• Jermaine O'Neal
• #6
• Center - Forward

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2007-08: Profile | Photo gallery | Wallpaper
The only Indiana player to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists in the same game, he did so in both of the Pacers' last two games of 2007…vs. the Detroit Pistons, 12/29, he led the team with 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists…two nights later in Charlotte, he tied Troy Murphy for team-high with five assists, while scoring 20 points and collecting 13 boards…on the season, he averaged a career-high 2.2 apg and had three or more assists 15 times…he tied a career-high with seven assists twice: vs. Miami, 11/2, and at Toronto, 11/16…including those two games, he had five or more assists seven times and led the team in assists (including ties)…the sixth of his seven assists against the Raptors, 11/16, was the 1,000th of his NBA career…including a season-high 30 points vs. Phoenix, 12/4, he scored 20+ points eight times and led the team in scoring six times…lifting his career total to a franchise record 243, he had seven double-doubles in 2007-08…posting his lowest average in eight seasons with the Pacers, he was third on the team with 6.7 rpg…fourth on the team with 82 offensive rebounds, he had three or more offensive rebounds 13 times and did eight times in his first 12 games…he collected a season-high five offensive boards vs. Milwaukee 4/6…though he played in a career-low 42 games, he still led the Pacers with 87 blocked shots and his average of 2.07 bpg would have ranked among the NBA's top 10 in blocks per game…he blocked at least three shots 13 times…his six blocked shots vs. Washington, 12/22, and vs. Golden State, 1/16, tied the most blocks by any Pacers' player in 2007-08…including a season-high two thefts on three occasions, he totaled 20 steals for the season…including the season finale vs. New York, 4/16, he started 34 games and averaged 15.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg as a starter…he came off the bench in eight games, averaging 7.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg as a reserve…he sat out 40 games due to injury in 2007-08, including 33 in a row (1/19 to 3/28) with a bone bruise on his left knee…he sat out five straight games in November (11/21 to 11/28) with a sore left knee…he also missed the season opener vs. the Wizards, 10/31, with a hyperextended left knee and the game at Phoenix, 1/9, with a sore left knee...he scored the 10,000th point of his NBA against the Phoenix Suns, 12/4…

2006-07:
The only Pacers’ player to ever be named to six NBA All-Star teams, he was selected by Eastern Conference coaches to his sixth consecutive All-Star game in 2007...a leading candidate for the NBA’s Defensive player of the Year award for much of the season, he was averaging a league-leading 3.03 bpg and had blocked at least one shot in each of his first 52 appearances...for the season, he was third in the league with an average of 2.64 bpg...his 182 rejections rank as the fourth highest single season total in Pacers’ NBA history...with his four blocked shots against the Clippers, 2/11, he became the Pacers’ all-time career blocked shots leader with 1,113...he finished the season with 1,168 blocked shots in his seven seasons with the Pacers and with 1,311 blocks in 11 NBA campaigns...he blocked at least four shots 21 times with a high of eight at Milwaukee, 11/18...that was two off the most blocks by any player in the NBA in 2006-07...with averages of 19.4 ppg and 9.6 rpg, he led the Pacers in scoring for the sixth year in a row and in rebounding for the sixth time in the last seven seasons...those figures would have both been high enough to rank among the NBA’s top 15, but he did not meet the minimum requirements in either department for the NBA league leaders...he scored in double figures in all but four games and hit for 20+ points 38 times...he had four games with 30+ points, including a season-best 39 points in the Pacers’ loss to Chicago, 3/25...that 39-point effort tied his second most points ever in the NBA and were his most since scoring a career-best 55 vs. the Bucks, 1/4/05...he collected 10+ rebounds 36 times and notched double-doubles in all but two of those games...his 34 double-doubles tied for 14th best in the NBA and ranked fifth best in the Eastern Conference...after not having a double-double in any of the Pacers’ first three games, he posted double-doubles in 27 of the next 36 games, including a run of seven in a row from 11/29 to 12/15...with his first rebound vs. New York, 11/4, he notched his 4,000th career rebound in a Pacers uniform and became just the eighth player in franchise history to reach that plateau...he finished the season as the fifth all-time leading rebounder in Pacers’ history with 4,650 boards in seven seasons...his five rebounds in his final appearance vs. New Jersey, 4/15, gave him 5,301 rebounds in his NBA career overall...he collected the 5,000th rebound of his career against the Knicks, 1/20...his 20 points vs. the Nets, 4/15, gave him 9,009 points in his seven seasons with the Pacers and he is the 10th player in franchise history to score 9,000 points for Indiana...he ended the season needing 174 points for 10,000 in his pro career...despite missing 13 games, he handed out a career-high 167 assists in 2006-07, including a career-high tying seven on two occasions...he had seven assists in the Pacers’ win vs. Toronto, 1/27, and then again a month later in a loss to the Suns, 2/27...including seven of the first 17 games, he had at least four assists 19 times and led the Pacers in assists (including ties) four times...after accumulating a total of 52 steals the previous two seasons, combined, he grabbed 50 steals, which was fifth best on the team...he had multiple steals 10 times and collected a season-best three thefts at Orlando, 11/22...missed seven of the last 22 games of the season with a sore left knee...in April, he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to clean up loose cartilage.

