Shaquille O’Neal Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 7 ft 1 in |
Weight | 130 kg |
Date of Birth | March 6, 1972 |
Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Shaquille O’Neal is an American former professional basketball player who is best known for being a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. He is considered as one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time and has played for teams like Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He has also released numerous books such as A Good Reason to Look Up, Shaq Uncut: My Story, Little Shaq: Star of the Week, and Shaq’s Family Style. During the course of his career, Shaquille has received several honors such as the Associated Press‘ “Player of the Year”, USA Basketball‘s “Male Athlete of the Year”, “NBA Champion”, “NBA MVP”, UPI‘s “Player of the Year”, BET‘s “Sportsman of the Year”, and many more.
Born Name
Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal
Nick Name
Superman, Shaq, Diesel, The Big Aristotle, Shaq Fu, The Big Agave
Sun Sign
Pisces
Born Place
Newark, New Jersey, United States
Nationality
Education
Shaquille attended Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas.
Further, he went to Louisiana State University to study business but left it after 3 years. He completed it in 2000 and received his bachelor of arts degree in general studies.
In 2005, O’Neal got an MBA degree online from the University of Phoenix.
Shaquille also did an Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) in Human Resource Development at Barry University.
At New York Film Academy‘s Filmmaking Conservatory, he studied directing and cinematography.
Occupation
Retired professional basketball player, analyst, entrepreneur, rapper
Family
- Father –Â Joseph Toney (Former Basketball Player)
- Mother –Â Lucille O’Neal
- Siblings –Â Ayesha O’Neal (Sister) (d. October 2019), Jamal O’Neal (Brother), Lateefah O’Neal (Sister)
He has a total of 3 sisters including the two written above.
Manager
Mine O’ Mine, Inc.
Position
Center
Shirt Number
32, 34, 33, 36
Build
Large
Height
7 ft 1 in or 216 cm
Weight
130 kg or 287 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Shaquille O’Neal dated –
- Arnetta Yardbourgh (1995-1996) – From 1995 to 1996, Arnetta Yardbourgh and Shaquille dated each other. They have a daughter, Taahirah (b. July 1996).
- Shaunie Henderson (2002-2010) – Executive producer, Shaunie Henderson and Shaq started dating each other and got married on December 26, 2002. Through a previous relationship, Shaunie has one child, a son Myles. The couple has 4 biological children from this relationship, sons Shareef Rashaun O’Neal, Shaqir Rashaun O’Neal, and daughters Amirah Sanaa O’Neal, and Me’arah Sanaa O’Neal. Shaq filed for divorce from Shaunie on September 4, 2007, in a Miami-Dade Circuit court. The couple reconciled later and withdrew the divorce papers. But, on November 10, 2009, Shaunie filed for divorce and it was soon finalized.
- Karrine Steffans (2004-2005) – Author Karrine Steffans and Shaq were romantically linked with each other from 2004 to 2005. He revealed that after spending a night with Karrine, he deposited 10 grand into her account as a thank-you for that experience.
- Dominica Westling (2007-2010) – Swedish actress, model, and nanny Dominica Westling and Shaq were an item for quite some time from 2007 to 2010. They first met in Miami in 2007 and started dating before calling it quits in January 2010. She is 13 years his junior.
- Trina (2007)
- Laura Govan (2008) – TV personality Laura Govan and Shaq were RUMORed to have had a fling with each other on December 23, 2008. They dated as Laura was Shaunie Henderson’s best friend.
- Nicole Alexander (2010-2013) – The reality TV show personality Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander and Shaquille O’Neal commenced dating in 2010 before calling it quits in January 2013. She is approximately 2 feet shorter than him.
- Laticia Rolle (2014-Present) – In 2014, he started dating Laticia Rolle who graduated college in June 2014 and also works as a model.
- Annie Ilonzeh (2019) – He was rumored to be dating actress Annie Ilonzeh in 2019.
Race / Ethnicity
Black
Hair Color
Bald
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Bald
- Beard style
- Tattoos on the body
- Uses the catchphrase “Shaq Attaq”
- Towering height
- Not so good at free throws
Shoe Size
22 (US)
Brand Endorsements
He has appeared in commercials for Pepsi, Reebok, Nestlé Crunch, Gold Bond, Icy-Hot, freeinternet.com, Taco Bell, Burger King, Radio Shack electronic stores, All sports drinks, Comcast Cable Internet, Buick Lacrosse automobile, etc.
He was seen in print ads for Digex, Muscle Milk Nutritional supplement drinks, etc.
