Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal; born March 6, 1972), frequently referred to simply as "Shaq", is an American professional basketball player, rapper and actor. He is often regarded as one of the most dominant players in the history of the NBA, where he currently plays at center for the Phoenix Suns. O'Neal has won four NBA Championships, three with the Los Angeles Lakers and most recently in 2006, with the Miami Heat.The Phoenix Suns acquired O'Neal from the Miami Heat in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. O'Neal made his Suns debut on February 20, 2008 against his former Lakers team, scoring 15 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in the process. The Lakers won, 130-124. O'Neal was upbeat in a post-game press conference, stating: "I will take the blame for this loss because I wasn't in tune with the guys [...] But give me four or five days to really get in tune and I'll get it. O'Neal first gained national attention as a star at Linton Middle School. He led his Robert G. Cole High School team, San Antonio, Texas, to a 68-1 record during his two years there, and helped the team win the state title his senior year

After graduating from high school, O'Neal attended Louisiana State University, where he was a member of Omega Psi Phi and studied business. He had first met Dale Brown, LSU's men's basketball coach at that time, years before in Europe. With O'Neal's stepfather stationed on a U.S. Army base at Wildflecken, West Germany, and his godfather a First Sergeant at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, O'Neal attended Fulda American High School
El 6 de febrero de 2008 "Shaq" dejaba su actual equipo, los Miami Heat, y pasaba a formar parte de los Phoenix Suns en un sorprendente traspaso que llevaba a cambio a los Miami Heat a Shawn Marion y Marcus Banks, que junto a Dwyane Wade tendrán la oportunidad de rehacer un equipo que en esta temporada no funcionaba tan bien como debiera.