2005-06:
Wrapped around a 24 straight games missed with a torn left groin, he averaged a team-high 20.1 ppg and 9.3 rpg in 51 appearances this season. Including 20 games with 20+ points, he scored in double figures in each of his first 34 games…for the season, he had 10+ points in 49 of 51 games and scored 20+ points 27 times. He started all but four games this season and averaged 14.0 rpg and 7.3 rpg as a reserve…in four games off the bench, he shot just 19-46 FGS (.413). He scored 30 or more points four times, including a team season-high 34 points at Cleveland, 12/23. He led the Pacers in scoring 21 times and in rebounding 29 times…he topped Indiana's rebounders in 21 of the team's first 24 games. He scored 20+ points in a season-high seven straight games from 11/29 to 12/10…in those seven games, he averaged 23.6 ppg. Upon his return from the torn groin injury, he had 20 or more points seven times in 16 games, including the last five in a row…that was his second longest streak of 20-point games this season. Before missing the first three games of 2006 (1/2-1/5) with pneumonia, he snared 10+ rebounds 15 times in 27 games…he had double-digit rebounds just five times there after. To go with 29 points, he had a season-high 18 rebounds vs. Charlotte, 11/18…in that game against the Bobcats, he also had the first of three games this season with a high of six offensive rebounds. He also had six offensive rebounds at Phoenix, 11/30, and at Portland, 12/2. Ninth on the franchise's all-time career rebounding list, he ended the season just 11 rebounds shy of 4,000 rebounds in a Pacers' uniform. His 15 rebounds at Cleveland, 1/24, put him over 4,500 rebounds in his NBA career. He led the Pacers with 19 double-doubles, 16 of which came before he suffered the injury at Cleveland, 1/24. He collected 15+ rebounds four times, including a team-high 15 boards vs. Boston, 4/12. He made three 3-pt FGS in 2005-06, shooting 3-4 in a span of nine games from 12/4 to 12/23…the rest of the season, he was 0-6 from 3-pt range. A 62 percent foul shooter in his first six NBA seasons, he has made 70+ percent FTS in each of the last four campaigns, including his 71.0 percent in 2005-06. After going without an assist in his first game back from the groin tear (vs. Chicago, 3/22), he had at least two assists in each of the last 16 games, including a career-high tying seven twice. He led the Pacers in assists three times in the span of just five games with four at Utah, 11/29, and then tied for the team lead with three at Portland, 12/2, and tied for the team lead again with two vs. Dallas, 12/6…those were the only times all season that he led the Pacers in assists. Despite missing 31 games this season, he led the Pacers with 111 blocked shots and he ranked eighth in the NBA with a team-high 2.29 bpg…that was the fourth highest average in the Eastern Conference. He had at least one blocked shot in each of his first 25 games of the season and rejected at least one in all but four games this season. He blocked at least four shots 12 times, including six of his last 11 games. He has averaged at least 2.0 bpg in each of his six seasons with the Pacers. He finished the season with 976 blocks in his six Pacers' seasons, which is third on the team's all-time career list. His five blocked shots vs. Utah, 12/16, gave him 906 rejections since coming to the Pacers and with those blocks, he moved ahead of Dale Davis (the player he was traded for in 2000) into third place on the team's all-time list. He was selected by the fans to be a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Stars for the third straight year, but was unable to play…that was the fifth time he had been named to the All-Star team. He missed a total of 31 games this season due to injury or illness, including three games (1/16-1/20) due to a sprained left ankle, three games (1/2-1/6) with pneumonia, 24 games with the torn left groin (1/27-3/21) and one due to a sore groin, 3/30.

