One of the most physically dominating presences in the history of the NBA joins the Cavs. Welcome Shaquille O'Neal.
Shaq knows HOW to win. He will teach the Cavs HOW. Together, we will WITNESS History -- our 1st NBA Championships. And the 1st under Shaq's "WATCH."
Shaquille O'Neal Bio:
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal, born March 6, 1972, is an NBA Center for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has appeared in 1117 regular season games and has made 1108 starts in his 17-year NBA career. He has averaged 24.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.3 blocks, 0.60 steals and 35.7 minutes while shooting 58.2 percent from the field and 52.8 percent from the foul line.
Shaq was voted one of the 50 Greatest Players of all time. Before becoming a Cavalier, O'Neal played for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, and Phoenix Suns. While on the Suns, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, "Sasha" Pavlović, a 2010 second-round draft pick, and cash. Shaq has been voted to a record-tying 14 NBA All-Star Games. That streak ended in 2008. He was voted to the West All-Star Squad once again in 2009.
Shaq led Cole High School of San Antonio to a 68-1 record during his prep career, highlighted by a 36-0 mark and Class AAA state title his senior year. In that year, he recorded 791 rebounds, which remains the state record for any player in any one year.
O'Neal played three years at for the LSU Tigers (1990-92) before leaving after his junior year as an early entry NBA candidate. In his years at LSU, he recorded career averages of 21.6 points, 13.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 30.5 minutes in 90 games. While at LSU, O'Neal was a two-time All-American, two-time SEC player of the year. He also holds the NCAA record for blocked shots in a game with 17 blocks against Mississippi State on December 3, 1990. He was named college basketball’s Player of the Year by The Associated Press, following his sophomore year, when he averaged 27.6 points and an NCAA-leading 14.7 rebounds.
Although O'Neal left LSU early to pursue his NBA career, he returned to school in 2000 and received a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies. He was later inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame.
NBA career:
O'Neal was drafted as the 1st overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. O'Neal was named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year. In his second season, O'Neal teamed with newly-drafted Penny Hardaway, averaged 29.4 points and led the NBA in field goal percentage at 60%. He was also voted into another All-Star game and helped the Magic make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, where they were swept in the first round by the [[Indiana Pacers]]. On November 20, 1993, against the [[New Jersey Nets]], O'Neal registered the first triple-double of his career, recording 24 points to go along with career highs of 28 rebounds and 15 blocks. He also made the All-NBA 3rd Team.
In the summer of 1995, O'Neal was named to the United States Olympic basketball team, and was part of the gold medal-winning team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Los Angeles Lakers
After the 1995–96 season, it was announced that O'Neal would join the Los Angeles Lakers on a seven-year, $121 million contract. With the tandem of O'Neal and teenage superstar Kobe Bryant, expectations of Lakers increased. However, personnel changes was a source of instability during the 1998–99 season In 1999, the Lakers hired Phil Jackson as their new head coach, and the team's fortunes soon changed. Utilizing Jackson's triangle offense, O'Neal and Bryant went on to enjoy tremendous success on the court, as they led the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles (2000, 2001, 2002). O'Neal was named MVP of the NBA Finals all three times and has the highest scoring average for a center in NBA Finals history.
O'Neal was also voted the 1999–2000 regular season Most Valuable Player. O'Neal won the scoring title that year while finishing second in rebounds and third in blocked shots. Jackson's influence resulted in a newfound commitment by O'Neal to defense, resulting in his first All-Defensive Team selection (second-team) in 2000.
According to the book Madmen's Ball by Mark Heisler, the Lakers did eventually offer O'Neal a large contract in February 2004 under which he would have unquestionably continued to remain the highest paid player in the league. However, he reportedly refused after feeling his services were not needed.
After the Lakers' loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was angered by comments made by Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchek, as well as by the departure of Lakers coach Phil Jackson. O'Neal made comments indicating that he felt the team's decisions were centered on a desire to appease Bryant to the exclusion of all other concerns, and O'Neal promptly demanded a trade. Miami showed interest and gradually a trade agreement was made.
Miami Heat
Upon signing with the Heat, O'Neal promised the fans that he would bring a championship to Miami. He claimed that one of the main reasons for wanting to be traded to Miami was because of their up-and-coming star, Dwyane Wade. With O'Neal on board, the new-look Heat surpassed expectations, claiming the best record in the Eastern Conference. He averaged 22.9 ppg and 10.2 rpg, made his 12th consecutive All-Star Team, and made the All-NBA 1st Team. Despite being hobbled by a deep thigh bruise, O'Neal led the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals and a Game 7 against the defending champion Detroit Pistons, losing by a narrow margin. He also narrowly lost the 2004–05 MVP Award to Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash in one of the closest votes in NBA history.
In August 2005, O'Neal signed a 5-year-extension with the Heat for $100 million. Supporters applauded O'Neal's willingness to take what amounted to a pay cut and the Heat's decision to secure O'Neal's services for the long term. They contended that O'Neal was worth more than $20 million per year, particularly given that considerably less valuable players earn almost the same amount. Critics, however, questioned the wisdom of the move, characterizing it as overpaying an aging and often injured player.
In 2005–06, O'Neal finished the season as the league leader in field goal percentage; he joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players in league history to lead the league in field goal percentage nine times.
In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, the Miami Heat would go on to win their first NBA Championship. Led by both O'Neal and eventual NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, the 2nd seeded Heat defeated the defending Eastern Conference Champion and top-seeded Detroit Pistons in a rematch of the 2005 Conference Finals, and then defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals.
O'Neal put up considerably lower numbers compared to those he recorded during the 2005–06 regular season, but he twice delivered dominant games in order to close out a playoff series: a 30-point, 20-rebound effort in Game 6 against the Chicago Bulls in the first round, and a 28-point, 16-rebound, 5-block effort in Game 6 against the Pistons. It was O'Neal's fourth NBA title in seven seasons, and fulfilled his promise of delivering an NBA championship to Miami. At the victory celebration O'Neal declared another championship was on the way, saying, "We will see you again next year!"
In the 2006–07 season O'Neal reached 25,000 career points, becoming the 14th player in NBA history to accomplish that milestone.
Phoenix Suns
In the 2008–09 season O'Neal averaged 18 pt
