Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal, simply known as Shaquille O’Neal or Shaq, is a famous American former professional basketball player, rap artist, film and television producer, as well as an actor. Shaquille O’Neal’s rise to fame started in 1992, when he entered the NBA Draft and was chosen as the first pick by the Orlando “Magic”, where he later played as a center. It wasn’t long before Shaq established himself as one of the best players in the center position and not only won the Rookie of the Year Award but also helped his team reach the NBA Finals.
Shaquille O’Neal Net Worth $450 Million
Among his many accomplishments in basketball, Shaq is the NBA Champion, a title that he won four times, three times NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP), two times NBA scoring champion, and he had been a part of NBA All-Star team fifteen times. During his basketball career, Shaquille O’Neal had had an opportunity to play for such well-known teams as the Orlando “Magic”, Los Angeles “Lakers”, Miami “Heat”, Phoenix “Suns”, Cleveland “Cavaliers” and others.
Off court, Shaq is known as a U.S. Deputy Marshal, a talented rap artist with five studio albums under his name, as well as an actor.
A famous former professional basketball player, how rich is Shaquille O’Neal? In 2009, Shaquille O’Neal’s salary with the “Cavaliers” amounted to $20 million, while a year later he earned an annual salary of $1.35 million with the Boston “Celtics”. In regards to his total wealth, Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth is estimated to be $450 million.
Shaquille O’Neal was born in 1972, in Newark, New Jersey. During his early years, Shaq spent a lot of time in the “Boys and Girls Club of America”, an after-school program that kept him focused on basketball. Shaquille then attended Robert G. Cole High School, where he played for the basketball team and helped them reach a record of 68 wins, as well as led them to win the state championship. When he graduated high school, Shaq enrolled at Louisiana State University, where his skills on court earned him the NCAA trophy, as well as two-time All American and SEC player of the year awards. Shaq’s successful performance in the university gave him an opportunity to take part in the 1992 NBA Draft.
Even though Shaquille O’Neal is best known as a basketball player, he also managed to involve himself in law enforcement, rapping, as well as acting career. In 2005, Shaquille O’Neal became the Miami Beach reserve officer and even took part in arresting several criminals. Prior to that, Shaquille O’Neal debuted with his first studio album entitled “Shaq Diesel”, which peaked at #25 on the Billboard chart and with over 1 million records sold, was given Platinum certification by the RIAA.
As an actor, Shaquille O’Neal starred in such films and television series as “Blue Chip” with Nick Nolte, “Kazaam”, “My Wife and Kids” with Damon Wayans, “The Parkers”, as well as voiced a character in an animated film “The Lego Movie” with Chris Pratt, Morgan Freeman, Nick Offerman, Will Arnett and others.
