Shaquille O'Neal
One of the most decorated players in NBA History, Shaquille O’Neal put the Orlando Magic on the map when he joined the team as the no.1 overall draft pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. Shaq’s impact was immediate. He was the first rookie to make an All-Star game since Michael Jordan. He was named the NBA’s Player of the Week in his first week in the NBA, the first player ever to do so. And as dominant as he was on the court, Shaq’s persona was even bigger than his massive physical stature. He was immediately one of the league’s biggest superstars, and he introduced the world to the Orlando Magic.
Paired with Penny Hardaway a year later, the Shaq-Penny era took the league by storm with a 50-32 record and the franchise’s first trip to the NBA Playoffs. A year later, the momentum continued as Shaq led the league in scoring with 29.3 points per game and took the Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals.
Shaq’s fourth season saw him miss time with injuries, but the Magic still won 60 games in the regular season – a mark that has still not been eclipsed by the franchise.
After four larger-than-life seasons, Shaq departed for the glam of Los Angelos in a move that still haunts Magic fans in many ways. Front office mismanagement? Shaq’s star burning too bright for sleepy Orlando? Probably a bit of everything.
In the end, Shaq only played four of his 20 NBA seasons in Orlando, but in many ways, the Orlando faithful have always claimed Shaq. Perhaps it was because he kept a home in Orlando and spent much of his time in the summers in town, even while he was winning championships with Kobe and the Lakers.
If Shaq crushed the soul of Orlando in the summer of 1996, it frankly doesn’t matter. Magic fans love the big fella. His basket-breaking, on-court dominance paired with huge personality and big smile have Magic fans forever willing to forgive and embrace the big man that put the Orlando Magic on the world’s basketball scene.
Shaquille O’Neal Regular Season Stats
| Season | GP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | BLK | STL | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TOV | OREB | DREB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 81 | 37:54 | 23.4 | 13.9 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 9.0 | 16.1 | 56.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.3 | 8.9 | 59.2 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 9.6 |
| 1993-94 | 81 | 39:48 | 29.3 | 13.2 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 11.8 | 19.6 | 59.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.8 | 10.5 | 55.4 | 2.7 | 4.7 | 8.5 |
| 1994-95 | 79 | 37:00 | 29.3 | 11.4 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 11.8 | 20.2 | 58.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 5.8 | 10.8 | 53.3 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 7.3 |
| 1995-96 | 54 | 36:02 | 26.6 | 11.0 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 11.0 | 19.1 | 57.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 4.6 | 9.5 | 48.7 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 7.7 |
| 1996-97 | 51 | 38:05 | 26.2 | 12.5 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 10.8 | 19.4 | 55.7 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 4.5 | 9.4 | 48.4 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 8.7 |
| 1997-98 | 60 | 36:12 | 28.3 | 11.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 11.2 | 19.1 | 58.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 11.4 | 52.7 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 7.9 |
| 1998-99 | 49 | 34:45 | 26.3 | 10.7 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 10.4 | 18.1 | 57.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.5 | 10.2 | 54.0 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 6.9 |
| 1999-00 | 79 | 40:03 | 29.7 | 13.6 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 12.1 | 21.1 | 57.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.5 | 10.4 | 52.4 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 9.4 |
| 2000-01 | 74 | 39:29 | 28.7 | 12.7 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 11.0 | 19.2 | 57.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.7 | 13.1 | 51.3 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 8.8 |
| 2001-02 | 67 | 36:07 | 27.2 | 10.7 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 10.6 | 18.3 | 57.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.9 | 10.7 | 55.5 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 7.2 |
| 2002-03 | 67 | 37:48 | 27.5 | 11.1 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 10.4 | 18.1 | 57.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.7 | 10.8 | 62.2 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 7.2 |
| 2003-04 | 67 | 36:47 | 21.5 | 11.5 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 8.3 | 14.1 | 58.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.9 | 10.1 | 49.0 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 7.8 |
| 2004-05 | 73 | 34:12 | 22.9 | 10.4 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 9.0 | 15.0 | 60.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.8 | 10.5 | 46.1 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 6.9 |
| 2005-06 | 59 | 30:36 | 20.0 | 9.2 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 8.1 | 13.6 | 60.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 8.0 | 46.9 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 6.3 |
| 2006-07 | 40 | 28:21 | 17.3 | 7.4 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 7.1 | 12.0 | 59.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.1 | 7.4 | 42.2 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 5.0 |
