One of the greatest players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Shaquille O’Neal will celebrate his 48th birthday on March 6, 2020 (Friday). At 7 ft 1 inch tall and 325 pounds, Shaq was one of the tallest and heaviest players in the league's history and has played for six teams in his 19-year-long career. O’Neal is a 15-time all-star and has won the NBA championship four times in his illustrious career – thrice with LA Lakers and once with Miami Heat. On O’Neal’s birthday, we take a look at some lesser-known facts about him.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Shaquille O’Neal started his basketball journey with Orlando Magic when he was selected by the team as their first-overall pick in the 1992 draft. O’Neal is one of the most celebrated athletes in the game, along with four NBA Championships he has won the Rookie of the Year, 1999-00 MVP Award, three All-Star game MVP Awards, three Finals MVP Awards and has two scoring titles. He was also a part of the legendary LA Lakers team which did a three-peat winning the Championships from 2000 to 2002.

Lesser-Known Facts About Shaquille O'Neal

  • After graduating Shaquille O’Neal studied business at Louisiana State University.

  • Shaquille O’Neal was Orlando Magic’s first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft.

  • He made just one three-pointer in his entire career.

  • He won a gold medal at 1984 FIBA World Championship with US national team.

  • He won a gold medal with the United States at 1996 Olympics in Atlanta at a team basketball event.

  • In 2005, he was given an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshall title.

  • Shaquille O’Neal has released four rap albums, with his first – Shaq Diesel – going platinum.

  • Shaquille O’Neal has appeared in a number of movies, most notably Grown Ups 2 and The Lego Movie.

After his retirement on June 1, 2011, Shaquille O’Neal has appeared on various TV and reality shows. The retired basketball professional player is currently a sports analyst on the TV program named Inside the NBA.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 06, 2020 08:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).