career
Orlando Magic
Shaq was drafted by Orlando Magic as the first overall choice for the 1992 NBA draft. The official Magic website describes
the occasion as "the most important day in the franchise's history."
O'Neal's accomplishments in his first year in the NBA did not stop there: The pivot became the first rookie to score 1,000
points and catch 1,000 rebounds in a season since Buck Williams in season 1981-82. By the end of the 1992 season, Shaq had scored
1,893 points, setting a new franchise record. He was also the only player in the entire league to be ranked among the first placed
in four categories: he was the second biggest bouncer (with only ten rebounds difference to the first placed, Dennis Rodman), the
third to distribute more blocks. , fourth in use of pitches and eighth in points scored.
In his second season in the NBA, Shaq improved his offensive game and averaged 29.4 points per game (the second best of the season,
behind only Spurs' David Robinson) and led the league in taking advantage of pitches with 59.9 %.
Los Angeles Lakers
On July 18, 1996, O'Neal signed a seven-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, valued at $ 120 million. For Jerry West, who at the time was the general director of the franchise and was primarily responsible for hiring, the acquisition of Shaq for the Lakers was comparable to the birth of his own children.
Consecutive titles
In 1999, the Los Angeles Lakers fired Kurt Rambis from the position of coach of the team. The one chosen to replace him was Phil Jackson,
who had won six league titles with the Chicago Bulls.
Phil Jackson's arrival in Los Angeles changed the fortunes of the Lakers - and Shaq. In the 1999-2000 season, the pivot averaged 29.7
points in 57.4% of success in pitches, in addition to 13.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game during the regular season. For his
performance, Shaq was chosen by 120 out of 121 voters as the most valuable player in the league. Shaq was nominated for the best
quintet in the NBA, for the second Best Defensive Quintet and played again in the Game of the Stars, being elected the Most Valuable
Player of the confrontation, scoring 22 points and catching nine rebounds.
In the playoffs, the Lakers won the Sacramento Kings 3-2,
the Phoenix Suns 4-1 and won the Western Conference title with a 4-3 over the Portland Trail Blazers. That season, the pivot had the
best playoff averages of his entire career: there were 30.7 points in 56.6% of use in pitches, in addition to 15.4 rebounds and 2.4
blocks per game. The Lakers beat Indiana Pacers 4-2 in the finals and won the title of the season.
That, however, was only Shaquille O'Neal's first big season. In the 2000-01 season, the pivot averaged 28.7 points in
57.2% of use in pitching, 12.7 rebounds. 2.8 stumps and 3.7 assists per game during the regular season. Of the 74
games played by Shaq this season, he has accumulated doubles to doubles in 60 of them. The pivot led the league in
taking advantage of pitches (57.2%) and was the third highest scorer, with 2,125 points scored. Shaq was again
included in the NBA's Best Quintet and the second Best Defensive Quintet.
Against MVP Allen Iverson's Sixers, the Lakers confirmed their positive track record that season and won their second
consecutive NBA title by winning the series 4-1.
Um mês antes do início dos treinamentos para a temporada de 2001-02, Shaq foi submetido a uma cirurgia para corrigir
uma deformação em um dos dedos de seu pé, mas mesmo após a cirurgia, o problema continuava o incomodando.
Nas finais, a franquia teve vida mais fácil: venceu a série contra o New Jersey Nets por 4—0 e conquistou o seu
terceiro título da NBA em três anos consecutivos. Pelo terceiro ano consecutivo, também, Shaquille O'Neal recebeu
o troféu de jogador mais valioso das finais, com médias de 36.3 pontos, 12.3 rebotes, 2.5 tocos e 3.8 assistências
por jogo.
Foi a segunda vez na história que um jogador conquistava o prêmio neste intervalo de tempo — o primeiro havia sido
Michael Jordan, entre 1991 e 1993.
Miami Heat
Em 14 de julho de 2004, O'Neal, 32 anos, foi trocado para o Miami Heat por Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant
e uma futura primeira escolha do draft. Para Pat Riley, presidente do Heat, a franquia estava adquirindo o melhor
jogador da liga: "Hoje o Miami Heat deu um gigantesco passo à frente em nossa contínua busca por um título da NBA.
In August 2005, he signed a renewal of the contract with the Heat for another five seasons, with salaries of 100
million dollars.
When O'Neal was close to returning to the courts after a knee injury, Heat coach Stan Van Gundy resigned, alleging
family issues; Shaq, however, was cited as one of the likely responsible for the coach's fall. "They said that I
would not play for him and that I would wait until he left to play again.
It was the first time in his career that the pivot had less than ten rebounds per game. Subsequently, Shaq went
on to declare that "Statistics don't matter. I care about winning, not statistics.
During the playoffs, Shaq averaged 18.4 points in 61.2% of shooting use, 9.8 rebounds, 1.4 stump and 1.7 assist
per game. The Heat passed Chicago Bulls (4-2), New Jersey Nets (4-1) and won the conference title by beating the
Detroit Pistons 4-2. "No other time has given us any fear," he later defined. In the finals, however, the franchise
encountered difficulties against the Dallas Mavericks, who started with two wins in the series. The Heat, however,
won four games in a row and won the unprecedented NBA title.