How tall is Shaquille O'Neal? NBA legend's height is not what the records state
| Full Name | Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal |
| Date of birth | March 6, 1972 |
| Age | 51 (as of 2023) |
| Place of Birth | Newark, New Jersey |
| Height | 7 ft 1 in (216 cm) approx |
| Weight | 147 kg (325 lbs) approx |
| Net Worth | $400 million |
| Girlfriend | Annie Ilonzeh |
| Ex-Wife | Shaunie O'Neal (m. 2002–2011) |
| Children | 6 - Shareef O'Neal, Shaqir O'Neal, Myles B. O'Neal, Me'arah O'Neal, Amirah O'Neal, Taahirah O'Neal |
DALLAS, TEXAS: Basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal stands 7 ft 1 in (215 cm) tall, according to his official website. The site also mentions that the sports icon weighs 325 pounds.
It further states that that "due to his ability to dunk the basketball, O'Neal also ranks 3rd all-time in field goal percentage (58.2%)."
"Shaquille O'Neal's off-court accolades rival his athletic accomplishments, having found success in acting, music, television, and gaming. Currently, Shaq is an analyst on Inside The NBA," the website mentions.
Known for his illustrious career in basketball, O'Neal is one among only three players who have been honored with NBA MVP, All-Star Game MVP, and Finals MVP awards in a single year, which was 2000.
However, his career is not only larger than life, but his overall personality is also towering. The 51-year-old, who retired in 2011, is also the recipient of the 1999–2000 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award and the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
How tall is Shaquille O'Neal?
Though websites state that O'Neal is 7 ft 1 inch tall, he once reportedly claimed that it’s not true.
The certified NBA giant once disclosed on 'The Big Podcast with Shaq', "First of all, I’m not 7 ft 1 in, I’m 6 ft 11 in. I just played like I was 7 ft 1 in and 7 foot 1 just sounded, you know... just so, you know."
But even George Clooney was once stunned to see Shaq's tall and majestic figure. O'Neal reportedly went to the set of the TV series 'ER' when the Hollywood actor saw him and was gobsmacked by Shaq's height.
According to correspondent Nischelle Turner, on the set of the show, there was a person who was 6'9'' but when O'Neal visited, that tall person looked smaller in front of him. Seeing this, Clooney apparently reacted, "Who the heck is here that’s a giant?"
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo taller than Shaquille O'Neal ?
O'Neal’s revelation about his actual height came after Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo claimed that he was taller than the veteran player.
But according to Richard Jefferson, a former NBA player, there shouldn’t be any comparison between O'Neal and Antetokounmpo in any aspect.
"There’s no other player that I can think of in recent history that has that type of strength and power. He changed the f**king equipment, backboards were getting broken," Jefferson reportedly asserted.
He also added, "Giannis is the same type of dominance when you see percentage around the rim because there was a size and a f**king mass to Shaq that was different. He was like Embiid, but he moved like Giannis."
The 28-year-old Greek-Nigerian basketball player is reportedly not among O’Neal’s all-time top-five list.
He said, "Giannis is the man... I don't have him in my top five, but I'm not discrediting him. He's one of my favorite players; he's a great player."
However, O’Neal reportedly gave Giannis the nickname "Superman" and added, "You know I gave him the title Superman because how he plays, because what he does, he plays hard, and it's all about him. It's all about his team."
What is Shaquille O'Neal's shoe size?
In O'Neal's own words, it is not just humans who are stunned to meet him because of his height. Apparently, even gorillas are surprised when they see how tall he is.
"Every zoo in the world, they go mad. They try to break out the damn thing and try to fight me," he reportedly said in an episode of 'The Big Podcast with Shaq'.
Zoo Miami’s communications director Ron Magill apparently agreed with him and added, "The male gets intimidated, and he looks at Shaq and thinks that Shaq’s gonna take away his girls, and he gets tightlipped and tries to stand up and make himself look as big as possible."
"But at the end of the day, he backs off. He knows who’s boss," Magill mentioned. Besides, it has been said that O’Neal’s US shoe size is 23, which, like his height, is gigantic.
While growing up, he used to face issues while trying to find the right pair of shoes that would fit him and now he helps children who face the same problem.
"I’m gonna take care of the kid today because somebody did it for me. I’m doing it for the kid…That should last him for a long time," he added.