2004-05:
Due to an injury to his right shoulder suffered at Denver, 3/3, and a 15-game suspension for his involvement in the incident at Detroit, 11/19, he saw action in only 44 games this season ... At the time of the injury to his shoulder, he was averaging a team-best 25.1 ppg, which ranked in the NBA's top 10 and was on track to be the highest average by a Pacers' player since Billy Knight's 26.6 ppg in 1976-77. ... He joined Billy Knight and Reggie Miller as the only Pacers' players to score 50+ points in a game, when he hit the Milwaukee Bucks with 55 points at Conseco Fieldhouse, 1/4. At the time, it was the most points scored by any player in the NBA this season--until Allen Iverson's 60 points vs. Orlando, 2/12. That was one of just four 50-point games in the NBA this season. ... That was the first 50-point game for a Pacers' player in an NBA home game. ... His Conseco Fieldhouse record 55 points featured a career-high and team season-best 19 free throws made and a franchise record 25 free throw attempts. ... He scored in double figures in all but one of his 44 games, including the last 40 in a row. ... He scored 20+ points 31 times with 30 or more 11 times. ... Including his 55-point outing against the Bucks, he had 30+ points in four straight games from 12/30 to 1/8. He is the first Pacers' player to score 30 or more points in four straight since Chuck Person did so in December, 1990. ... In his first 32 games off the suspended list, he scored 20 or more points 26 times, including a season-long run of 11 in a row from 1/11 to1/31. ... With his 38 points vs. Washington, 1/22, he went over the 7,000-point mark for his NBA career. ... He became the ninth player with 6,000 points in a Pacers NBA uniform with his 35 points at Memphis, 1/11. ... He was second on the team in rebounding with an average of 8.8 rpg, including 17 games with 10+ rebounds. He had a team-high 17 double-doubles and ended the season with 183 double-doubles in his NBA career. ... He just missed a double-double in the season finale vs. Chicago, 4/20, with a team-high 21 points and nine rebounds. ... He had a season-high three straight double-doubles twice, from 11/13 to 11/19 and from 1/11 to 1/15. ... He snared a season-high 17 rebounds at Charlotte, 12/29, including a season-high 15 defensive boards. ... He had a season-high five offensive rebounds three times--at Philadelphia, 11/15, at Memphis, 1/11, and vs. Orlando, 1/15. ... He came back from the suspended list on Christmas Day, ironically against the Pistons. In that game, he scored 21 points with seven rebounds and five blocked shots. ... Hitting 295-391 FTS (.754), he shot better than 75 percent from the line for the second season in a row. ... Including his 19-25 FTS against Milwaukee, 1/4, he attempted 10+ free throws in 18 games this season. ... In a three-game stretch from 1/21 to 1/26, he attempted 11 or more free throws in all three games and shot a combined 30-37 FTS (.811). ... After getting his free throw percentage up near 78 percent for the season (.779), he shot 62-92 FTS (.674) over his last 12 games. ... At the time he went down with the shoulder injury, he was among the league leaders with an average of 2.10 bpg. ... He blocked three or more shots 15 times, including four of his first six games of the season and a four-game stretch from 1/21 to 1/1/27. ... He had a season-high six blocked shots vs. Phoenix, 1/14. That was part of a 10-game streak with at least one blocked shot that was his longest of the season. ... He ended the season with 859 blocks in his career with the Pacers, fourth on the team's all-time career list. ... He blocked the 1,000th shot of his NBA career (including his time with Portland) against the Blazers, 2/16. ... He handed out 82 assists this season (1.9 apg) and led the team in assists three times. However, he did not lead the team with his season-high five assists against the Cavaliers, 2/25
Playoffs: He averaged 15.7 ppg and a team-high 7.7 rpg in the series with the Celtics. ... He notched three double-doubles in the series, including a series-high 26 points and 10 rebounds in Game 6, 5/5. In that game, he shot 14-18 FTS. His 14 free throws made and 18 attempts were both career-highs and his attempts were one short of the team record. ... He had a series-high 11 rebounds in Game 3, 4/28, including three offensive rebounds--his most of the series. ... After going without an assist in Game 1, 4/23, he averaged 3.5 apg in the last six games and dealt a playoff career-high six assists to lead the team in Game 7, 5/7. ... He had at least one blocked shot in all seven games and averaged a team-high 2.43 bpg, sixth best in the NBA. He had four games with three or more blocked shots. ... His five blocked shots in Game 6, 5/5, were the most by any Pacers' player in the series. He had four steals in the series, including a career-high tying three thefts in Game 5, 5/3. ... Led team in scoring (16.3) in the second round against Detroit, adding 8.3 rebounds and 2.83 blocked shots. ... Scored 22 points each in Games 1, 2 and 6 but totaled 32 points (10.3) in the other three games.

