Table of Biography
Shaquille O’Neal is a retired professional American basketball player, sports analyst as well as an actor. Shaquille O’Neal is famous as a former rapper who has released four rap albums and his first album went platinum. After his retirement, he hosts The Big Podcast with Shaq show and is an analyst on the television program Inside the NBA at the present.
Early Life and Childhood
Shaquille O’Neal is currently 51 years old. He was born on 6 March 1972, in Newark, New Jersey. His birth name is Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal and his birth sign is Pisces. His father’s name is Lucille O’Neal and his mother’s name is Joe Toney. Shaq’s father was a drug addict and was arrested for drug possession. His father never returned to his life and gave parental rights to Phillip A. Harrison as a stepfather who was an Army sergeant. Likewise, he holds an American nationality and ethnicity of African- American ethnicity.
Reflecting on his educational history, he attended Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas where he was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald’s All-Americans. After graduation, he joined Louisiana State University.
Shaquille O’Neal – Professional Life
Talking about the professional career of Shaquille O’Neal started his professional basketball career in 1992 and retired in 2011. However, he started playing basketball professionally after being selected by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA draft. In his first week, he was named the Player of the Week for the first time as a player to do so. Likewise, he became a free agent in 1996 and announced that he would sign a seven-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $121 million. Also, he was a member of the gold medal-winning United States Olympic basketball team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Later he got suspended without paying but fined $15,000 after punching Brad Miller to prevent a basket.
Moreover, Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat on 14 July 2004, and he signed a five-year contract extension with the Heat in August 2005. Further, he has also missed most of his matches due to his injury to his left knee which required surgery. In February 2008, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. On 25 June 2009, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and soon left the team to join the Boston Celtics in 2010. At last, he officially announced his retirement from the NBA on 3 June 2011.
Caption: Shaquille O’Neal with the late Kobe Bryant at the court (Source: The Ringer)
Career in Acting
Besides his NBA career, he is also an actor as well as an analyst. He has made an appearance in movies including Grown Ups 2, Scary Movie 4, Steel, and much more. He also got the country record of Tallest Sheriff’s Deputy. Likewise, he is also a rapper whose first album Shaq Diesel went Platinum.
Furthermore, he starred in his reality shows, Shaq’s Big Challenge and Shaq Vs. He also hosts The Big Podcast with Shaq. Also, he is the general manager of Kings Guard Gaming of the NBA 2K League. Likewise, he is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA on TNT.
Music career
O’Neal began to compose rap music at the beginning of 1993. He issued five studio albums and 1 compilation album. Although his rapping abilities got lots of criticism at the outset, one reviewer credited him with “progressing as a rapper in small steps, not leaps and bounds”. He released his first 1993 debut album, Shaq Diesel, which received platinum certification from the RIAA.
Likewise, he gained huge success with tracks such as ‘I’m Outstanding’ and ‘Let me in, Let me in’ in the album. Though it got mostly negative reviews, it attained number 25 on the Billboard 200. Eventually, it led to platinum status the next year.
Moreover, his third and fourth albums, ‘You Can’t Stop the Reign’, and ‘Respect’, were released in 1996 and 1998 respectively. While his third album peaked at number 82 on the Billboard 200, his fourth album did better and peaked at number 58. Further, he composed the fifth album as well, named ‘Shaquille O’Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1’. Unfortunately, he did not release though it was set to.
Shaquille O’Neal – Lifetime Achievements and Awards
Shaquille O’Neal has achieved many awards for his hard work. Likewise, he has received the NBA Most Valuable Players Award (2000), NBA Finals Most Valuable Players Awards (2002, 2001, 2000), NBA Rookie Of The Year Award (1993), NBA All-Defensive Team (2003, 2001, 2000), SEC Player Of The Year (1992, 1991), Best NBA Player ESPY Award (2002, 2o01), Adolph Rupp Trophy (1991) and so on.
Shaquille O’Neal – Net Worth 2024
Shaquille O’Neal has an estimated net worth of $400 million. Though he has been retired for many years, he still earns around $60 million per year from endorsements and various business endeavors.
Personal Life
Currently, Shaquille O’Neal might be dating actress Annie Ilonzeh. She is famous for her role as Emily Foster in Chicago Fire. But he was in a long-term marriage previously with Shaunie Nelson. They married on 26 December 2002. They also have been blessed with four children, Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah. However, they ended their relationship with divorce in 2009. Previously, he has been in a relationship with different personalities including Arnetta Yardbourgh, Karrine Steffans, Dominica Westling, Laura Govan, and Nicole Alexander.
Caption: Shaquille O’Neal’s girlfriend Annie Ilonzeh (Source: Pinterest)
Moreover, Nicole Alexander and he dated for two years and their relationship lasted from 2010 to 2012. However, he also engaged to Laticia Rolle on 30th May 2016 and they both ended their relationship with break up in 2018.
Scandals
Reflecting on his scandals, there was a rumor that there was a match with Big Show in WrestleMania, but he suffered controversy for fighting Rodman. Besides this, there are no such rumors and controversies regarding her personal as well as professional life.
Body Measurements
Shaquille O’Neal has a tall personality. He has a height of 7 Feet and 1 Inch (2.16m) and weighs around 147kg. Likewise, he has a bald hairstyle, and his eyes are black.
Social Media
Shaquille O’Neal is highly active on social media like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and so on. He has accompanied a great fan following. Likewise, he has around 17.5 million followers on Twitter, more than 6 million followers on Facebook, and about 13.2 million followers on Instagram.