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Shaquille O’Neal Facts & Worksheets

Shaquille O'Neal is regarded as one of the most dominant athletes and arguably the most gregarious personalities in sports history.

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Shaquille O’Neal is regarded as one of the most dominant athletes and arguably the most gregarious personalities in sports history. He played for various teams in the NBA such as the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.

See the fact file below for more information on the Shaquille O’Neal or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Shaquille O’Neal worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Baby Shaq

  • Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal was born on March 6, 1972, in Newark, New Jersey to Lucille O’Neal and Joseph Toney.
  • When Shaquille was still a baby, his father struggled with drug addiction and was jailed for drug possession, remaining out of his son’s life and agreeing to grant parental rights to Shaquille’s stepfather, Philip A. Harrison, who was a career army reserve sergeant.
  • Young O’Neal began attending Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas in 1989, after his stepfather was transferred to a local U.S. Army post from Germany.
  • There, he led his basketball team to a 68-1 record in over two years and helped his team to win the state championships during his senior year, which earned him a scholarship to the Louisiana State University (LSU).
  • He had also established a state record for the most rebounds in a season in his junior year, a record that that still stands today.
  • After finishing high school, O’Neal went to the LSU where he majored in business and played for the school’s basketball varsity team. In his two seasons with the LSU, Shaquille – towering at 7-feet and weighing 315 pounds – was one of the most dominant players in college basketball. In 1991, he was named College Player of the Year by the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) and twice became a unanimous first team All-American in 1991 and 1992.
  • O’Neal dropped out of LSU in 1992 after his junior year to pursue a professional basketball career in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Shaq Magic

  • The Orlando Magic took O’Neal as their first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, along with Alonzo Mourning.
  • In his debut season with the Magic, he became popularly known as “Shaq” and was showered with accolades. He finished in the Top 10 in scoring, rebounding, blocks, and shooting percentage, earning the Player of the Week title in his first week playing professionally, later on becoming the first rookie All-Star since Michael Jordan, and receiving the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
  • Known to be a notoriously bad free-throw shooter, Shaq focused on trying to get more of his points with the power slam dunk.
  • Shaq continued to dominate the NBA boards in his sophomore year in 1993, when phenomenal point guard Penny Hardaway joined the Orlando Magic, leading the team to its first playoffs in franchise history.
  • O’Neal averaged 29.3 points per game and later in the series led the team all the way to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Hakeem Olajuwon and the defending champions, Rockets.
  • Shaq missed a significant part of the 1995-1996 season due to injury and the Orlando Magic was not able to move through the finals after losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
  • Gaining a prominent following from his on-court fame, Shaq left Orlando and tried acting in Hollywood where he played a genie in the now-infamous film Kazaam.

The Move to L.A.

  • In 1996, Shaq signed the biggest contract in NBA history, a massive $120 million 7-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, which further ignited his superstar status. That same year, he helped the U.S. Basketball Dream Team earn gold at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Although Shaq posted solid numbers during his 1996-97 season with the Lakers, he missed 30 games due to injury, something that would haunt him for the last third of his career.
  • From 1997-1998 the Lakers won 61 games without Shaq, but were unable to win over the Utah Jazz for the second year in a row. Luckily, rescue was on its way in the form of teen phenom Kobe Bryant.
  • However, despite having the Shaq-Kobe combo, the Lakers struggled initially and were unable to gel over the 50-game season in 1999. They still made it through the playoffs, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs.
  • Prior to the 2000-01 season, the Lakers signed Shaq to a 3-year $88.5 million contract extension.
  • By 2000, with Phil Jackson commanding the team and Kobe Bryant coming into his prime, the Lakers dynasty was born and Shaq had the best season of his career. He dominated the league, averaging 30 points and 13 rebounds per game, leading the Lakers to an NBA Championship and claiming his first Most Valuable Player award.
  • A year after, the Lakers continued to bloom into a full-fledged dynasty, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in the Finals to win their second consecutive title.
  • As he continued to dominate the boards, league players began utilizing the “hack-a-Shaq” method, forcing the big man to the line, knowing that he was a terrible free throw shooter.
  • The Los Angeles Lakers won their third straight NBA Finals title in 2002, after defeating their California rival Sacramento Kings in a highly-intense Western Conference finals.

