Traded to the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 6, 2008, in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.
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PROFESSIONAL CAREER:
One of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players and one of the most prolific scorers in league history. He owns a career scoring average of 25.6 points, the ninth-highest in league history, and ranks 11th all-time in scoring (25,908) in 1,013 career games. The 16-year veteran is a career 58-percent shooter, third-highest in NBA history, and has led the league in field goal accuracy nine times, matching Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time record. O’Neal has averaged 11.5 rebounds (21st-NBA history) and grabbed 11,630 (21st) boards as a member of the Orlando Magic (1992-97), Los Angeles Lakers (1997-2004) and Miami Heat (2005-2008). The three-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team honoree (2000, 2001, 2003) ranks 8th all-time in blocks (2,485).
Won three NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002) and one with the Miami Heat (2006). A three-time NBA Finals MVP (2000, 2001, 2002), O’Neal owns career playoff averages of 25.5 points (10th), 12.1 rebounds and 2.19 blocks and is a career 56.6 percent (6th) shooter from the field in the postseason. Shaq has pulled down the third-most rebounds in NBA playoff history (2,401) and blocked the third-most shots (433).
The Louisiana State product, who won a gold medal as a member of the 1996 USA Men’s Senior National Team, was named the 1999-2000 NBA MVP after averaging 29.7 points and 13.6 rebounds for the NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. O’Neal is a 13-time All-NBA First Team selection, a 14-time All-Star and the 1992-93 Rookie of the Year.
Originally selected with the first overall pick of the 1992 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, Shaq signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 18, 1996, before being acquired by the Heat on July 14, 2004, in exchange for Caron Butler, Brian Grant, Lamar Odom and a future first-round pick.
2005-06 SEASON:
Appeared in 59 games (58 starts) with the HEAT and averaged 20.0 points (.600 FG%, .528 FT%), 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.76 blocks and 30.6 minutes…missed a total of 21 games due to injury and was placed on the inactive list for the final two games of the regular season (Apr. 18-19) as a healthy scratch…suffered a sprained right ankle in the home opener against Indiana on Nov. 3 that caused him to miss the next 18 games (Nov. 5-Dec. 9)…also missed a game with a sprained right thumb (Mar. 21) and two games with a hyperextended left knee…led the NBA in field goal percentage for the ninth time, tying Wilt Chamberlain for the most time in league history…ranked 15th in the NBA in blocks per game…averaged 20-or-more points and shot over 55 percent from the field for the 14th consecutive year…led the HEAT in field goal percentage, offensive rebounds (172), dunks (202) and double-doubles (24) and ranked second in points scored (1,181), field goals made (480), free throws made (221) and attempted (471), defensive (369) and total rebounds (541) and blocked shots (104)…topped the HEAT in scoring 14 times, in rebounds on 31 occasions, in blocks 27 times, in minutes on three occasions, in steals twice and assists once…scored in double figures on 57 occasions, including 31 games of at least 20 points and four 30-point performances…grabbed double-figure rebounds a team-high 26 times and handed out double-figure assists once…recorded his second career triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists against Toronto on Apr. 11…had 12 double-digit scoring quarters…drew five charges…was selected as the starting center for the Eastern Conference All-Stars at the All-Star Game in Houston where he tallied 17 points, a team-high nine rebounds, four assists and one steal in 22:34 of playing time…Season Highs: 35 points (at Charlotte, Mar. 6), 17 rebounds (vs. L.A. Lakers, Dec. 25), 10 assists (vs. Toronto, Apr. 11), four blocks (six times), two steals (three times) and 42:51 minutes.
