Chosen 1^st overall by Orlando in 1992, O’Neal took the NBA by storm, shattering backboards, dominating opponents and charming the media.  He easily won Rookie of the Years honors and was named to the All Star team each season in Orlando.  Shaq was also a presence off the court, starring in movies and cutting rap albums – most of which were panned critically.

After finishing 41-41 in 1992-93, the Magic made its first ever playoff appearance in 1994, falling to Indian 3-0.  The following season Shaq led the league in scoring (29.3 ppg), Orlando posted a 57-25 record and beat Boston, Chicago and Indiana en route to the NBA Finals where they were swept by the defending champion Rockets.  With Michael Jordan fully back from retirement and the Bulls winning a NBA record 72 games, the 1995-96 season marked a step back for the young Magic.  Although they posted a 60-22 mark, they lived in Chicago’s shadow and were unceremoniously bounced 4-0 from the Eastern Conference Finals by the Bulls.  Now a free agent, O’Neal had played his last game with Orlando.

After 3 frustrating, titleless seasons with the Lakers, things finally came together in 1999-2000.  New coach Phil Jackson and budding superstar Kobe Bryant helped O’Neal carry the squad to a NBA best 67-15 mark. At the top of his game, Shaq won his second – and final – scoring title (29.7 ppg, a career best), took home his only MVP award and carried the team to its first NBA title since 1988.  The following season marked more of the same.  Their regular season record dipped to 56-25, but the Lakers cruised through the playoffs, going a record 15-1 en route to their second straight championship.

 Although it was tougher in the 2001-02 season – Sacramento took L.A. to the brink the Western Conference Finals – the Lakers brought home their 3rd consecutive title. 

After struggling out of the gate in 2002-03, L.A. rebounded to win 50 games and won a first round series with Minnesota before succumbing to eventual champion San Antonio in the Western Conference Semifinals. Boosted by the acquisitions of Karl Malone and Gary Payton, the Lakers had dreams of another title in 2003-04.  The team navigated the playoffs fairly easily and entered the Finals as a heavy favorite against the upstart Detroit Pistons. What the Lakers had in star power however, Detroit had in chemistry and toughness.  The Pistons shocked the basketball world by making quick work of the mighty Lakers to clinch the title in 5 games. 

With O’Neal and budding superstar Dwyane Wade, Miami was suddenly a title contender.  The Heat posted a 59-23 mark in 2004-05 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before falling in a hard fought, 7-game series to Detroit.  Miami took the next step in 2005-06, bumping off Chicago and New Jersey, before discarding Detroit 4-2 in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch.  In the Finals, the Heat quickly fell behind 2-0 to Dallas before winning four straight and securing its first ever NBA Championship.

Injuries limited Shaq to 40 games in 2006-07 and the Heat dipped to 44-38 before falling to Chicago in the first round of the playoffs.  By the start of the 2007-08 season, Miami was in a rebuilding mode and O’Neal – now 35 and making $20 million annually – didn’t fit into their plans.  On February 6, 2008, Miami sent the veteran center to Phoenix for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

O’Neal struggled to fit into Phoenix’s run-and-gun system. Despite their regular season success, the Suns were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by San Antonio in 2008.  The Suns missed the playoffs in 2008-09, but O’Neal did enjoy a final individual highlight, winning co-MVP honors with nemesis Kobe Bryant at the All Star Game in February.  With his large salary and declining production, he was the subject of trade rumors before finally being dealt to Cleveland for Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace on June 26.

In 2009-10, the Cavaliers mission was simple – NBA title or bust.  Despite having the league’s best record at 61-21 and MVP in Lebron James, Cleveland fell to Boston in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.  Following the season O’Neal was a free agent for the first time in nearly 15 years and searching for a job.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.  Now in the twilight of his career – Shaq turns 39 on March 6 – O’Neal inked a 2-year, $3 million contract with Boston on August 4, 2010. After making at least $20 million each season since 2001, O’Neal took a drastic pay cut to join a veteran team coming off a 7-game Finals loss to Los Angeles and hungry for one more championship.

In the end, the Diesel's health failed him.  O'Neal appeared in just 37 games for Boston, averaging 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20 minutes. After missing much of the second half of the season, he returned to make a cameo appearance in the Celtics second round playoff defeat to Miami.

The big fella retired on June 1, marking the end of an amazing career that included 4 championships, 2 scoring titles and 1 MVP.  O'Neal scored 28,596 points (7th all time) and pulled down 13,099 rebounds in 1207 games.