Black Millionaires: Shaquille O’Neal

What is Shaquille O'Neal's net worth?

Shaq O’Neal is an American former professional basketball player. He is currently a sports analyst on a television program Inside the NBA, which airs on TNT. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in NBA history. He was also one of the tallest and heaviest players at 7 ft 1 (in 2.16 m) tall, weighing 325 pounds (147 kg). All through his career, O’Neal played for six teams, over a 19-year period.

Early life and education

Shaquille Rashaun “Shaq” O’Neal was born on March 6, 1972, to Lucille O’Neal and Joe Toney, in Newark, New Jersey. O’Neal’s biological father, Joe played high school basketball and was an All-State guard. He was also offered a basketball scholarship at Seton Hall. However, Joe Toney struggled with drug addiction and was imprisoned for drug possession when Shaq was only an infant. Upon his release from prison, he relinquished his parental rights as a father to Shaq’s stepfather, Phillip A. Harrison, an Army Sergeant. Because of the nature of his step-father’s job, the family moved from military bases in Germany and Texas.

O’Neal would later sing about his biological father with disdain. In his 1994 rap album Shaq Fu: The Return, O’Neal expressed his displeasure with his biological father. After Phillip Harrison’s death in 2013, O’Neal met his biological father for the first time in 2016 and he told him, “I don’t hate you. I had a good life. I had Phil.”

At Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas, O’Neal took a full interest in playing basketball, leading his team to a 68-1 record. He also helped the team win the state championship in his senior year.

College Career

O’Neal went on to study business at Louisiana State University, after graduating from high school. By the time O’Neal began playing for coach Dale Brown at LSU, he was already a two-time All-American, two-time SEC Player of the Year. He had also received the Adolph Rupp Trophy as NCAA men’s basketball player of the year in 1991. O’Neal’s time at LSU was short spent as he soon left to pursue his NBA career. He later continued his education after becoming a professional basketball player and was later inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame. To date, a 900-pound bronze statue of Shaq O’Neal is planted in front of the LSU Tigers Basketball Practice Facility.

Professional Career

In the 1992 NBA draft, the Orlando Magic drafted O’Neal with the 1st overall pick. O’Neal wore the No.32 Jersey because it was the closest to the No.33 Jersey which Abdul-Jabbar wore, who was a major inspiration to O’Neal. On getting to the Orlando Magic, he still maintained the No.32 because Terry Catledge wouldn’t relinquish the No.33 jersey to O’Neal.

In his very first season with Orlando Magic, O’Neal was named Player of the Week in his first week in the NBA. He also became the first player to do so. Throughout his rookie season, O’Neal had a scoring average of 23.4 points on 56.2 percent shooting, including 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. O’Neal was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1993 and was also the first rookie to be voted an All-Star starter since the time of Michael Jordan in 1985.

By the 1993-94 season, O’Neal’s second season, he had improved his scoring average to 29.4 points, leading the NBA in field goal percentage at 60%. O’Neal registered his first triple-double of his career with 24 points alongside career-highs of 28 rebounds and 15 blocks. He was voted into the All-Star game and eventually made it to the All-NBA third team.

In his third season (1994-95) with Magic, O’Neal led the NBA, averaging 29.3 points, and finishing second to David Robinson in MVP voting. In this season, the Magic won against the Boston Celtics in the 1995 NBA Playoffs, their first win ever. They also defeated the Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinals. The Magic made it to the conference finals, facing the defending champions, Houston Rockets. O’Neal averaged 28 points on 59.5% shooting, 12.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Although they didn’t win the game, it was one of O’Neal’s best games yet.

For the major part of the 1995-96 season, O’Neal was injured, missing 28 games in all. Despite O’Neal’s injuries, the team still finished with their regular season record of 60-22 and came in second in the Eastern conference next to the Chicago Bulls. At the end of the season, O’Neal became a free agent. In the summer of 1996, he was named to the United States Olympic basketball team. The team won the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta. Prior to that, on the Team US first full day at the Olympics in Atlanta, the media announced O’Neal’s 7-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for $121 million. In response to the rumors of him (O’Neal) joining the Lakers for the money, he said:

“I’m tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok.”

In the 1996-97 season, the Lakers won 56 games with O’Neal averaging 26.2 points and 12.5 rebounds in his first season with them. In his first playoff with Lakers, O’Neal scored a total of 46 points against the Portland Trail Blazers. However, due to injuries again, O’Neal missed over 30 games. The Lakers still made the playoffs that season. By the 1997-98 season, O’Neal had increased his scoring average to 28.3 points and 11.4 rebounds.

With the teenage superstar Kobe Bryant on board and the expertise of O’Neal, the Lakers were in for big wins in the coming seasons. While the Lakers had two of the big names in basketball on their team, they failed to bring in the championship and O’Neal continued to battle with injuries.

The leadership of the Lakers was changed, with the appointment of Phil Jackson as the new head coach in the 1999-00 season. Phil was a major challenge to O’Neal and forced him to step up his defensive game. With better leadership on board, the team won the championship that year and the next two years in a row.

In 2004, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, signing a five-year contract worth $100 million with the team by the following year. By the following year, the Heat clinched their very first championship title against the Dallas Mavericks.

O’Neal’s last batch of long-term contracts was in 2008. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns, and for the first time since his rookie days, he failed to make the playoffs. At the end of his first season with the team, he was traded to ease up the budget. He spent a short while with the Cleveland Cavaliers and played his final season with the Boston Celtics.

Off-court Career

In the early 1990s, Shap ventured into the music industry and was fast rising to become a popular hip-hop and rap artist. He released his first album, Shaq Diesel, in 1993. To date, he continues to DJ and produce music. He was also featured as a guest in movies such as Blue Chips and Kazamm; as well as television shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Parkers.

O’Neal has also been an active investor in the stock market and real estate since the 1990s. It was announced on March 22, 2019, that he would join the Board of Directors at Papa Johns, earning $8.25 million in salary and stock over the next three years. He is also investing $840,000 of his money to buy 30% of Papa Johns’ 9-unit franchise in Atlanta.