2003-04:
Earned All-NBA status for the third year in a row (second team) and finished third in NBA MVP balloting ... Also won the Magic Johnson Award from the Pro Basketball Writers Association for his combination of elite status and cooperation with the media ... Though he was a member of the U.S. Olympic team, was forced to withdraw from the 2004 games to allow his injured knee to heal ... Only player in the Eastern Conference and one of five in the NBA to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds a game, became the only Pacers' player to ever average 10+ rebounds a game in three consecutive NBA seasons. ... One of two players (along with Reggie Miller) in the team's NBA history to ever average 20+ points in consecutive seasons ... A three-time NBA All-Star, he made his second straight start in the 2004 All-Star game in Los Angeles, 2/15, and scored 16 points with a team-high nine rebounds in 28 minutes. ... In leading the Pacers to a 9-7 record in December, averaged 21.2 ppg and 10.3 rpg in the month and was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December ... Leading the team with 348 free throws made, shot a career-best 75.7 percent from the foul line this season ... Ranked 19th in the NBA in free throws made and tied for 14th in attempts ... Recorded the fourth 20-rebound game of his career vs. Denver, 11/4 ... Added 25 points in that game vs. the Nuggets for the fourth 20-20 game of his career ... Had a career-high 44 double-doubles in 2003-04, the second most in a single season in Pacers' NBA history, three short of the club record held by Clark Kellogg. ... His 44 double-doubles was fourth highest in the NBA and was second in the Eastern Conference behind the Hornets' Jamal Magliore. ... Had 34 games with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds ... He scored 20+ points in a team-high 46 games and the Pacers were 36-10 (.783) in those games. ... Collecting 700+ rebounds for the fourth straight season, his 778 boards in 2003-04 led the team and represents the third best total in his career. ... His 585 defensive rebounds this season represents the second highest total in a single season in Pacers' NBA history. ... Had a career-high 164 assists and he led the Pacers in assists in five games, including a career-high seven assists to lead the Pacers to a 111-78 win vs. Milwaukee, 3/31. ... The only Pacers' player to reject 200 shots in a season, just missed accomplishing that feat for the second time in his four seasons with Indiana by rejecting 199 shots in 2003-04. ... The first of six blocked shots vs. Philadelphia, 11/28, gave him 613 blocks in a Pacers' uniform and moved him ahead of Darnell Hillman into fourth place on the franchise's all-time career blocked shots list. Finished the season with 771 blocks in a Pacers' uniform. ... Had a streak of 40 straight games with at least one blocked shot from 12/12 to 3/7, the second longest streak in the NBA this season behind Tim Duncan’s 41 ... Ranked 13th in the NBA and third in the Eastern Conference in efficiency rating with a mark 21.55 ... With 274 "Nestle Crunch Time" points this season, ranked fifth in the NBA ... Missed a total of four games (all Indiana wins) due to injury…he sat out the game vs. the Clippers, 11/19, with tendinitis in his right knee…he did not dress for the game vs. the Lakers, 2/2, with a strained neck…he missed games vs. Dallas, 3/24, and at Orlando, 3/26, with a bone bruise on his right knee.
Playoffs: Led team in scoring (19.2), rebounding (9.1) and blocks (2.25) in the playoffs ... In the conference finals, averaged 17.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks ... Had at least one blocked shot in all 16 playoff games, extending his postseason streak to 27 ... In the second round against Miami, averaged 20.8 ppg and scored a playoff career-high 37 points in Game 4 ... That was was the most points scored by any Eastern Conference player in the 2004 postseason. ... He scored 20+ points in Games 3, 4 and 5. ... In scoring 29 points in Game 3, he shot 11-16 FTS ... The attempts tied playoff career-high

