O’Neal has taken a back seat to Miami Heat teammate Dwayne Wade who’s clearly the main man, not the Big Diesel, in coach Pat Riley’s scheme of things.
Shaq, 34, doesn’t mind his new role as a double-team magnet to create scoring opportunities for teammates. He’s still a dominant force inside the paint and there isn’t anyone on the Dallas Mavericks roster able to look at him eyeball-to-eyeball without blinking.
O’Neal is a little boy in a big man’s body. He loves goofing off, playing with kids and joking around. It’s in his nature to be fun-loving. Even when he’s banged up on the floor, Shaq will just smile off the pain and play like nothing happened.
O’Neal’s family is around to provide moral support game in, game out during the Finals. His wife Shaunie Nelson is conspicuous in the stands. She likes wearing a white leather bustier with 32—Shaq’s jersey number—in rhinestones on the front. What’s amazing is Shaunie, who’s doing TV work for the NBA in the Finals, gave birth to their fourth child, Mearah, only six weeks ago and she’s as slim as a fashion model.
By the way, Shaq and Shaunie have a child each from previous relationships. So in all, their family has six children—Mules and Taahirah, both 9, Shareef, 6, Amirah, 4, Shaqir, 3, and little Mearah.
Also on the stands are Shaq’s mother Lucille and his stepfather Phil Harrison, fondly called "Sarge." Harrison was Shaq’s father figure growing up. Shaq has never acknowledged his biological father who disappeared even before he was born.
The 7-1, 325-pound giant is on the first of a five-year $100 Million contract to play for the Heat. Shaquille Rashaun, his first and middle names, mean "little warrior" in Islam. He has two sisters Ayesha and Lateefah and a brother Jamal.
O’Neal has garnered nearly every conceivable individual award worth mentioning in the NBA. He was Rookie of the Year in 1993, MVP in 2000, a two-time scoring champion, a co-MVP (with Tim Duncan) in the 2000 All-Star Game, the MVP in the 2004 All-Star Game, a three-time Finals MVP and the proud owner of three championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 1994, O’Neal saw action for the US squad that won the gold medal at the World Championships and two years later, played for the Dream Team that topped the Olympics in Atlanta. His single-game career highs include 61 points, 28 rebounds and 10 assists.
O’Neal was the Orlando Magic’s first round pick in the 1992 draft. He played four years at Orlando, once leading the Magic to the Finals, eight in Los Angeles and now, two in Miami.
Off the court, O’Neal has dabbled in various business interests. He has cut five albums, starting with "Shaq Diesel" in 1993, and appeared in three movies in a lead role—"Blue Chips" in 1994, "Kazaam" in 1996 and "Steel" in 1997. He owns a record label called TWISM or "This World Is Mine."
O’Neal is involved in a lot of charitable work. He donated $1 million to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to finance technology initiatives and has supported the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the relief campaign for Hurricane Katrina victims, Reading in Fundamental Inc., and his personal outreach programs like Shaqsgiving for Thanksgiving and Shaq-a-Claus for Christmas.
As a role model, O’Neal makes it a point to stress the importance of education. He left Louisiana State University in 1993 after three years in school to turn pro but in 2000, earned a degree in business. Last year, he finished his Master in Business Administration studies at the University of Phoenix.
O’Neal is a reserve police officer with the Miami Beach force and his salary is $1 a year. He is authorized to wear a badge, carry a gun and make arrests. O’Neal recently apprehended a child molester after posing as a teenage girl in an online set-up. He also captured a man for verbally and physically assaulting another man in Miami.
O’Neal, who wears seven tattoos on his body, fits into a size 23 shoe.
In the Finals, his numbers are down. He scored 17 in Game 1, five in Game 2, 16 in Game 3, 17 in Game 4 and 18 in Game 5. But the Heat wouldn’t be up, 3-2, in the series without O’Neal.
After the Heat eked out a 101-100 overtime win over the Mavericks in Game 5, O’Neal said the job isn’t finished.
"We’ve still got to go to a hostile arena in Dallas and take care of business and we look forward to doing it," said O’Neal. "I’ve been in the league 13 years. I’ve been in every situation. I just try to do the other things well. I still shot the ball pretty well from the field. I still rebounded, still played some pretty good defense. And we’ve just got to keep playing."
When O’Neal joined the Heat, he said it was Wade’s team.
"I have a lot of faith in him," said Shaq. "We all have faith in him. We just give him the ball and he does what he does. He’s a very unselfish player, a very great player. Dwyane is just a fabulous player."
Retirement is far from O’Neal’s mind with Game 6 set in Dallas and Miami a win away from clinching the crown.
"I have four years left and I’ll probably play out my four years," said O’Neal. "Winning another title means a lot. For me personally, it just adds to my book. You know, when I hear you guys (in media) talk about me, I’m going to force you to say he was the greatest. Right now, as a player, I have three titles but I’m not satisfied with three. I have the opportunity to get more."
O’Neal’s fourth championship ring is within reach. But clinching in Dallas, either in Game 6 or 7, appears to be a tall order even for the Big Aristotle.