Jermaine Lee O'Neal (born October 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. The 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), 255 lb (115 kg) forward–center had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft straight out of high school. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 17th overall pick, but O'Neal was unable to break into the first team in Portland and was traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2000. In his eight seasons with the club, he was voted an NBA All-Star six times, made the All-NBA teams three times, and was voted the NBA Most Improved Player in the 2001–02 season. He also helped Indiana reach the NBA Playoffs six times, including the Conference Finals in the 2003–04 season. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors before the 2008–09 season began, and traded to the Miami Heat midway through the same season. O'Neal joined the Boston Celtics prior to the 2010–11 season. In 2012, he signed with the Suns, and in the offseason of 2013, he signed with the Warriors.

In 2017, O'Neal will play in the BIG3 league.

O'Neal was born in Columbia, South Carolina. He and his older brother, Clifford, were raised by their mother Angela Ocean. Ocean worked hard to support her sons, and left her children largely to their own devices. O'Neal found his love for athletics at a young age. Tall and quick, he enjoyed both American football and basketball, but basketball was his favorite sport. Two of his basketball heroes are Hakeem Olajuwon and Bill Russell; O'Neal often marveled at Olajuwon's approach to the game, while he loved watching Russell's video highlights of his duels with Wilt Chamberlain.

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