SUMMARY
- During his storied career, Shaquille O'Neal made 6 appearances in the NBA Finals and recorded impressive stats.
- Shaquille O'Neal won three consecutive Champion titles (2000, 2001, and 2002) alongside Kobe Bryant for the LA Lakers.
Shaquille O’Neal established himself as the most dominant player in the history of the league. He was a part of the league for almost two decades, and the impact that he left is undeniable. Throughout his storied career, Shaq played numerous iconic games and clinched prestigious awards and recognitions. However, his NBA finals performances wherein he recorded impressive stats remain at the top of the list.
He was drafted into the league by the Orlando Magic. Being the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, everyone had high expectations from O’Neal. He not only stood on but took the bar high with his commendable performances and basketball IQ. He quickly earned a spot among the best centers of the NBA and won the Rookie of the Year title.
Before embarking on his professional basketball journey, O’Neal spent his college career at Louisiana State University. He played for three seasons and was a two-time first-team All-American as well as received the Southeastern Conference player of the year award. The former Lakers player’s successful college career laid the foundation for his legendary NBA career.
Shaquille O’Neal averaged 28.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in the NBA finals
Shaquille O’Neal played for 19 seasons in the NBA and represented six different franchises, the Magic, the Lakers, the Heat, the Suns, the Cavaliers, and the Celtics. Interstingly, he recently revealed that the reason behind joining the Celtics at the end of his career was in a desperate attempt to pass Wilt Chamberlain in career points. O’Neal took each team he was a part of to greater heights.
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL
NBA FINALS 2000 🆚 PACERS (6 matchs):🔥 38.0 PTS
🔥 16.6 REB
🔥 2.6 CTR43 points – 19 rebonds lors du Game 1.
40 points – 24 rebonds lors du Game 2.
36 points – 21 rebonds lors du Game 4.
41 points – 12 rebonds lors du Game 6.SHAQ. pic.twitter.com/Tp5elZCxfS
— STEPBACK (@StepBackfr) January 13, 2024
During his storied career, O’Neal made 6 appearances in the NBA Finals and averaged 28.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 30 games in the finals. Further, O’Neal dropped his most points in an NBA Finals game against the 76ers on June 6, 2001, with 44 points. The most rebounds that he recorded in the finals stands at 24 which he dropped in Game 2 of the 2000 NBA Finals against the Pacers.
Shaquille O’Neal holds the record for most free throws attempted in NBA finals
In the 6 NBA finals appearances, Shaquille O’Neal won four of them. Out of this, he won three consecutive Champion titles (2000, 2001, and 2002) alongside Kobe Bryant for the LA Lakers. O’Neal remarkably earned the NBA Finals MVP title in each of those seasons. Furthermore, he won his fourth and last ring in 2009 when he was a part of the Miami Heat.
One of the lesser-known NBA records that O’Neal holds to this day is for the most free throws attempted in NBA finals. He set this record with 39 attempts versus the Pacers on June 9, 2000, and won his first Champion title as well. This along with other achievements led to a massive boost to O’Neal’s popularity, and he remains one of the most influential players even today.