Shaquille O'Neal

The most physically dominant player in NBA history — four-time champion whose sheer size and power were unlike anything the sport had seen.

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1972 and became the most physically dominant basketball player in the sport's history — a combination of size (7ft 1in, 325 pounds), speed and athleticism that produced a player whose presence alone transformed defensive strategy across an entire era of the NBA. He was drafted first overall by Orlando in 1992 and led the Magic to the NBA Finals in 1995 before moving to the Los Angeles Lakers. At his peak, from 2000 to 2002, he was unquestionably the best player in the world — winning three consecutive championships with the Lakers and three consecutive Finals MVPs. He won the regular season MVP in 2000. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. His partnership with Kobe Bryant produced one of the most productive and volatile pairings in NBA history — his mutual grievances contributed to his trade to Miami in 2004, where he won a fourth championship in 2006. His free throw shooting — career average of 52.7% — was an irresolvable weakness that opponents exploited through the Hack-a-Shaq fouling strategy. Despite this limitation, he averaged 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game across his career. He earned a PhD in education in 2012 and became one of sport's most commercially successful retired athletes.

Physical dominant center with powerful post moves

One of the most dominant centers in NBA history

• NBA Champion 4x (2000,2001,2002,2006)
• Finals MVP 3x
• NBA MVP (2000)
• Rookie of Year (1993)
• All-Star 15x
• Hall of Fame (2016)
• NBA 75th Anniversary Team