Shaquille O'Neal

Name: Shaquille O'Neal
Date of Birth: March 06, 1972
Place of Birth: Newark, New Jersey

Mini-bio: Shaquille O'Neal is best known as the hulking 7'1", 300-pound center of basketball's Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, but his is the rare sports personality able to cross over, with debatable suc... read morecess, into other areas of entertainment, such as movies and rap music. He has also been a spokesman for such popular brands as Pepsi and Reebok.The NBA's future dominant big man and top attraction was born on March 6, 1972, in Newark, NJ, and grew up an army brat, raised on overseas military bases. An All-American and player of the year at Louisiana State University, O'Neal was selected as the top pick in the 1992 NBA draft by the Magic, immediately becoming their meal ticket and earning Rookie of the Year honors. As his persona grew toward household name status, Shaq turned his attention toward film work, first appearing as himself in the rap parody CB4 (1993) and then garnering decent reviews as -- surprise, surprise -- a basketball player in William Friedkin's courtside corruption story Blue Chips (1994).By this time, O'Neal had morphed into one of the most popular professional athletes and a Jordan-sized phenomenon, and his rap career was born. Starting to wear ornate jewelry, he recorded a song with Fu Schnickens and soon released his own album, Shaq Diesel (1993), which sold more than a million copies. Although no one has ever suggested he quit his day job to focus on rhyming, O'Neal has continued to release almost an album a year and befriended such legit collaborators as Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, and Common.It was when Shaq first tried to carry a movie and stretch his limited range that he earned his reputation as a laughable novice, unable to attract crowds in the droves that came to watch him dunk and block shots. He received top billing as a larger-than-life genie in the dopey PG-dud Kazaam (1996), which earned more critical hazings than dollars at the box office (a shade under 19 million dollars). When his follow-up, the harder-edged DC comics Superman spin-off Steel (1997) also went belly up, managing a stomach-churning 1.7 million dollars, Shaq basically hung up his high tops as an actor. Although he purportedly signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1996 off-season to be closer to Hollywood, O'Neal preferred to concentrate on his rapping and winning his first and second NBA championships in 2000 and 2001. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

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Shaquille O'Neal Wiki Profile

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Full name is Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal (first and middle names mean “little warrior” in Islam)…nicknames include “Shaq” and “Deisel”…has three sons, Myles, Shareef and Shaqir and three daughters, Taahirah, Amirah and Me’Arah…has two sisters, Ayesha and Lateefah and one brother, Jamal…lists his father Phil Harrison as the person that made a difference in his life…making good on a promise to his mother Lucille O’Neal, he received his collegiate degree in business from Louisiana State University on Dec. 15, 2000…received his masters degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix on June 25, 2005…his autobiography, Shaq Talks Back: The Uncensored Word of My Life and Winning in the NBA was released in April of 2001…has also authored two other books, including the children’s title Shaq and the Beanstalk—and Other Very Tall Tales…enjoys rap and lists Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Corey Gunz and Cannibus among his favorite artists…his own debut album, Shaq Deisel, sold more than a million copies…has recorded four additional albums-Shaq-Fu: Da Return, You Can’t Stop the Reign, Respect and Shaquille O’Neal Presents His Superfriends, Volume 1…owns a record label and his own clothing line entitled TWISM (The World is Mine)…is one of the most desired celebrity endorsers and has been featured in advertisements for numerous corporate partners including Verizon, 24Hour Fitness, 2K Sports, Cytosport, Nestle, Wheaties, Radio Shack, Topps, Burger King, Icy Hot, TY Beanie Babies, Li Ning and his own Dunkman brand…additionally his image was captured by world-renowned artist Leroy Neiman for an original limited edition serigraph…would like to be a sheriff or Chief of Police when he is done playing…has worked for the Los Angeles Police Department and the Miami Beach Police Department during previous off-seasons…attended the Los Angeles County Police Academy while playing for the Lakers…received an Honorary Deputy U.S. Marshal badge on March 3, 2005 in Washington and became the national spokesman for the Safe Surfin’ Foundation, the educational arm of the nationally recognized Internet crimes unit of the Bedford County (Va.) Sheriff’s Office, Operation Blue Ridge Thunder…reported for law enforcement training with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office in August 2005 and participated with other officers in a rigorous training schedule focusing on patrolling both on land and water and specialized training in advanced cyber investigation…is one of the NBA’s most active players in the community and has his own charitable foundation, The Real Model Foundation…has been a national spokesman for Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), a long-standing non-profit organization that has taught millions of people of all ages to read, since April of 1995…through his “Shaq Paq” program he invites underprivileged children from throughout the nation to various professional games…on Thanksgiving he serves food baskets to the homeless at an event entitled “Shaqsgiving”…during the Christmas season “Shaq-a-Claus” brings gifts and spreads cheer to needy children in local hospitals…also makes frequent visits to the terminally ill through the “Make-A-Wish Foundation”…organized a relief effort in September 2005 to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, by collecting essential supplies for displaced families in the Louisiana and Texas areas…in 2000 he pledged $1 million to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America in support of their technology initiatives and as a result in just over two years BGCA has received additional funding and support to open a Shaq Tech Center in each of their clubs through the country…has had a starring role in the motion pictures Blue Chips, Kazaam and Steel…lists Scarface, I Robot and The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh among his favorite movies…his favorite sport other than basketball is football…lists his family as his most prized possession…says the thing that most people don’t know about him is that he is a nice guy…says the best place he has visited is St. Tropez…lists chicken as his favorite food and Marturamo’s in Ft. Lauderdale as his favorite restaurant…has seven tattoos, including a Superman tattoo which symbolizes him…has no pre-game rituals or superstitions…led Cole High School of San Antonio to a 68-1 record during his prep career, highlighted by a 36-0 mark and Class AAA state title his senior year…wears a size 23 shoe.