Shaq has also endorsed brands like The Original SoupMan, Vitaminwater, Cream Soda, The Republican Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie, Sleep Apnea Mask, Power Balance Bracelet, iGo Headphones, Susta Sugar Substitute, Quick Sticks (Glucose), Callsnap App, Apollo Jets, Enlyten Diet Strips, Shaqdown App, Tout, Audemars Piguet Watches, Toys R Us (For Charity), Something Called Blackphone, 24-hour Fitness, Zales, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Shaq Fu Punch (Arizona Beverages), Little Shaq Books, Dunkman Shoes And Apparel, Harbin Beer, Nintendo DS Tomodachi Life, Dove For Men, JCPenney (Shaq Select Sneakers), Macy’s (Suits), Monster Speakers, Capelli Slippers, Spalding, NBA 2K, Li-Ning Shoes And Apparel, Drone Watches, Luv Shaq Vodka, Mr. Big, Wheaties, Triple-Double Oreos,
Religion
Islam
Best Known For
Serving in the NBA for 19 years as a basketball player.
First Basketball Match
Shaq first started playing basketball in 1992 for Orlando Magic at the “Center” position.
First Film
In 1994, he first appeared in the sports film Blue Chips for his role as Neon.
First TV Show
As an actor, Shaq debuted on television in 2001 in the comedy series For Your Love as Shaquille O’Neal in just 1 episode entitled “The Model Client.”
Personal Trainer
He knows mixed martial arts (MMA). Shaq started the training in 2000. Shaquille has trained himself in boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai at Jonathan Burke’s Gracie Gym.
He likes to start his day with Orange juice and then eat the egg-white omelet for the breakfast. He says he has never drunk a coffee in his life.
He is a sandwich guy. If he does not adhere to a diet plan and eats a bad diet, that means, he has been eating a lot of sandwiches.
Shaq also drinks a lot of water. He doesn’t do much cooking except the turkey sandwiches. He grew up eating a lot of chicken, especially fried chicken which her mom used to make at home.
In December 2022, Shaq revealed that he had lost almost 40 pounds weight. He had lost weight by adding more vegetables and supplements to his diet and by eliminating soda from his diet.
Shaquille O’Neal Favorite Things
- Food – Turkey sandwich
- Movie – The Godfather (1972)
- All-time Favorite Ball Player –Â Bill Russell
- Vacation Place –Â Turks & Caicos
- All-Time Favorite Meal –Â Baked macaroni and fried chicken
- All-Time Favorite Movie –Â Coming to America (1988)
- Holiday Tradition – Wearing Santa’s dress and giving gifts to others. He calls this gesture as Shaq-a-Claus.
Source – IMDb, Bon Appetit, Reddit AMA, Cleveland, Us Magazine
Shaquille O’Neal Facts
- When Shaquille was a small kid, his dad Joseph Toney was jailed for the possession of drugs.
- In January 2012, Shaq got the honor to be included in the list of 35 Greatest McDonald’s All-Americans.
- O’Neal purchased a small share in the basketball team Sacramento Kings in September 2013.
- He has invested in numerous businesses including a San Francisco brokerage firm, Loyale3 Holdings Inc. in which he invested in June 2015.
- Shaq is one of the heaviest NBA players ever.
- O’Neal scored just one 3-pointer in his entire career.
- He received a doctoral degree and not an honorary doctorate.
- In 2005, he offered to pay for all the funeral expenses for the former basketball player, George Mikan and the family accepted.
- He played for 6 teams during his 19-year-long career (from 1992 to 2011) in NBA.
- For 1992-1993, he was the Rookie of the Year.
- Shaq is a registered Republican.
- Bill Bellamy and Kristen Bellamy are his cousins.
- For the 1996 film Kazaam, he received $7,000,000.
- As a singer/rapper, Shaquille has released several rap albums. His first album Shaq Diesel went platinum. He has also released albums like Respect and You Can’t Stop the Reign.
- He has also served as the general manager of Kings Guard Gaming of the NBA 2K League.
- In the 1980s, Shaquille had started DJing while at LSU.
- In October 2020, on being asked if he would like to ever participate in the dance reality show, Dancing with the Stars, he said, “I can’t do it, yeah. I wouldn’t do it now.”
- Shaquille also played baseball and football growing up.
- He doesn’t like his tall body frame since he is the first one to know when it starts raining.
- Shaquille hardly goes out without his ChapStick.
- His close friends and family members don’t call him by his nicknames.
- He loves to vacation in the Bahamas. He gets the perfect mix of adventure plus relaxation there.
- He wants actor Denzel Washington to play him in the movies whenever there is a need to play Shaq’s role onscreen.
- Social media is his biggest guilty pleasure.
- He doesn’t like getting gifts. Instead, he likes giving gifts.
- He is a late-night snacker.
- He doesn’t like spicy food.
- Shaq also owns a Krispy Kreme restaurant in Atlanta.
- Shaq created a suit collection in partnership with JCPenney for tall and big men like him.
- Shaquille likes to listen to Beyoncé‘s songs in his car.
- Shaquille O’Neal is also an honorary deputy U.S. marshal and a reserve police officer in California, Arizona, and Florida.
- He is also a sheriff’s deputy in Georgia.
- His mother is the most influential person in his life.