Shaquille O'Neal Net Worth, Bio, Salary, Wife, Family, and Career Stats

Shaquille O’Neal, often referred to as Shaq, is probably the most popular basketball player who stood alongside Kobe Bryant after Michael Jordan to claim the fame of a star. Shaq was a big and fast basketball player whose defensive techniques and scoring spree were lethal to opponents.

Moreover, the former Los Angeles Lakers player did not just focus on blocking the shots but was also keen on increasing the point margin. But is Shaquille O’Neal just limited to basketball?

Shaquille O’Neal Early Life

Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal was born to Lucille and Tony on March 6, 1972, in Newark, New Jersey. However, he grew up with his mother, Lucille O’Neal, and stepfather, Phillip Harrison, a military sergeant. His biological father, Joseph Tony, was not involved in Shaq’s upbringing due to drug addiction. But Shaq did not miss him since Phillip raised him with discipline while moving with his father to Germany and Texas for military assignments.

The height was a natural advantage for Shaq in basketball. In addition to it, he honed his fundamentals at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Thereafter, when he played high school basketball at Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas, it was a buzz among basketball enthusiasts. He took inspiration from big guys like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain for his playing techniques and shots.

Shaquille O’Neal Biography

Shaquille O’Neal’s biography as a basketball player stands out due to his ability to adjust his ambitions and ego while delivering the best he can. Although he faced hurdles in the second half of his career, it was a journey of perseverance for a player like Shaq.

Shaquille O’Neal Personal Life

Shaquille O’Neal has a total of six children and has been married once, to Shaunie Nelson, from 2002 to 2011. He is a very hands-on father does maintains close relationships with all his children. O’Neal earned a doctorate in education and has pursued business ventures, including investments in restaurants and technology.

Despite his celebrity status, the former NBA player values privacy and loves to focus on his family and his community. Reportedly, he has expressed regret over the end of his marriage and aims to be a better father. In the below article, we have explored the Lakers' legend's life in detail.

Shaquille O’Neal Wife

Shaquille O’Neal is currently not married. However, he was married to Shaunie Nelson. Both of them met after Shaq joined the Lakers in 1996. Shaunie was a film marketer, and after dating for a long time, both of them married in a private ceremony in December 2002. It was quite a private function with heavy security to maintain privacy during the moment of Shaq’s lifetime.

He organized his wedding at the Beverly Hills Hotel at that time. However, after 9 years, they separated in 2011. Later on, Shaq was engaged to Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander after his divorce, but they called off their engagement in 2013.

Shaquille O’Neal Kids

Shaunie Nelson and Shaquille O’Neal welcomed their first child after two years of dating on January 11, 2000. It was a boy whom Shaq named Shareef Rashaun. Before Shaunie, Shaq had dated ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh, who gave birth to a daughter, Taahirah, in 1996. Even Shaunie had a son named Myles before meeting Shaq.

After Shane’s first child and almost one and a half years, Shaunie gave birth to another child on November 13, 2001. This time, Shaq skipped practices for the birth of his daughter, later named Amirah Sanaa O’Neal. That’s when coach Phil Jackson imposed a fine on Shaquille O’Neal for ditching it. Shaunie and the Diesel welcomed another son on April 19, 2003, named Shaqir Rashaun. He was born during playoffs and Shaq had to miss a practice before an encounter with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After the birth of another daughter on May 1, 2006, Shaq said in a statement, “My wife, Shaunie, and I had another beautiful baby girl, Me’arah Sanaa. Each child that we have adds another lifetime of joy to our lives. Family is extremely important to me, so I was overcome with extreme happiness when Me’arah arrived healthy and beautiful.”

Shaquille O'Neal Parents

Shaquille O’Neal’s biological parents were Lucille O’Neal and Joe Tony. Both of his parents had played high school basketball, and his father was even an All-State guard. However, when O’Neal was an infant, Tony fell into the circus of drug addiction and could not turn back to his family or his child. Ultimately, Lucille married Army Sergeant Phillip Arthur Harrison, and Tony gave away his parenting rights to Phil.

Height was a gift for Shaquille O’Neal from his biological parents. Both Tony and Lucille were 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall, respectively. That’s why Shaq was already hailing the 6 feet 6 inches stature at 13 years old and 6 feet 10 inches stature at the age of 16.

Shaquille O’Neal Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth data, Shaquille O’Neal is estimated to have a net worth of $500 million. A major chunk of his net worth comes from endorsements, since it has been more than a decade since he retired from the NBA. The credit goes to his grit for learning and trying new things at all costs. His endorsements with Reebok, Pepsi, Icy Hot, and Buick earned him about $200 million in total during his playing days.