Beyond the numbers: How Shaq's height changed NBA
Shaq's early life, growth and basketball career
O'Neal was born on March 6, 1972, in Newark, New Jersey, to parents Lucille O'Neal and Joe Toney. His father played high school basketball (All-State guard) and was offered a basketball scholarship to play at Seton Hall.
However, Toney struggled with addiction and was estranged from O'Neal after being imprisoned for drug possession when the latter was an infant.
O'Neal eventually settled in San Antonio, Texas, with his mother and Jamaican stepfather, Phillip Arthur Harrison, who was a career Army sergeant.
By the time he reached 16 years of age, O'Neal was already 6 ft 10 inches (208 cm) tall and began playing basketball at Robert G Cole High School.
After graduating highschool, O'Neal played college basketball for LSU Tigers. In the 19 years of his legendary NBA career, O'Neal played with six different teams.
Over the years, O'Neal established himself as one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time.
The NBA icon announced his retirement from basketball on June 1, 2011. Sharing a short clip on X (formerly Twitter), O'Neal wrote, "We did it. Nineteen years, baby. I want to thank you very much."
"That's why I'm telling you first. I'm about to retire. Love you. Talk to you soon," he added. O'Neal held a press conference at his Orlando home on June 3, 2011, to officially announce his retirement.
What role did Shaq's height play in his basketball career?
At a reported height of 7 ft 1 in (215 cm) and weight of 330 lbs at the time, O'Neal gained immense popularity on the court for his physical stature, especially his remarkable height.
His height gave him an umparalleled leverage in the basketball court and helped him dominate his opponents in several games, leading to consecutive MVP titles during the three-peat Finals.
During his first NBA finals appearance with the Los Angeles Lakers against Indiana Pacers in 2000, O'Neal was mainly guarded by the 7 ft 4 in (223 cm) center Rik Smits.
Although O'Neal was slightly shorter than Smits, he used his height to his advantage and manhandled Smith.
He averaged 38 points and 16.7 rebounds in six games and shot 61.1% from the field during the series.
Even during the Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers clash in the 2001 NBA Finals, O'Neal used his height to his advantage against the 7 ft 2 in tall Dikembe Mutombo, one of the greatest defensive centers in NBA history.
Mutombo was completely stifled by O'Neal, who shot 57.3% from the field and averaged 33 points, 15.8 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks in the series.
Shaq's impact on basketball due to his height
O'Neal's height gave him immense advantage over a vast majority of his opponents. During his first season in the NBA, O'Neal's powerful dunks broke the steel backboard supports on two occasions.
This reportedly prompted the NBA to increase the brace strength and stability of the backboards for the subsequent 1993–94 season.
O'Neal's "drop step", which is dubbed the "Black Tornado" by the legend himself, saw the athlete passing a defender, turning around and using his elbows for leverage.
This move helped him power past opponents for a very high-percentage slam dunk and proved an effective offensive weapon.
O'Neal also frequently used a right-handed jump hook shot to score near the basket, an action where he could use his height to his advantage.
His ability to dunk provided him a career field goal accuracy of .582, second only to Artis Gilmore as the highest field goal percentage of all time.
O'Neal also led the NBA in field goal percentage 10 times, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record of nine.
At the peak of his career, O'Neal's imposing physical presence inside the paint prompted several teams to make dramatic changes in their offensive and defensive strategies.
Shaq's journey to the NBA
College years and standout performances
Following high school, O'Neal began studying business at Louisiana State University (LSU) and began playing under coach Dale Brown for LSU Tigers.
He first met Brown years before joining college in Europe when O'Neal's stepfather was stationed on a US Army base at Wildflecken, West Germany.
O'Neal became a two-time All-American, two-time SEC Player of the Year while playing for Brown at LSU and received the Adolph Rupp Trophy as NCAA men's basketball player of the year in 1991.
He was also named college player of the year by AP and UPI before making an early departure from LSU to pursue his NBA career.
The superstar athlete was inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame and a 900-pound bronze statue of him is currently located in front of the LSU Basketball Practice Facility.
Transition to professional basketball
O'Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft and was quick to become one of the best centers in the league.
He won Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 and later led his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After spending four years with the Magic, O'Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996.
The basketball legend won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002 before moving to Miami Heat in 2004. He won his fourth NBA championship in 2006 while playing with Heat.
O'Neal played with the Phoenix Suns in 2008 and 2009 before moving to Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010 and 2011.
He spent 2010 and 2011 with Boston Celtics, where he finally put a stop to his glorious basketball career.
Achievements and awards
In addition to his accomplishments with his teams, O'Neal's individual accolades include the 1999–2000 MVP award, the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections.