| 2007-08 | 33 | 28:37 | 14.2 | 7.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 5.8 | 10.0 | 58.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 5.4 | 49.4 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.8 |
| 2007-08 | 28 | 28:41 | 12.9 | 10.6 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 5.0 | 8.2 | 61.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.9 | 5.7 | 51.3 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 8.2 |
| 2008-09 | 75 | 30:01 | 17.8 | 8.4 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 6.8 | 11.2 | 60.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.1 | 6.9 | 59.5 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 5.9 |
| 2010-11 | 37 | 20:18 | 9.2 | 4.8 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 3.6 | 5.4 | 66.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 55.7 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 3.5 |
| 103 | 29:39 | 16.5 | 9.0 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 6.3 | 10.4 | 60.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 6.6 | 57.6 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 6.6 | ||
| 1154 | 35:14 | 24.2 | 11.0 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 9.6 | 16.5 | 58.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 9.6 | 52.8 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 7.5 | ||
| 295 | 37:50 | 27.2 | 12.5 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 10.9 | 18.7 | 58.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.1 | 5.4 | 10.0 | 54.6 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 8.3 | ||
| 205 | 31:08 | 19.6 | 9.1 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 7.9 | 13.2 | 59.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 8.3 | 46.0 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 6.0 | ||
| 514 | 37:35 | 27.0 | 11.8 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 10.6 | 18.5 | 57.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.8 | 10.8 | 53.3 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 8.0 | ||
| 37 | 20:18 | 9.2 | 4.8 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 3.6 | 5.4 | 66.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 55.7 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 3.5 |
Shaquille O’Neal Playoff Stats
| Season | GP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | BLK | STL | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TOV | OREB | DREB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 3 | 42:00 | 20.7 | 13.3 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 7.7 | 15.0 | 51.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.3 | 11.3 | 47.1 | 3.3 | 5.7 | 7.7 |
| 1994-95 | 21 | 38:20 | 25.7 | 11.9 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 9.3 | 16.1 | 57.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.1 | 12.4 | 57.1 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 7.4 |
| 1995-96 | 12 | 38:15 | 25.8 | 10.0 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 10.9 | 18.0 | 60.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 10.2 | 39.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 5.9 |
| 1996-97 | 9 | 36:11 | 26.9 | 10.6 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 9.9 | 19.2 | 51.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.1 | 11.7 | 61.0 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 6.3 |
| 1997-98 | 13 | 38:25 | 30.5 | 10.2 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 12.2 | 19.8 | 61.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.2 | 12.2 | 50.3 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 6.5 |
| 1998-99 | 8 | 39:25 | 26.6 | 11.6 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 9.9 | 19.4 | 51.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.9 | 14.8 | 46.6 | 2.3 | 5.5 | 6.1 |
| 1999-00 | 23 | 43:29 | 30.7 | 15.4 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 12.4 | 22.0 | 56.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.9 | 12.9 | 45.6 | 2.4 | 5.2 | 10.3 |
| 2000-01 | 16 | 42:14 | 30.4 | 15.4 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 11.9 | 21.5 | 55.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.6 | 12.5 | 52.5 | 3.6 | 5.7 | 9.8 |
| 2001-02 | 19 | 40:50 | 28.5 | 12.6 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 10.7 | 20.2 | 52.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.1 | 10.9 | 64.9 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 9.1 |
| 2002-03 | 12 | 40:02 | 27.0 | 14.8 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 10.1 | 18.8 | 53.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.8 | 11.0 | 62.1 | 2.9 | 5.3 | 9.6 |
| 2003-04 | 22 | 41:50 | 21.5 | 13.2 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 8.3 | 14.0 | 59.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 11.5 | 42.9 | 2.5 | 4.1 | 9.1 |
| 2004-05 | 13 | 33:00 | 19.4 | 7.8 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 7.8 | 13.9 | 55.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.8 | 8.2 | 47.2 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 6.4 |
| 2005-06 | 23 | 33:00 | 18.4 | 9.8 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 7.7 | 12.7 | 61.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 7.9 | 37.4 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 6.5 |
