Today in Sports History: November 6th

By Brandon Zhu

Shaquille O’Neal made his NBA debut for the Orlando Magic against the Miami Heat on November 6, 1992. Orlando won 110-100. He tallied 12 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks.  One of the greatest NBA Centers, O’Neal played 19 seasons and won 4 NBA championships. In his second season O’Neal averaged 29.3 points, 13.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, and finished as the runner-up in the MVP voting. O’Neal was a star from the get-go. In his third season, O’Neal led the Orlando Magic past Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to the 1995-1996 NBA Finals. However, the young superstar’s time with the Orlando Magic was short lived. In 1996, the Los Angeles Lakers lured O’Neal away. Playing alongside Kobe Bryant, the two formed a new Lakers dynasty. The formidable duo helped bring three consecutive championships to the city of L.A. O’Neal’s long list of accolades include 14x All-NBA Team selections, 3x All-NBA Defensive Second Team, 2x NBA scoring champion, 3x NBA Finals MVP, NBA MVP (2000), and 15x All-Star. O’Neal was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and his no.34 was retired by the Lakers.

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