Shaquille O’ Neal

Shaquille O’Neal married Shaunie Nelson in the year 2002. They have four children. He also has a daughter from a previous relationship with Arnetta Yarbourgh. Shaunie and O’Neal eventually divorced.

He currently lives in Orlando, Florida, where he has also created an indoor basketball court.

Shaquille O’ Neal was born on 6 March 1972 in Newark, New Jersey, in the United States to Lucille O'Neal and Joe Toney. Since his father Toney got arrested due to drug possession when Shaquille was still an infant, he relinquished his parental rights to O’Neal’s stepfather, Phillip A Harrison, who was a sergeant in the Army.

He completed his graduation from Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio Texas, after which he went to Louisiana State University to study business. During his university years, his basketball skills earned him the name of ‘College Player of the Year’. He dropped out in the year 1992, in order to pursue his career in the NBA.

Shaquille O’ Neal was picked by the team Orlando Magic during the 1992 NBA draft. Within the first week itself, his skills earned him the title ‘Player of the Week’, making him the first player to achieve this honor within a week of his debut. He played brilliantly during the season with an average of 23.4 points on 56.2% shooting, along with 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game. Later, he was also named the ‘1993 NBA Rookie of the Year’.

He played brilliantly over the ensuing years and in 1996, he was selected for the Olympics to play for the country as a part of the United States Olympic basketball team. The tournament, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia, proved to be one of the toughest and biggest challenges in his entire career. His amazing skills led his team to winning the gold medal.

In the year, 2000, Shaquille was named as the most valuable player of the NBA. He was signed by the Los Angeles Lakers for three years, for a contract of $88.5 million. Despite the fact that he helped deliver three consecutive world championships to the team (2000, 2001 and 2002), his stint with them was a difficult one. He had several disagreements with team members due to which he was traded to the team Miami Heat.

In 2006, he helped Miami Heat capture the NBA championship, which also marked the fourth championship win of O’Neal’s career.

From February 2008, O’Neal began playing for the Phoenix Suns. However, in his initial games with the team, they mostly suffered loses, for which O’Neal took the blame, saying he wasn’t in tune with the other players.

Shaquille O’Neal had started composing rap music in the year 1993. His first album ‘Shaq Diesel’ was released the same year. With tracks such as ‘I'm Outstanding’ and ‘Let me in, Let me in’, the album was a huge success. Though it received mostly negative reviews, it reached number 25 on the Billboard 200. It eventually reached platinum status the next year.

His next album ‘Shaq Fu: D Return’ was released in 1994. Though not as successful as his first album, it was still a moderate success. It peaked at number 67 on the Billboard 200.

His third and fourth albums, ‘You Can’t Stop the Reign’, and ‘Respect’, were released in 1996 and 1998 respectively. While his third album stood at number 82 on the Billboard 200, his fourth album did better, and stood at number 58.

He had composed a fifth album as well, named ‘Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1’. Though it was set to release in the year 2001, it was never released.