2002-03:
Named to the All-NBA Third Team for the second consecutive season in 2002-03. ... Selected to the USA Basketball 'core group' for qualifying for the 2004 Olympics. ... One of three players in the NBA, and the only one in the East, to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds a game, he averaged a career-best 20.8 ppg and 10.3 rpg. ... The first Pacers’ player to ever be named Player of the Month twice in his career, he won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month twice this season, winning in January and then again in April 2003. He was just the second Pacers’ player to be named Player of the Month and the first since Detlef Schrempf won the award for February 1992. ... A career 62.1 percent shooter from the foul line entering the season, he shot 73.1 percent FTS this season. ... He led the Pacers with 373 FTM and 510 FTA. He is the first Pacers’ player (other than Reggie Miller) to make 300+ FTM since Detlef Schrempf’s 525 FTM in 1992-93. ... He led the Eastern Conference and was sixth in the NBA with 43 double-doubles. That is his second season with 40+ double-doubles and he is the only Pacers’ player to ever achieve that in his NBA career. He and Clark Kellogg are the only players in team NBA history to register 40+ double-doubles in an NBA season. ... He had two 20-20 games this season, scoring 26 points and snaring a career-high 21 rebounds at Washington, 11/26. He also had 23 points and 20 rebounds vs. the Lakers, 2/4. That was the third 20-20 of his career. He became the fifth player in the team’s history with 500+ blocked shots with his four vs. Atlanta, 2/14. ... Ranked seventh in the league in blocked shots (2.31), he set a team NBA record by rejecting 10 shots against the Toronto Raptors, 1/22. In that game, he became the second Pacers’ player (and the first in the NBA) to ever have a triple-double involving blocked shots. He added 11 rebounds and 18 points in that game. Darnell Hillman had a like triple-double in an ABA game vs. Miami, 3/12/72 ... He nearly had his second triple-double just two games later, blocking eight shots with 21 points and 10 rebounds vs. the Clippers, 1/26. ... Only the second Pacers’ player to ever be elected an All-Star starter by the fans, he registered the first double-double in an All-Star Game by a member of the Pacers with 10 points and an Eastern Conference-leading 10 rebounds. He also led the East with four blocked shots and grabbed two steals in that game. ... His four blocked shots in the All-Star Game was the third highest total in All-Star Game history. ... He sat out five games due to injury, missing four games in December (12/20 to 12/27) with a hyperextended left knee and one in April (4/2) due to a sprained right ankle. ...
Playoffs: Set team playoff record by averaging 17.5 rebounds in the first-round loss to Boston, including a single-game record 22 in Game 5. Averaged 19.2 rebounds in the last five games of the series. … Averaged team-high 22.8 points on .467 shooting, as well as 3.0 blocked shots.

2001-02:
NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2001-02, raised his scoring average from a career-high 12.9 ppg in 2000-01 to a team-leading 19.0 ppg this past season...Also lifted his rebounding average to a team-best 10.5 rpg, which was seventh best in the NBA....Selected to the All-NBA Third Team...Is just the second Pacers’ player (along with Reggie Miller) to be named to the All-NBA team...Also named, with Miller, to the U.S. team for the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championship for Men held in Indianapolis, 8/29 to 9/8...In the World Championship, averaged 7.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg in eight appearances...An All-Star for the first time in his career in 2002, scored seven points with a bench-high seven rebounds for the Eastern Conference squad...Was seventh player in the Pacers’ NBA history to be named to an All-Star team...His 569 defensive rebounds this season were one short of the team’s single-season record set by Detlef Schrempf in 1992-93...Blocked 166 shots and ranked sixth in the NBA with 2.31 bpg...Passed James Edwards for fifth on the Pacers' career blocks list with his two blocks at Cleveland, 4/16...Registered 39 double-doubles, third best in the Eastern Conference and eighth in the NBA...Scored 20 or more points 32 times and hit for 30 or more points four times...Scored a career-high 38 points in the Pacers’ win at Cleveland, 12/22....Missed a total of eight games due to injury, including a four-game stretch from 1/16 to 1/21 with a hyperextended left knee suffered against the Bucks, 1/15...In a stretch of four games from 11/13 to 11/17, he sat out three games with a bruised lower back…Also missed game vs. Dallas, 2/5, with a sprained left ankle...Suspended for two games for his part in an altercation with the Detroit Pistons, 3/26, missing games games at Orlando, 3/29, and at home against the Heat, 3/31.
Playoffs: In Game One of the First Round series with the Nets, he led the Pacers to a road victory with a playoff career-high 30 points, including 24 in the first half. In that game, he added 11 rebounds ... For the series with the Nets, he averaged 17.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 1.60 bpg. ... He was 18-24 from the foul line (.750) against the Nets. In his previous 24 playoff appearances, he had made just 17 free throws and shot 17-33 FTS (.515).

