How Many Years Did Shaq Play In The Nba?

Shaquille O’Neal played 19 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 2011. He won four NBA championships, was a 15-time All-Star, and is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history.

Shaquille O’Neal’s NBA Career

Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most dominant players in the NBA for many years. He played for six different teams during his career and won four championships. Shaq was an All-Star for 15 years and was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2000. Let’s take a look at Shaq’s NBA career.

Shaq’s rookie year

Shaquille O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best players in the league, winning Rookie of the Year honors. Shaq helped lead the Magic to the playoffs in his second season, but they were swept by the Houston Rockets in the first round. In Shaq’s third season, he became a starter and helped Orlando reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. The Magic lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games.

Shaq’s early years in the NBA

Shaquille O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. He quickly became one of the best players in the league, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1992-93. In his second season, Shaq help lead the Magic to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Houston Rockets in four games.

After four years with the Magic, Shaq signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent. He would spend eight seasons with the Lakers, winning three NBA Championships (2000-02). In addition, Shaq was named the NBA Finals MVP each of those three years. He also won the NBA MVP Award in 2000 and was named to the All-NBA First Team six times during his tenure with the Lakers.

In 2004, Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat and would go on to win his fourth NBA Championship in 2006. He spent three seasons with the Heat before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2007. After two years with Phoenix, Shaq signed with The Cavaliers for one final season in 2009-10 before retiring from basketball.

Shaq’s prime years

O’Neal’s rookie season was 1992–93, and he instantly became one of the league’s best players, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He was named to the All-NBA First team for the first time in his second season, 1993–94. In 1994–95, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player and led his team to the franchise’s first-ever Finals appearance. After losing in the 1995 Finals, O’Neal won consecutive titles with the Lakers in 2000, 2001, and 2002.

In 1996–97, O’Neal was again named Most Valuable Player as well as Defensive Player of the Year— becoming only one of three players ever to receive both awards—and led the Lakers to a second consecutive NBA Finals appearance. The following season (1997–98), he won his fourth scoring title while becoming only second player in NBA history to average at least 28 points and 13 rebounds per game for an entire season. In 1999–2000, Shaq won his fifth scoring title and was unanimously voted league MVP for a second time.

Shaq’s later years in the NBA

Shaquille O’Neal’s NBA career spanned 19 seasons, from 1992 to 2011. He played for six teams: the Orlando Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Boston Celtics.

O’Neal was a 15-time All-Star, a 14-time member of the All-NBA Team, and a three-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 and went on to win four NBA championships—three with the Lakers and one with the Heat. In 2000, he was named co-MVP of the NBA regular season and Finals MVP in 2006.

O’Neal’s individual accolades include being named Shaquille O’Neal Shaq Diesel Father of Basketball Teeth representative of Big Baby Big Aristotle Minister of Bringin’ Da Noise Bringin’ Da Funk The Big Bellyache The Big Shamrock The Big Galactus MDE Most Dominant Ever The Most Handsome Man in America Superman Webber’s Little Brother Dancing Machine Shaqtus Wilt Chamberlain Lite Shaq Fu Clyde Drexler’s Little Brother The Diesel Lowpost Assassin Places everyone but Tim Duncan on skates1000th KISS Cam appearance as well as leading the league in scoring for 10 seasons. He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); he joins fellow legends Michael Jordan and Bill Russell as being one of those select few players.

Shaq’s Legacy

Shaquille O’Neal, also known as Shaq, is a retired professional basketball player who is considered one of the greatest players of all time. He played for six teams during his 19-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Shaq’s impact on the NBA

Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal (/ʃəˈkiːl/ shə-KEEL; born March 6, 1972), nicknamed Shaq (/ʃæk/ SHAK), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. He is considered one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. At 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall and 325 pounds (147 kg), he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. O’Neal played for six teams throughout his 19-year NBA career.

Following his time at Louisiana State University, O’Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. He quickly became one of the best centers in the league, winning Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 and later leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After four years with the Magic, O’Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. In 2004, he was traded to the Miami Heat and won another championship in 2006. Midway through the 2007–2008 season he was traded to t”,
the Phoenix Suns. After a season-and-a-half with Phoenix, O’Neal was traded to Cleveland in 2009. He played for Shaquille’s Cleveland Cavaliers until mid-2010, when he was traded back to Boston. He finished his career with the Celtics in 2011.

O’Neal’s individual accolades include the 1999–2000 MVP award, three All-Star game MVPs (2000, 2009, 2010), 15 All-Star selections (1993–1998, 2000–2011), three All-NBA First Team selections (1999–2001), three NBA Finals MVP awards (2000–2002), two NCAA Men’s Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards (1991 and 1992), an Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction (2016), and a jersey retirement by LSU. He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in their career;the other two being Michael Jordan and LeBron James. He ranks 8th all-time in points scored,[5] 6th in field goals,[6] 15th in rebounds,[7] and 8th in blocks.[8] Largely due to his ability to dunk Fox Sports ranked Shaq as #3 on their Top 50 Greatest Dunks list.[9][10]

Shaq’s legacy as one of the greatest players of all time

Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal (/ʃəˈkiːl/ shə-KEEL; born March 6, 1972), nicknamed Shaq (/ʃæk/ SHAK), is an American retired professional basketball player who is currently a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Standing 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall and weighing 325 pounds (147 kg), he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. O’Neal played for six teams throughout his 19-year NBA career.

O’Neal’s individual accolades include the 1999–2000 MVP award, the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two Shaqtin’ a Fool MVP awards, and an inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); he joins Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain as the only three players to have ever accomplished this feat. He was also a member of Kobe Bryant’s All-Star squad that won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.