He is also one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year.
He ranks 7th all-time in points scored, 5th in field goals, 13th in rebounds, and 7th in blocks.
O'Neal also ranks 3rd all-time in field goal percentage (58.2%), mainly due to his ability to dunk the basketball.
Comparing Shaq with other NBA and UFC players
Height comparison with other basketball legends
O'Neal's Los Angeles Lakers teammate and eventual opponent the late Kobe Bryant stood 6 ft 4 in (192 cm) tall. The latter was shorter than O'Neal by a minimum of 7 inches.
Meanwhile, Rik Smits, whom O'Neal once called one of the toughest guys he had to play against, had a height of 7 ft 4 in (223 cm), standing slightly taller than O'Neal.
Social media on Shaq O'Neal's height
O'Neal's height has long been a subject of online discussions among basketball fans.
"Shaquille O'Neal is 7'2". Earl Boykins is 5'5"," a Reddit post read.
"Think about it this way. If you are over 7' you have a fairly statistically significant chance to go pro. Imagine how much less likely it is for a 5'5" to make it, statistically speaking. Mugsey, Earl Boykins, Isaiah Thomas, they're all incredible athletes but even more so considering the 'cutoff,'" one user responded.
"Shaq is actually closer to 7 ft even, prolly drops to 6'11 at night. Yao ming is 7'5-7'6. Looked only little shorter than 7'9 chinese Basketb player," one fan explained.
"Shaquille O’Neal (7’1”) next to a cutout of the tallest recorded human, Robert Wadlow (8’ 11”)," one Reddit user posted.
"I need Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart next to Shaq to complete the scale," one user said in response.
Shaquille O'Neal's family
Who is Shaquille O'Neal married to?
O'Neal was married to American TV personality Shaunie Nelson from 2002 to 2011. Nelson served as one of the executive producers of VH-1's reality TV series 'Basketball Wives', 'Basketball Wives LA', and 'Baller Wives'.
The duo tied the knot on December 26, 2002 but O'Neal filed for divorce from Nelson on September 4, 2007. Their divorce was finalized in 2011.
Who has Shaquille O'Neal dated?
Following his separation from Nelson, O'Neal reportedly began dating reality TV star Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander in 2010.
The pair allegedly lived together at O'Neal's home in Sudbury, Massachusetts but parted ways in August 2012.
O'Neal also dated model Laticia Rolle in early 2014 but the pair split in March 2018.
How many times has Shaquille O'Neal been married?
O'Neal has only been married once in his life - to Nelson from 2002 to 2011.
How many children does Shaq have?
O'Neal has four children, namely Shareef (born 2000), Amirah (born 2001), Shaqir (born 2003) and Me'arah (born 2006), all of whom he shares with his ex-wife Nelson.
How tall is Shaq's ex-wife?
O'Neal's former wife Nelson is reportedly 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) tall, according to her IMDb profile.
How tall is Shaq O'Neal's son?
O'Neal's eldest son, Shareef, stands 6 ft 10 in (208 cm) tall, as per Wikipedia. The latter once poked fun at his father's height by sharing a photo alongside O'Neal with a caption that read, "Either I’m not 6’10 or he’s not 7’1."
O'Neal's younger son, Shaqir, reportedly has a height of 6 ft 8 in (203 cm), according to ESPN.
How tall is Shaq's daughter?
O'Neal's elder daughter, Amirah's height is stated by Wikipedia as 6 ft 2 in (187 cm).
Meanwhile, his younger daughter and youngest child, Me'arah, reportedly stands 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) tall, per Essentially Sports.
How tall is Shaq without shoes?
As per Celeb Heights, O'Neil's height was measured to be 7 ft 1 in (215 cm) without shoes at the age of 19.
However, the NBA legend later claimed that his original height is 6 ft 11 in (201 cm).
How old is Shaquille O'Neal?
O'Neal is currently 51 years old.
Where was Shaq born?
O'Neal was reportedly born in Newark, New Jersey.
Are Shaq's parents tall?
O'Neal came from a tall family, per Wikipedia.
His father was reportedly 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) tall while his mother's height was 6 ft 2 in (187 cm).
What position did Shaquille O'Neal play?
O'Neal played as a center during his 19-year NBA career and is regarded as one of the best centers in the league's history.
How many rings does Shaq have?
O'Neal has a total of four championship rings. He earned three during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers and one while playing with Miami Heat.