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Jermaine O'Neal

O'Neal with the Golden State Warriors in 2014

Personal information

Born

October 13, 1978 (age 46)
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.

High school

Eau Claire
(Columbia, South Carolina)

Listed height

6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)

Listed weight

255 lb (116 kg)

Career information

NBA Draft

1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17th overall

Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers

Pro career

1996–2014

Career history

1996–2000

Portland Trail Blazers

2000–2008

2008–2009

2009–2010

2010–2012

2012–2013

2013–2014

Golden State Warriors

Career highlights and awards

6× NBA All-Star (2002–2007)
All-NBA Second Team (2004)
2× All-NBA Third Team (2002, 2003)
NBA Most Improved Player (2002)
First-team Parade All-American (1996)
Third-team Parade All-American (1995)
McDonald's All-American (1996)
South Carolina Mr. Basketball (1996)

Career statistics

Points

13,309 (13.2 ppg)

Rebounds

7,261 (7.2 rpg)

Blocks

1,820 (1.8 bpg)

Medals

Men's basketball

Representing United States
FIBA Americas Championship
Gold	2003 San Juan	National team
Goodwill Games
Gold	2001 Brisbane	National team

Jermaine Lee O'Neal Sr. (born October 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played as a center or power forward. Jermaine had a great high school career and went straight from high school to the 1996 NBA draft. At just 17 years old, O'Neal was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 17th player overall. He played his first professional game at 18, becoming one of the youngest players ever in an NBA game at that time.

Jermaine found it hard to get a starting spot in Portland. He was traded to the Indiana Pacers in 2000. During his eight seasons with the Pacers, he became a huge star. He was chosen as an NBA All-Star six times and made the All-NBA teams three times. In the 2001–02 season, he was even named the NBA Most Improved Player. O'Neal helped Indiana reach the NBA playoffs six times. They even made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2003–04 season. Before the 2008–09 season, O'Neal was traded to the Toronto Raptors. He later played for the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, and the Phoenix Suns. Jermaine O'Neal's last NBA season was in 2013–14 with the Golden State Warriors.

Early Life and Basketball Dreams

Jermaine O'Neal was born in Columbia, South Carolina. He and his older brother, Clifford, were raised by their mother, Angela Ocean. His mother worked very hard to support her sons.

Jermaine loved sports from a young age. He was tall and fast. He enjoyed both American football and basketball, but basketball was his favorite. His basketball heroes were Hakeem Olajuwon and Bill Russell. O'Neal admired how Olajuwon played and loved watching videos of Russell's games against Wilt Chamberlain.

High School Success

Every summer, O'Neal played for an AAU team. People were impressed by his athletic skills and how well he handled the ball. By age 14, O'Neal was 6 feet 4 inches tall. He was a confident guard who could make three-pointers. In 1992, he started high school at Eau Claire High School of the Arts.

When he first met his basketball coach, George Glymph, Jermaine made a big promise. He said he would become the best player in the school's history. His first season was not very special. He even played as a quarterback for the football team. But things changed when he grew five inches in a year and a half. He was inspired to become a strong defensive player, like his idol Bill Russell.

Coach Glymph built the team's defense around O'Neal. Eau Claire had one of the strongest groups of players near the basket. O'Neal averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 blocks per game. In 1995, Eau Claire won its third straight 3A state title.

The next summer, at age 16, O'Neal became even more famous. At an ABCD summer basketball camp, he played better than Tim Thomas, who was a rising star. Soon, many top colleges wanted him to play for them.

In his senior year at Eau Claire, O'Neal averaged 22.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 5.2 blocks per game. He was named First Team All-State, South Carolina's Player of the Year, and "Mr. Basketball." He also earned a spot in the McDonald's All-American Game. Even though he was one of the best young players, his college future was unclear. He didn't score well on the SATs. His coach, Glymph, advised him not to go straight to the NBA. However, just a year before, another player from South Carolina, future NBA All-Star Kevin Garnett, had gone straight from high school to the NBA and done very well. O'Neal thought he could do the same.

Professional Basketball Career

Portland Trail Blazers (1996–2000)

The Portland Trail Blazers picked O'Neal as the 17th player in the 1996 NBA draft. As a rookie, he was surrounded by experienced players like Arvydas Sabonis, Rasheed Wallace, and Clifford R. Robinson. They could teach him a lot. O'Neal missed the first 17 games because of a knee injury. He made his debut in December against the Denver Nuggets. At 18 years, one month, and 22 days old, he became the youngest player to play in an NBA game. This record was later broken by Andrew Bynum. O'Neal also became the youngest player to score 20 points in a game on January 22, 1997.