2004-05 SEASON:
Started all 73 games in which he appeared for the HEAT and averaged 22.9 points (career-high .601 FG%, .461 FT%), 10.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.34 blocks and 34.1 minutes…missed a total of nine games due to injury or illness…sat out Miami’s Dec. 21 victory over Boston due to a left calf contusion…missed three games from Feb. 23-27 with a sprained left knee which he injured two minutes into Miami’s Feb. 22 game at Chicago and did not return…missed three games from Apr. 5-10 due to a stomach virus…missed the final two games of the regular season (Apr. 19-20) after being placed on the injured list with a right quad contusion which he suffered late in the first half against Indiana on Apr. 17 and did not return…earned First Team All-NBA honors for the sixth consecutive season, amassing the most first-team (122) votes and most total points (616) from the 124-member voting media…was named The Sporting News Player of the Year as voted on by the league’s general managers…was the runner-up in the NBA MVP voting, finishing behind Steve Nash in the fourth closest vote in league history (1,066-1,032)…was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March and earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the week ending Dec. 19…led the NBA in field goal percentage for the second consecutive year, the seventh time in eight years and the eighth time in his career, one shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record nine…in addition to setting a career high, his .601 field goal percentage was the highest in the NBA since Washington’s Gheorge Muresan shot a league-leading .604 during the 1996-97 season…his .601 field goal percentage smashed the HEAT’s single-season record (.574) established by Matt Geiger in 1993-94…averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds for the 13th consecutive year, setting an NBA record breaking the mark of 12 straight years that he shared with Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon…in addition to leading the NBA in field goal percentage he ranked fifth in points per 48 minutes (32.1), sixth in rebounding, blocks and double-doubles (43), ninth in total rebounds (760), 10th in offensive rebounds (253), 12th in scoring average and 15th in defensive rebounds (507)…led the HEAT in field goals made (658), dunks (255), field goal percentage, free throws attempted (franchise-record 765), offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, total rebounds, blocks and double-doubles…his 658 field goals made are the fourth best single-season total in HEAT history, his 253 offensive rebounds tied for the fourth highest single-season total and his 171 blocks represent the fifth best total in the team’s history…led the HEAT in scoring 31 times, in blocks a team-high 56 times, in rebounds a team-high 44 times, in minutes and steals eight times each and in assists on six occasions…joined Elton Brand as the only players in the NBA to record at least 150 blocks and 200 assists during the 2004-05 season…recorded five 30-point, 15-rebound games tying Kevin Garnett for the league lead, prior to the 2004-05 season the HEAT had only 21 in their history and no player recorded more than two in a season…scored in double figures in 72 of his 73 games played, the lone exception was at Chicago on Feb. 22 where he suffered a sprained left ankle after playing two minutes and did not return, snapping his streak at 92 consecutive games in double-figure scoring dating back to the 2003-04 campaign…scored at least 20 points on 52 occasions, at least 30 points 12 times and had one 40-point outing…set a HEAT franchise record for consecutive 25-point games with eight from Jan. 3-19…had five 20-point halves and 37 double-figure scoring quarters…on four occasions he had more than one double-digit scoring quarter in a game, including Miami’s Dec. 13 win at Washington where he recorded three…recorded a team-high ten 20/10/5 (points/rebounds/assists or blocks) games…grabbed double-figure rebounds a team-high 43 times, including one game with at least 20…his 28 free throws attempted against the Clippers in Los Angeles on Jan. 14 set a HEAT single-game record…he also set the HEAT single-game highs this year for offensive rebounds (9 vs. Portland on Nov. 23), defensive rebounds (15, twice), total rebounds (21 at San Antonio on Nov. 12), blocks (7 vs. Seattle on Jan. 3), dunks (nine twice) and consecutive points (12 in the second quarter at Toronto on Jan. 26)…grabbed his 10,000th career rebound at Utah on Dec. 6…recorded his 34th career 20-point, 20-rebound game at San Antonio on Nov. 12 with 23 points and 21 rebounds…the 21 rebounds were the most by a HEAT player in 2004-05 and marked the seventh highest single-game total in franchise history…scored his 23,000th career point against Chicago on Feb. 5…scored his 22,000th career point against Dallas on Nov. 11…drew four charges…was selected to start the All-Star Game for the Eastern Conference All-Stars, his first starting assignment since 2000, and finished with 12 points, six rebounds, a team-high three blocks, three steals and one assist in 25 minutes…Season Highs: 40 points (vs. Washington, Dec. 13), 21 rebounds (at San Antonio, Nov. 12), seven assists (twice), seven blocks (vs. Seattle, Jan. 3), three steals (at Philadelphia, Apr. 14) and 51 minutes (at L.A. Clippers, Jan. 14).
2003-04:
Started all 67 games for the Los Angeles Lakers in which he appeared and averaged 21.5 points (.584 FG%, .490 FT%), 11.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.48 blocks and 36.8 minutes…missed 14 games due to injury and one game due to an NBA imposed suspension (Feb. 2 at Indiana) and the Lakers went 7-8 in those contests…sat out a pair of games from Nov. 23-26 with a strained right calf and also missed 12 games from Jan. 4-24 with the same injury…was