O'Neal, plagued by injuries the past few seasons decided his body could no longer endure the rigors of professional basketball. He iinitially announced his retirement via social media, stating, "We did it. Nineteen years baby. I want to thank you very much, that's why I'm telling you first, I'm about to retire. Love you, talk to you soon."
O'Neal statistics during the prime of his career were astonishing. He retires fifth all-time with 28,596 points, 12th with 13,099 rebounds.
His career also included four NBA Championships: three with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Miami Heat. The playful giant also received numerous individual awards, including, Rookie of the Year (1993), Three-time NBA Finals MVP (2000-2003), NBA MVP (2000) and 15 all-star selections.
Bio: Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal
Born: March 6, 1972, Newark, N.J.
Position: Center
Height: 7-1; Weight: 330 pounds
NBA career: 19 seasons (15 as All-Star) with six teams
Nicknames: Shaq, The Diesel, Shaq Fu (rap name), The Big Daddy, Superman, The Big Agave and The Big Cactus and The Big Shaqtus (with the Suns), The Big Galactus, Wilt Chamberneezy, The Big Aristotle, The Big Baryshnikov, The Real Deal, Dr. Shaq (after earning his MBA), The Big Shamrock and The Big Leprechaun (with the Celtics), and The Big Conductor (after leading the Boston Pops), and finally The Big 401(k).
HIGH SCHOOL CAREER - 1987-89
Attended Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas. ... Career record was 68-1. ... Cole was 36-0 and won Class AAA state championship in 1989. ... First-team Parade All-American in 1989. ... Averaged 32.1 points, 22 rebounds and eight blocks per game for the Cougars. ... MVP of the McDonald's All-Star Classic.
Signed with LSU in 1989. ... Played three seasons for Coach Dale Brown. ... Was two-time All-American, two-time SEC player of the year and received the Adolph Rupp Trophy as player of the year in 1991. ... Left after junior season to enter NBA draft. ... Started 86 of 90 games, averaging 21.6 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.6 blocks while shooting 61 percent from the field. ... A member of LSU Hall of Fame and the school's All-Century Basketball Team. ... Returned to school in 2000 and received a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies. ... Fourth LSU athlete to have his number retired (No. 20 Billy Cannon, No. 23 Pete Maravich, No. 55 Bob Pettit). ... Will be honored with statue in front of LSU practice facility later this year.
NBA CAREER - 1992-2011
Drafted: No. 1 overall by Orlando Magic in 1992, ahead of Alonzo Mourning (Hornets) and Christian Laettner (Timberwolves). ... Signed multiyear deal worth about $40 million.
Orlando Magic (1992-96)
Averaged 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks en route to winning NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1993. ... Became first rookie to be voted an All-Star starter since Michael Jordan in 1985. ... Improved the Magic's record to 41-41, 20 more wins than previous season. ... Recorded first triple-double with 24 points, 28 rebounds and 15 blocks Nov. 20, 1993, against the Nets. Improved scoring average to 29.4 points (second in the league to David Robinson) while leading the NBA in field-goal percentage (60). Swept by Pacers in first round of playoffs. ... Won a gold medal at the 1994 World Championships in Toronto. ... In third season, O'Neal's led NBA in scoring (29.3) and was second in MVP voting to Robinson. Won first playoff series against Celtics in 1995 en route to reaching Finals, but was swept by defending champion Houston. ... In final season in Orlando, O'Neal missed 28 games with injuries. Averaged 26.6 points and 11 rebounds, but was swept by Jordan's Bulls in Eastern Conference finals. ... Won gold medal at 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004)
O'Neal, a free agent, left Magic and signed a seven-year, $121-million contract with Lakers. Los Angeles won 56 games his first season, but he missed more than 30 games because of injuries. Lakers were eliminated by Jazz in five games in playoffs. .... Named one of the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1997. ... Lakers were swept by Jazz in O'Neal's second season in L.A. ... During strike-shortened season in 1998-99, Lakers fell to eventual champ San Antonio in the second round of the playoffs. ... In 1999, Phil Jackson came aboard as head coach. Teaming with Kobe Bryant, O'Neal led Lakers to three consecutive titles (2000, 2001 and 2002) and was Finals MVP all three times. ... But a rift developed between O'Neal and Bryant, and ownership was non-committal on re-signing O'Neal. After 2004 Finals loss to Pistons, O'Neal was traded to Miami.
Miami Heat (2004-08)
On July 14, 2004, Heat obtained O'Neal from Lakers for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and future first-round draft choice. In his first season with Dwyane Wade, O'Neal averaged 22.9 points and 10.4 rebounds as Miami claimed best record in Eastern Conference. But Heat fell to Pistons in Game 7 of the conference finals in Miami. ... In August 2005, O'Neal signed five-year extension for $100 million. Miami, after Pat Riley replaced Stan Van Gundy as coach, beat the Mavericks to win its first NBA title and O'Neal's fourth. ... O'Neal missed 35 games in 2006-07 season as Miami was swept in first round of playoffs. ... The next season, with O'Neal slowing down, the Heat started 9-37.
Phoenix Suns (2008-09)
Acquired O'Neal at midseason in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. O'Neal made debut Feb. 20, 2008, against Lakers and scored 15 points with nine rebounds, though Phoenix lost, 130-124. In 28 regular-season games, O'Neal averaged 12.9 points and 10.6 rebounds, but Phoenix lost to Spurs in the playoffs' first round. ... In 2009, O'Neal was All-Star Game co-MVP with Bryant. It was his last All-Star appearance as a player. ... On Feb. 27, 2009, O'Neal turned backed clock to score 45 points and grab 11 rebounds, his 49th career 40-point game, in a 133-113 win over the Raptors.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-10)
On June 25, 2009, O'Neal was traded to Cavaliers for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, $500,000 and a 2010 second-round draft pick. He said his goal in Cleveland was to "win a ring for the King," referring to LeBron James. O'Neal missed six weeks late in the season after thumb surgery. Cavaliers lost to Celtics 4-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Boston Celtics (2010-11)
On Aug. 4, 2010, Celtics announced they signed O'Neal to a two-year contract at veteran minimum salary, $2.8 million. Hawks and Mavericks also expressed interest. O'Neal missed myriad games with injuries during regular season and missed first round of playoffs and was limited to 12 minutes in two games in second round against Heat, which eliminated Boston in five games. ... Announced his retirement June 1, 2011. ... Career earnings on the court $292 million.
Movie credits: Starred in "Kazaam" and "Blue Chips," made a cameo in "He Got Game."
Rap albums: "Shaq Diesel," "Shaq Fu: Da Return," "You Can't Stop the Reign," "Respect" and a greatest hits album.
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