He acted in films “Blue Chips” and “Kazaam” during the 1990s. After that, he released a rap album, “Shaq Diesel,” in 1993 that was certified platinum. He joined Papa John’s on March 22, 2019, as a stakeholder in the company through which he earned $8.25 million in salary and stock over three years. Shaquille O’Neal also bought stakes in restaurant chains like Krispy Kreme, Five Guys, and Auntie Anne’s. In addition to such large-scale endeavors, he continuously buys and sells real estate properties in his name to keep his wealth in check.

Shaquille O’Neal Contract

Shaquille O’Neal contracts have all been major in the NBA. He began his career journey with a 3 year rookie deal with the Orlando Magic in 1992 worth $9.25 million. Later in 1996, he signed a 7 year, contract with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $120 million. In 2005, he signed a five-year, $100 million extension with the Miami Heat. Furthermore, he later played for the Suns, Cavaliers, and Celtics on shorter deals. Even though retirement did stop Shaq as he later joined TNT’s Inside the NBA in 2011.

Shaquille O’Neal Salary

Shaquille O’Neal earned about $292 million in salaries from the NBA team. The former NBA player's highest single-season salary came around 2004–2005 when he was with the Miami Heat and received $27.7 million. Earlier in his career, his rookie contract with Orlando paid around $3 million annually. Moreover, according to Front Office Sports, other than the NBA, Shaq also clinched a significant amount of salary as a TNT analyst. Reportedly, he has a media contract worth several million annually. Here is his NBA salary breakdown:

Shaquille O’Neal Endorsement

Shaquille O'Neal net worth has been a big topic as his marketability has increased, and he earns about $60 million per year from endorsements currently. He is also the second-largest investor in ABG Group, which holds the ownership of the Reebok brand. Shaquille O’Neal has earned over $200 million from endorsements during and after his NBA career. He signed major deals with brands like Reebok, Pepsi, Icy Hot, Buick, and The General. Moreover, Shaq's Reebok partnership included a signature shoe line that remains popular. It is to be noted that even after retirement, the NBA player remains one of the most marketable athletes.

Shaquille O’Neal Career

Only the pro-basketball career of Shaquille O’Neal in the NBA spanned two decades. However, he also attended collegiate basketball and even introduced the world to the splashes of his basketball potential. Let’s go through his portfolio to learn more about him.

Shaquille O’Neal High School Career

Shaquille O’Neal attended Robert G. Cole High School. He guided his team to a 68–1 record over 2 years and helped the team win the state championship during his senior year. Donning the number 32 jersey, his persistent efforts kept his high school team alive in the competition. That’s why Shaq’s 791 rebounds during the 1989 season is still a state record for a player in any classification.

Shaquille O'Neal College Career

After graduating from high school, O’Neal studied business at Louisiana State University (LSU). The achievements that he earned during his college career included 2X All-American, 2X SEC Player of the Year, and the Adolph Rupp Trophy NCAA men’s basketball player of the year in 1991. Here are the stats that Shaquille O’Neal put on the board during his collegiate career, according to LSU Athletics data:

Shaquille O’Neal Professional Career

Shaq was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 1992 as the first overall pick. The same year, Shaquille O’Neal clinched his much-deserved Rookie of the Year title. The next year of his playing career with the Magic, Shaq reached the playoffs and, in 1994-95, earned a place in the NBA Finals. However, Hakeem Olajuwon led the Houston Rockets, but he did not let them win. The next year, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to defeat the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. Soon, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1996-97 season.

At Lakers, Shaq matched up with Kobe Bryant and their pair went on to win three championships for the Los Angeles Lakers together. He even earned various MVP titles and accolades. After 2002, he faced a toe injury, and amid turmoil around his performance after that, he left the Lakers in 2004.

After joining the Miami Heat, he immediately took them to the NBA Championship in 2006, earning his fourth NBA Championship. However, health problems were more frequent for him as he underwent left knee surgery in the 2006-07 season. Post 2006-07 season, it was a downfall for Shaquille because he experienced several health problems in the later stages of his life. He switched teams from Miami to the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then the Boston Celtics.

He claimed to get a championship for LeBron James while playing for the Cavs. However, they got eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. So, Shaq was never able to fulfill his promise. Here is the breakdown of Shaquille O'Neal's stats as a player, according to ESPN data:

Shaquille O’Neal Awards and Achievements

With his gigantic stature, Shaquille O’Neal, as a center, had accumulated the following awards and achievements in the NBA during his prime playing years.

