The Miami Heat announced that the team will retire Shaquille O'Neal's jersey number during a special halftime ceremony against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Nov. 22 at the AmericanAirlines Arena. O'Neal is only the fourth player in the history of Miami Heat to have his jersey retired.
O'Neal was acquired by the Heat from the Lakers in a package deal that sent Heat forward Lamar Odom to the Lakers in July 2004. He helped the Miami Heat win its first ever NBA championship in 2005 playing alongside rising star Dwyane Wade and Heat legend Alonzo Mourning, via nba.com.
O'Neal dominated the NBA for 19 seasons, boasting four championship rings under his belt. He won three championships with the Lakers and one during his stint with the Miami Heat. He will be the fourth player to have his jersey number retired after Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan. Jordan is the only player in the NBA to have his jersey retired in Miami even if he never played for the Heat, according to Yahoo Sports. O'Neal averaged 19.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 blocks per game in his stay with the Miami Heat.
O'Neal gained a lot of respect from the fans and fellow players around the league for dominating the game inside the paint. He received multiple awards during his 19 NBA seasons. He also won the coveted Most Valuable Player award once during his dominating days. When O'Neal officially retired in 2011, he left the league as one of the best and most dominant centers that ever played the game.
In his 19 NBA seasons, O'Neal played 1,207 regular season games with a career average of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.26 blocks per game while shooting one of the best field goal percentage at 58.2 percent. He was selected as a 15-time all-star, 14-time member of the all-NBA team, and a three-time all-defensive team. He was well known for having various names during his prime, including The Big Cactus, Diesel, and Superman.
O'Neal played three and a half seasons with the Miami Heat from 2004 to 2008 before being traded to the Phoenix Suns. He ranks among one of the best all-time league leaders in points, rebounds, blocks and every statistical category. A true NBA legend for his supreme dominance of the game.
