Photo: MarkScottAustinTX / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Shaquille O'Neal is one of those rare athletes who became even more interesting after retirement. The dominance was real—at his peak no center could physically contain him, and the 2000 sweep of MVP honors proved it—but what I admire most is how deliberately he built his second act as broadcaster, businessman, and entertainer. Plenty of legends coast on nostalgia; Shaq keeps reinventing himself while staying genuinely funny and approachable. There is a generosity in how he carries his fame, and to me he is proof that being larger than life works best when paired with a light touch.
Overview
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( shə-KEEL; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( SHAK), is an American former professional basketball player, and sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Nicknamed, among others, "Diesel", he is a 7-foot-1-inch (2.16 m) and 325-pound (147 kg) center who played for six teams over his 19-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Shaquille O'Neal
- Name (Japanese)
- シャキール・オニール
- Reading
- しゃきーる・おにーる
- Born
- March 6, 1972 (age 54)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Rat
- Origin
- Newark, New Jersey, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- basketball player / actor / rapper / sports commentator / businessperson
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Robert G. Cole Junior-Senior High School
- University
- Syracuse University
Awards & achievements
- 1993 NBA All-Rookie Team
- 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year Award
- 1998 All-NBA Team
- 2000 NBA Most Valuable Player Award
- 2000 NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player Award
- 2000 All-NBA Team
- 2000 Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
- 2001 All-NBA Team
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Basketball player — see all → · Actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.