First Seasons in Portland

In O'Neal's first season, he played in 45 games. He averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He mostly played from the bench, averaging only 10.2 minutes per game. For a while, O'Neal wondered if he made the right choice to skip college. He saw his friend Kobe Bryant having a good rookie season. But he stayed confident that his best days were ahead.

In his second season, O'Neal still found it hard to get more playing time. New players joined the team, and the coach had a plan to use other players as starters. O'Neal showed flashes of his talent with occasional double-double games. However, he didn't play much in the playoffs. For the second year in a row, the Trail Blazers were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 1998–99 season was shorter because of a player lockout. Portland had a very strong team and finished first in their division. They made it to the Western Conference Finals. They lost to the San Antonio Spurs, who went on to win the NBA championship. O'Neal was disappointed because his playing time dropped even more. He started to have serious doubts about his NBA career.

Leaving Portland

Surprisingly, Portland offered O'Neal a four-year contract worth $24 million. But this new deal did not give him more playing time in the 1999–2000 season. Portland added more star players, so O'Neal was still on the bench. His stats remained low, averaging 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. The Trail Blazers continued to be successful, reaching the Western Conference Finals again. They lost a close Game 7 to the Los Angeles Lakers.

O'Neal was not a big part of these important games. After two disappointing Conference Finals losses and not enough playing time, he decided he wanted to be traded. The Trail Blazers agreed and sent him to the Indiana Pacers. In return, they received NBA All-Star Dale Davis.

Indiana Pacers (2000–2008)

Becoming a Star in Indiana

The trade surprised many Indiana fans. The Pacers had just played in the 2000 NBA Finals. They traded a good player for O'Neal, who hadn't proven himself yet. Many key players and even coach Larry Bird left the team. This meant O'Neal arrived in Indianapolis facing a lot of pressure.

New coach Isiah Thomas believed in O'Neal. He told him he just needed to work harder. Indiana was rebuilding its team around veteran star Reggie Miller. O'Neal quickly became a key player for his new team. In the 2000–01 season, he started in 80 of 81 games. His stats improved a lot, averaging 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He also led the league in total blocks. The Pacers made the playoffs, but lost in the first round.

The 2001–02 season was a huge breakthrough for O'Neal. He won the NBA Most Improved Player Award, was named an NBA All-Star, and made the All-NBA Third Team. He led his team in scoring (19.0 points) and rebounding (10.5 rebounds). Indiana made the playoffs again, but lost to the New Jersey Nets. The Pacers knew O'Neal was the future of the team, taking over from the older Reggie Miller.

Leading the Pacers

The Pacers started the 2002–03 season very well, winning 14 of their first 16 games. They had the best record in the East at the All-Star break. O'Neal continued to play like an All-Star, averaging 20.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He was one of only three players in the NBA that year to average 20 points and 10 rebounds. However, the team's season fell apart in the second half. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the third year in a row.

After the season, O'Neal thought about joining another team. The San Antonio Spurs, led by Tim Duncan, seemed like a good choice. But O'Neal decided to stay with the Pacers and signed a big seven-year, $126 million contract. The team changed coaches, and some players left. Indiana was rebuilding again.

Despite all the changes, O'Neal led the Pacers to a league-best 61–21 record in the 2003–04 season. He continued to average 20.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He made his third All-Star trip and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. He finished third in the voting for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but lost to the Detroit Pistons.

Challenges and Injuries

The Pacers hoped to build on their success in the 2004–05 season. However, their plans were disrupted by a big fight during a game against the Pistons. This event became known as "The Malice at the Palace." O'Neal was suspended for 25 games by the NBA Commissioner. This suspension was later reduced to 15 games. Without three of their main players, the team struggled. O'Neal played in only 44 games, his lowest total with Indiana. His scoring average went up to 24.3 points per game, but his rebounding dropped. He also injured his shoulder. The Pacers made the playoffs but were eliminated by the Pistons.

O'Neal continued to deal with injuries in the 2005–06 season. He played in only 51 games but still averaged 20.1 points and 9.3 rebounds. He was voted to start for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, but he missed the game due to injury. The Pacers lost in the playoffs again.

In the 2006–07 season, O'Neal missed even more games. The Pacers missed the playoffs completely. His performance and stats went down. With two years and $44 million left on his contract, the Pacers looked to trade him. On June 25, 2008, O'Neal was traded to the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto Raptors (2008–2009)

O'Neal wore jersey #6 for the Raptors. He was expected to team up with star player Chris Bosh to make a strong frontcourt. This would help the Raptors with rebounding and defense. O'Neal quickly showed his strong personality. However, it took him some time to find his offensive rhythm. He only scored 20 points or more twice in his first 23 games.

