The unofficial Shaquille O'Neal encyclopedia
a.k.a. Shaq
Seven-foot-one. Size 22. Four rings. Exactly one career three-pointer. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Big Fella, from Newark in 1972 to right now, with a receipt for every fact.
Tale of the tape
7'1"
Listed height
216 cm of pure Diesel. By age 13 he was already about 6'8" (accounts vary).
22
Shoe size
Tied with Bob Lanier for the biggest feet ever in the NBA, per ESPN. (Some sources say 23.)
61
Career-high points
On his 28th birthday (March 6, 2000) vs. the Clippers, with 23 rebounds.
1
Career three-pointers
1-for-22 lifetime. The make came Feb. 16, 1996, vs. Milwaukee.
.527
Career free-throw percentage
5,935 made out of 11,252 attempts. His best season was 62.2% (2002–03).
The Saga
“One day when some father quizzes his sons on the greats of the game, I hope Shaquille O'Neal will be the answer.”
— Shaq. Closing line of his Hall of Fame induction speech in Springfield, Mass.
Wait, what?
#1
LSU coach Dale Brown was running clinics at a U.S. Army base in Wildflecken, West Germany, when a huge teenager (roughly 6'8" with size-17 feet) walked up. Brown asked how long he'd been in the service. "I'm too young for the service, sir," came the reply. He was 13. Brown asked to meet his dad, and LSU history was made.
#2
Shaq recorded the highest standing vertical reach ever measured in pre-draft workouts: 12 feet, 5 inches. The rim is 10 feet.
#3
In 1993, the year after Shaq entered the NBA, 1,784 American baby boys were named Shaquille, about five a day. The name jumped to No. 181 nationally, up from No. 426 the year before.
#4
When George Mikan, the NBA's first great big man, died in 2005, Shaq offered to cover all the funeral expenses, and the family accepted.
#5
After Houston swept Orlando in the 1995 Finals, Shaq sent Hakeem Olajuwon a typed, signed challenge to play one-on-one. Taco Bell was lined up to sponsor it as a pay-per-view, but the game never happened.
#6
On Dec. 20, 2010, Shaq guest-conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra.
Frequently asked
Insert coin
Take on trivia against a shot clock, stand next to him to scale, or try his free throws. (Good luck with that last one.)