Here is a tabular list of all of his accolades in the league.

Shaquille O’Neal Record

In terms of records, Shaquille O’Neal was more of an achiever rather than setting individual parameters in the league. One of the highlights of such a career was his 61-point streak that he scored against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 6, 2000. It was Shaquille O’Neal’s 28th birthday and he dished out 23 rebounds and 3 assists as well. Eventually, the Lakers won the game, putting up 123–103 on the scoreboard. Apart from this incident, here are some records that Shaq achieved in the league:

Shaquille O’Neal Jersey

Shaquille O’Neal was active in the NBA league for almost two decades and during that period, he played for about teams. For teams like the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, and the Phoenix Suns, Shaq wore the number 32 jersey. The major part of his NBA stint that he played with the Los Angeles Lakers was represented by the jersey number 34. By the end of his career, Shaquille O’Neal wore jersey number 36 for the Boston Celtics for a single season.

At first, Shaq donned the number 32 jersey in respect of Magic Johnson since he could not wear the number 33 jersey. At the time of his debut, NBA veteran Terry Catledge was the owner of this number. Later on, when Shaquille O’Neal joined the Los Angeles Lakers, he wore the 34 number jersey because the Lakers had already retired the number 32 and 33 jerseys to honor legends Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Last year, on February 14, 2024, the Orlando Magic retired Shaq’s number 32 jersey at the Kia Center. The Diesel’s jersey was also retired by the Lakers and Miami Heat before the Magic. He is now one of just three players in league history to have his jersey retired by three different teams. Only legends Wilt Chamberlain and Pete Maravich are the other two to have this feat. Even the college, LSU, where O’Neal played, retired his jersey (Number 33).

Shaquille O’Neal Shoes

Shaquille O'Neal shoes are an interesting topic, as O'neal was ready to break the big man stereotype for selling sneakers, and that’s why he entered the shoe industry. Through his grit for breaking the trending norms, Shaquille O’Neal almost single-handedly turned Reebok into a major player in the basketball shoe world.

The major cause of his success was the Shaq Attack line that Adidas was producing at that time. Later on, Shaq used his business venture to start a new low-cost Dunkman brand. The purpose of this brand was to deliver millions of affordable sneakers through discount retailers to fans around the world. It was a success for Diesel since he signed a 5-year deal with Chinese brand Li-Ning in 2006. The deal involved the production of a series of signature shoes that would promote Shaq’s brand.

How Many Rings Does Shaquille O’Neal Have?

Shaquille O’Neal has won four NBA Championships. The three championships have been won under the elite name of the Los Angeles Lakers and alongside his Lakers buddy Kobe Bryant. The rest of the championship was won by Shaquille O’Neal in 2006, playing for the Miami Heat. Here is a breakdown of all the championships that Shaq has won.

2000-2002 NBA Championships

The 2000, 2001, and 2002 NBA trophies were all won by Shaquille O’Neal while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. The turning point for the Lakers before that season was the appointment of legendary coach Phil Jackson. His first final was like a staircase to success as he earned the 1999-2000.

During the 2000-01 season, the Lakers faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals. This season, Shaq earned the Defensive Player of the Year title. However, Shaquille O’Neal was in pain this season due to his claw-toe deformity. He underwent the corrective surgery before the 2001-02 season, but the pain did not go away. Somehow, with consistent efforts, Shaquille O’Neal got past the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference Finals and made it to the NBA Championships. However, Diesel did not want to risk his career due to the pain shadowing his game. That’s why he underwent reconstructive surgery after the 2001-02 season to permanently solve the problem of his right toe.

2006 NBA Championship

In July 2004, Shaquille O’Neal was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Miami Heat. The same season, Shaq led the Miami team to the Eastern Conference Finals. But Shaq knew that he had more in him, so he decided to pursue the championship next season. Due to his ankle injury, Shaquille O’Neal missed 18 of his games. Then, he returned performance-wise in the second half of the season to face the Chicago Bulls in the NBA playoffs. Shaq rattled the opponent with his 27-point, 16-rebound, and 5-block performance in Game 1 and then a 30-point, 20-rebound tally in Game 2.

But Shaquille O’Neal could not contribute much from his end during the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Wade was in charge of the Miami Heat offense that made a comeback after losing the first two games of the series to the Mavericks. Shaq had just averaged 13.7 points and 10.2 rebounds in the Finals series.