| 2006-07 | 4 | 30:13 | 18.8 | 8.5 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 8.3 | 14.8 | 55.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 6.8 | 33.3 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| 2007-08 | 5 | 30:04 | 15.2 | 9.2 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 4.4 | 10.0 | 44.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 12.8 | 50.0 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 6.6 |
| 2010-11 | 2 | 6:00 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 36 | 38:36 | 25.3 | 11.4 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 9.7 | 16.6 | 58.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.9 | 11.6 | 51.1 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 6.9 | ||
| 40 | 32:43 | 18.8 | 9.0 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 7.8 | 13.3 | 58.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.2 | 7.9 | 40.3 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 6.3 | ||
| 122 | 40:56 | 27.7 | 13.4 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 10.7 | 19.3 | 55.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.3 | 12.1 | 52.0 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 8.8 | ||
| 5 | 30:04 | 15.2 | 9.2 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 4.4 | 10.0 | 44.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 12.8 | 50.0 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 6.6 | ||
| 205 | 38:19 | 25.0 | 11.9 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 9.7 | 17.2 | 56.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.5 | 11.1 | 50.1 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 7.8 | ||
| 2 | 6:00 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Shaquille O’Neal Best Ten Games (Points)
| Date | Opponent | MIN | PTS | AST | REB | STL | BLK | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TOV | OREB | DREB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 1994 | Minnesota Timberwolves (W) | 36:00 | 53 | 4 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 31 | 0.71 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 9 | 13 | 0.69 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
| Dec 09, 1993 | Indiana Pacers (L) | 45:00 | 49 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 25 | 0.68 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 15 | 18 | 0.83 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Mar 22, 1996 | Washington Bullets (W) | 45:00 | 49 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 21 | 40 | 0.53 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 7 | 13 | 0.54 | 3 | 8 | 9 |
| Mar 08, 1995 | Los Angeles Lakers (W) | 42:00 | 46 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 26 | 0.77 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 10 | 0.60 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| Feb 16, 1993 | Detroit Pistons (L) | 49:00 | 46 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 25 | 0.76 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 16 | 0.50 | 6 | 3 | 18 |
| Nov 09, 1994 | Charlotte Hornets (W) | 47:00 | 46 | 3 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 32 | 0.63 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 11 | 0.55 | 0 | 14 | 6 |
| Mar 03, 1994 | Dallas Mavericks (W) | 40:00 | 43 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 29 | 0.62 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 7 | 12 | 0.58 | 3 | 10 | 6 |
| Jan 18, 1995 | Dallas Mavericks (W) | 38:00 | 42 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 25 | 0.68 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 13 | 0.62 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | Boston Celtics (L) | 53:00 | 42 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 32 | 0.56 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 14 | 0.43 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Nov 05, 1993 | Miami Heat (W) | 31:00 | 42 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 24 | 0.71 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 13 | 0.62 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
Shaq’s Career Beyond the Orlando Magic
While Shaq indeed made his mark on Orlando, the “Big Fella” only played four seasons for the Magic. Shaq’s longest stint occurred with the Los Angelos Lakers over eight seasons (1996-2004). During his time with the Lakers, Shaq his the peak of his powers as they say, with three NBA Championships (1999-2000, 2000-2001, 2001-2002) accompanied by three NBA Finals MVP awards. Shaq also won the NBA MVP award during the 1999-2000 season. Simply put, the Shaq late 1990s, early 2000s run is one of the most dominant runs of any NBA player ever.
Following the run in Los Angelos, Shaq joined the Miami Heat for four seasons and won the NBA Championship alongside Dwyane Wade during the 2005-06 season (Shaq’s fourth title). While the Heat won the championship in 2005-06, the 2004-05 version of Shaq on the Miami Heat was quite notable as well. Shaq played 73 games during this season, made the All-Star team yet again and was awarded All-NBA First Team honors.
Shaq was traded from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns during the 2007-08 season. Following mixed results in Phoenix, Shaq also had brief stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-10) and the Boston Celtics (2010-11).
On June 1, 2011, Shaquille O’Neal announced his retirement from the NBA after playing nineteen seasons. Shaq concluded one of the most impressive (yet still underrated?) careers in the modern era. Shaq’s 28,596 career points firmly plant him in the top ten all-time NBA players.
Since retiring from play, Shaq has been a constant presence in the NBA, business and popular culture. He remains a fixture on NBA broadcasts and continues to entertain and inform basketball fans of all ages.