2000-01:
He averaged career-highs of 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.81 blocks and 32.6 minutes in 81 appearances, including 80 starts....Led the Eastern Conference in double-doubles with 40....The second Pacers' player (Clark Kellogg, 47 in 1982-83) to register 40+ double-doubles in a season....One of only 11 players in the NBA to average more than three offensive rebounds a game with an average of 3.1 orpg....Registered 15+ rebounds on nine different occasions....Led the Eastern Conference and tied Shawn Bradley for the most blocked shots in the league with 228 and finished the season second in blocks per game with an average of 2.81 to Theo Ratliff....Became the first Pacers' player in franchise history to reject 200 or more shots in a season....At Houston, 3/13, he scored 28 points, had 18 rebounds and a career-high eight blocked shots in a career-high 54 minutes.....In the final game of the season at Cleveland, 4/18, he scored 30 points and added a career-high 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks....In that game, he and Jalen Rose became the first Pacers' players to register 20-20's in the same game.... Missed one game, vs. Denver, 2/2, due to a strained left groin.

1999-2000:
Tallied 8 points and 11 rebounds in a 96-95 loss to Denver on 4/19....Totaled 12 points and 10 rebounds in a 96-83 win at Golden State on 3/24....Posted 13 points and 8 rebounds in a 100-94 win in Boston on 2/6....Logged 14 points and 8 rebounds in an 85-75 win over Utah on 1/27....Totaled 17 points (7-9 FG) and 10 rebounds in a 131-95 victory over Atlanta on 11/13.

1998-99:
On the injured list from 4/6 to 4/14 due to bone spurs in his left ankle...Registered 9 points (4-5 FG) and 6 rebounds, in 12 minutes, in a 111-71 victory over the Houston Rockets on 3/7.

1997-98:
Recorded 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against the Seattle SuperSonics on 2/18....Scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked 3 shots in a 101-83 win over the Golden State Warriors on 2/17....Posted a career-high 21 points (9-12 FG) and 9 rebounds, in his first start of the season, in a 117-82 win over the Denver Nuggets on 2/15....Registered 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in a 105-81 victory over the Houston Rockets on 2/13....Scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 115-110 victory over the Phoenix Suns on 2/12....Totaled 8 points and 10 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, in 14 minutes, in a 117-105 win over the L.A. Lakers on 2/10....Placed on the injured list on 12/21 due to a strained left calf muscle....Recorded 11 points (5-7 FG) and 6 rebounds in a 120-75 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on 11/17

1996-97:
O'Neal wrote his name in the NBA record books as the youngest player in league history when he made his debut, at the age of 18 years, 1 month and 22 days, against the Denver Nuggets on 12/5 at Denver.....Played three minutes in that game, scoring two points as he hit his only shot attempt....Debut was delayed when he spent the first 17 games of the season on the injured list because of a bone contusion in his left knee, then was a DNP-CD in his first game after being activated on Dec. 3.....He actually scored his first points as a professional player on his 18th birthday, in a preseason game against Sacramento on 10/13/96....O'Neal went on to appear in 45 games in his rookie season, averaging 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in just 10.2 minutes per game. He scored in double figures five times, tallying a career-high 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting in a 98-97 loss at Seattle on 1/22....Grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in a 110-86 loss at Utah on 2/13....Had two games with three blocked shots and three games with two blocks....Appeared in two playoff games, going scoreless with one rebound and one block in four minutes.

PRE-NBA:
O'Neal was named Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball in South Carolina in 1996....Named to the USA Today All-USA Basketball Team, and to the All-State First Team by the Associated Press, and played in the McDonald's All-America Game.....An intimating shotblocker, O'Neal averaged 5.2 blocks along with 22.4 points and 12.6 rebounds and shot .682 from the field....Scored 1,372 points and grabbed 833 rebounds in his high school career, and he set school records at Eau Claire for blocks in a game (16), season (170) and career (397)....Played in the Hoops Summit game in Charlotte against top international players under 22, and led the U.S. team with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks, although the U.S. lost the game, 104-96.