Shaquille O’Neal Career and Net Worth
Shaquille O’Neal Career and Net Worth, Who is the richest NBA player? Read this article and find out about the incredible, imposing figure who graced the court leaving indelible prints.
Shaquille O’Neal is a retired American basketball player, entrepreneur, television host and product endorser. As of this writing, Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth is $400 million. During his NBA career, Shaq earned $292 million in salary alone. He earned well over $200 million from endorsements during that same time period. Even though he has been retired for many years, Shaq still earns around $60 million per year from endorsements and various business endeavors to this day.
Shaquille O’Neal Early Life
Shaquille O’Neal was born on March 6th, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey. He was born to parents Lucille O’Neal and Joe Toney. Tony’s father was addicted to drugs and went to prison for drug possession when O’Neal was just a baby. His parents never married and his father left soon after Shaq was born, upon his release from prison. O’Neal was not close with his father for decades. At the age of two, his mother married Phillip Harrison who was a sergeant in the U.S. Army. O’Neal was a part of the Boys and Girls Club of America while growing up and he credits the organization for helping to keep him off the streets. The family moved from Newark and moved around to Germany and Texas. Shaq started gaining attention for his basketball talent during his days in school. In his senior year, Shaq led the San Antonio’s Robert G. Cole High School team to the state championship. O’Neal attended Louisiana State University where he became a two-time SEC player of the year and a two-time All American. Shaq is a recipient of the coveted Adolph Rupp’s Trophy for the NCAA men’s basketball player of the year in 1991.
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Shaquille O’Neal NBA Superstar
Shaq became the first overall pick for the Orlando Magic in 1992. He was named the Rookie of the Year and voted an All Star-starter a year later. This feat had not been accomplished since Michael Jordan. In his second season, Shaq was key in the Magic’s first play-off series. The next year they made it to the finals, but lost to the Houston Rockets. Shaq’s blossoming career was blighted by injury for a greater part of the 1995-96 season, though the Orlando Magic still finished the regular season with a winning record. In the playoffs that year, O’Neal and the Magic won the first two rounds but were ultimately defeated by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. In 1996, he was part of the men’s Olympic basketball team in Atlanta. That team went on to win the Olympic gold medal. He announced his intention to join the ranks of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers offered Shaq a seven year worth $121 million. Who is the richest NBA player? The pair, Shaq and teenager Kobe Bryant- undoubtedly the game’s biggest names under one umbrella. The arrival of former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson in the 1999-00 season proved to be the magic wand that put the Lakers on a dominant streak for years. Jackson was key in helping Shaq with his defensive game. Shaq and the Lakers won the NBA championship that year, and would go on to win the title the next two years in a row. In 2004, Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat. The following year, Shaq signed a 5-year contract with the team for $100 million. He made his intention for a championship known when he joined the team. The the Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks to lay their hands on the the team’s first ever title and O’Neal’s fourth. Beginning in 2008, O’Neal’s days of long-term contracts with teams had come to an end. That year he was traded to the Phoenix Suns where, for the first time since his rookie season, he failed to make the playoffs. At the end of his first season with the team, Shaq was traded to free up the budget. More one-year stints would follow, including with the Cleveland Cavaliers (alongside Lebron James) and his final season with the Boston Celtics. Who is the richest NBA player? Well, Michael Jordan is, with a whopping $1.5 billion net worth.
Shaquille O’Neal Player Profile
Shaq stands at a frightening 7 feet one inch, he wears an amazing 23 shoe plus size. He became famous mainly as a result of his physical stature, which handed him a clear advantage over opponents. On two occasions in his early NBA career, Shaq’s overwhelmingly powerful dunks broke the steel backboard supports of the net. This caused the league to increase the strength and stability of the backboards from then on. Shaq is famous for his “drop step” move which he nicknamed the Black Tornado.