The Fall of the Dynasty

  • The L.A. Lakers’ championship streak came to an end in the fall of 2002, missing their first Finals since 1999, without Shaq who just underwent a toe surgery. The loss prompted team owner Jerry Buss to revamp the Lakers roster.
  • The next year, amidst widely circulated reports involving a conflict between Shaq and Kobe, the Lakers again failed to win a title. After the season, the team decided to trade Shaq and his contract to the Miami Heat.

From One Team to Another

  • In his first season on South Beach, Shaq bloomed and was back to his old ways, averaging in double-double figures per game and helped the Heat nab the NBA Championship in 2006, the 4th title of his career.
  • Shaq continued to lead the NBA in field goal percentage in both 2005 and 2006, and by the 2006-07 season, he reached a career milestone by scoring his 25,000th point.
  • But the injuries were beginning to pile up for Big Shaq, as he missed 23 regular season games. After playing in only 40 games and failing to make the All-Star team for the first time in his career in 2007-2008, the league-worst Miami Heat decided to let go of Shaq.
  • By 2008, it was time for the big center to move on again. This time, he was sent to the Arizona desert and became “The Big Shaqtus”.
  • He would only play one season with the Phoenix Suns, but that did not stop him from crashing the boards and earning an NBA All-Star Game co-MVP title in 2009. There, Shaq found himself eyeing a championship title again with standout point guard Steve Nash.
  • The Suns decided to trade Shaq after missing the playoffs in 2008-2009. He was then sent to the Midwest and vowed to make a run with a championship-starved Cleveland Cavaliers with then upcoming superstar LeBron James. However, Shaq, being the oldest NBA player in history at the time, was not fit enough to provide effective minutes for the team, and the Cavs eventually collapsed against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.
  • After only a one season stint with the Cavs, Shaq became a free agent and was signed by the Boston Celtics in August 2010. Unfortunately, an achilles injury hindered the big man and the team in the 2010-11 season. Aside from missing 27 season games, Shaq sat out the first round of the 2011 playoffs and played only 2 games of the second round.

Retirement

  • Shaq decided to call it quits in June 1, 2011, announcing his plans to retire from the NBA. Although he was a juggernaut on the basketball court – probably the greatest physical specimen the league has ever seen – he will be remembered for his big personality and perpetual goofiness.
  • He then became an NBA analyst for Turner Network Television, working alongside NBA legends Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith on their show, Inside the NBA.

Shaq’s Reinvention

  • Aside from appearing as an on-screen NBA analyst, Shaq has spent his time off the court as a musician and actor. In 1990, he appeared on Fu-Schnickens’ Top 40 single What’s Up Doc?. In 1993, he released his solo debut, Shaq Diesel. Collaborating with artists like Def Jef, his album reached platinum status, and his Shaq-Fu Da Return, released in 1994, established Shaq as a gold-certified rap artist. His succeeding records You Can’t Stop the Reign (1996), Respect (1998), and Presents His Superfriends (2001), were released under his own label, TWIsM (The World Is Mine) Records.
  • He has also guest starred in a number of films, including Blue Chips, Kazaam!, and Steel, for which he also recorded the soundtrack.
  • In 2018, he starred alongside Kyrie Irving, Tiffany Haddish, and other former NBA players in the sports comedy Uncle Drew.
  • Additionally, Shaq has devoted a huge amount of time pursuing his education, earning two graduate degrees. After receiving a Master of Business Administration degree from Barry University in Florida in 2005, he returned to the university and was awarded a doctorate degree in Education in 2012.

Shaquille O’Neal Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Shaquille O’Neal across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Shaquille O’Neal worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Shaquille O’Neal who is regarded as one of the most dominant athletes and arguably the most gregarious personalities in sports history. He played for various teams in the NBA such as the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Shaq Facts
  • Free Throw Hues
  • Team Hopping
  • Shaq & Friends
  • Shaq Attaq
  • MEET THE GIANTS
  • Hall of Fame
  • What’s in a Name?
  • Reel Time
  • Rap Shaq

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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