Shaquille O'Neal
The most dominant force in the paint. Shaquille O'Neal bent rims, won four titles and three straight Finals MVPs, then built a business empire and a sneaker line kids could actually afford.
Shaq at the line: Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
A giant with quick feet
Shaquille O'Neal was 7 foot 1 and well over 300 pounds, but what made him unstoppable was that he moved like a much smaller man. After three seasons at LSU, he went first overall to Orlando in 1992 and was Rookie of the Year. Early in his career his dunks shattered backboards and once collapsed an entire basket support.
By his third season, Shaq had led the Magic to the 1995 Finals.
At LSU he was a two-time All-American and a national player of the year in 1991 before leaving early for the pros. He later went back to finish his degree and eventually earned a doctorate in education.
Three-peat in Los Angeles
In 1996 he signed with the Lakers. Paired with a young Kobe Bryant and coached by Phil Jackson, Shaq won three straight championships from 2000 to 2002 and was Finals MVP all three times. His 2000 season, when he was named MVP and missed being unanimous by a single vote, is one of the most dominant years any center has had.
Opponents tried to stop him by fouling him, because his free throw shooting was famously shaky. The strategy got a nickname, Hack-a-Shaq.
Phil Jackson's triangle offense ran through him in the post. The Lakers fed him until defenses collapsed, then Kobe and the shooters punished them.
Miami and beyond
Traded to Miami in 2004, Shaq teamed with Dwyane Wade and won a fourth title in 2006. He later played for Phoenix, Cleveland and Boston before retiring in 2011, and he entered the Hall of Fame in 2016.
His number 32 is retired in Orlando and Miami, and his 34 hangs in Los Angeles, where a statue of him stands outside the arena.
He was a 15-time All-Star and won two scoring titles, in 1995 and 2000.
Size 22 and the people's shoe
Shaq's size 22 sneakers are museum pieces, literally: one of his giant signed shoes sits on display at the Naismith Hall of Fame. He started with a Reebok signature line in the 1990s, but his most lasting sneaker idea was the opposite of hype. His own Shaq brand shoes were sold at low prices in big-box stores so that kids could buy a signature shoe without spending a fortune.
After basketball, Shaq became a TV analyst, a restaurant and franchise investor and a DJ. For Fly Baller, he shows that a big personality is a business asset when it is backed by a real résumé.
- Shaq at the line: Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Shaq's shoe at the Hall of Fame: Rybak at German Wikipedia, Public domain
Text written by Fly Baller.