By the All-Star break, injuries had caused O'Neal to miss almost a quarter of Toronto's games. The Raptors were also struggling as a team. The General Manager decided to trade O'Neal to get a different type of player and free up salary space. On February 13, 2009, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. In his 41 games as a Raptor, O'Neal averaged 13.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game.

Miami Heat (2009–2010)

O'Neal spent one and a half seasons with the Miami Heat.

The Heat played well in O'Neal's first 12 games with the team. They aimed to get a good spot for the playoffs. The Heat finished the regular season with a 43–39 record. In the first round of the playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Heat in seven games.

In the 2009–10 season, O'Neal started all 70 games he played. His stats were similar to his career averages. Miami finished as the fifth seed for the playoffs. They faced the Boston Celtics, who won the series 4–1.

Boston Celtics (2010–2012)

O'Neal with the Celtics in 2011

On July 14, 2010, O'Neal signed a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics. He had a tough season with his new team. He missed 58 regular-season games due to left knee and left wrist injuries. He only played 24 games, averaging 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. O'Neal returned to the starting lineup for the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Boston swept the New York Knicks in the first round. However, they lost to the Miami Heat in the second round.

On April 20, 2012, the Celtics released him after he had wrist surgery. In 25 games, he averaged 5.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.

Phoenix Suns (2012–2013)

On August 15, 2012, O'Neal signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns. He felt the Suns' training staff would help him stay healthy. O'Neal became a leader in the locker room for the team.

On November 21, 2012, O'Neal scored 17 points to help defeat the Portland Trail Blazers. Two days later, he got his first double-double with the Suns. He scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

On January 23, 2013, O'Neal had to stop playing due to an irregular heartbeat. He returned to play on February 5, 2013. In March 2013, O'Neal took time off to be with his daughter, Asjia. She had surgery to fix a heart valve.

Golden State Warriors (2013–2014)

On July 23, 2013, O'Neal signed with the Golden State Warriors. On December 13, 2013, he had surgery on his right wrist. He returned to play on February 4, 2014.

Feeling tired, O'Neal decided to sit out the 2014–15 NBA season. Even though several teams were interested in him, O'Neal chose to focus on his family. In February 2016, O'Neal said he had not officially retired from the NBA.

National Team Career

After his great season in 2000–01, O'Neal joined Team USA for the 2001 Goodwill Games. The American team won all five of their games and took home the gold medal. O'Neal led the team in blocks and shooting percentage. He was also second in points and rebounds.

In 2002, he was chosen to play for his country again in the 2002 World Basketball Championship. This time, the American team did not play well and finished sixth. O'Neal averaged 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds. The next year, Team USA made a comeback in the 2003 Tournament of the Americas. They won all ten games and the gold medal, which qualified them for the 2004 Summer Olympics. O'Neal played in every game, averaging 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds. He was supposed to be a key player for the Olympic team, but a knee injury stopped him from playing.

NBA Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular Season Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1996–97	Portland	45	0	10.2	.451	.000	.603	2.8	.2	.0	.6	4.1
1997–98	Portland	60	9	13.5	.485	.000	.506	3.4	.3	.3	1.0	4.5
1998–99	Portland	36	1	8.6	.434	.000	.514	2.7	.4	.1	.4	2.5
1999–00	Portland	70	8	12.3	.486	.000	.582	3.3	.3	.2	.8	3.9
2000–01	Indiana	81	80	32.6	.465	.000	.601	9.8	1.2	.6	2.8	12.9
2001–02	Indiana	72	72	37.6	.479	.071	.688	10.5	1.6	.6	2.3	19.0
2002–03	Indiana	77	76	37.2	.484	.333	.731	10.3	2.0	.9	2.3	20.8
2003–04	Indiana	78	78	35.7	.434	.111	.757	10.0	2.1	.8	2.6	20.1
2004–05	Indiana	44	41	34.8	.452	.167	.754	8.8	1.9	.6	2.0	24.3
2005–06	Indiana	51	47	35.3	.472	.300	.709	9.3	2.6	.5	2.3	20.1
2006–07	Indiana	69	69	35.6	.436	.000	.767	9.6	2.4	.7	2.6	19.4
2007–08	Indiana	42	34	28.7	.439	.000	.742	6.7	2.2	.5	2.1	13.6
2008–09	Toronto	41	34	29.7	.473	.000	.810	7.0	1.6	.4	2.0	13.5
2008–09	Miami	27	27	30.0	.475	.000	.750	5.4	2.0	.4	2.0	13.0
2009–10	Miami	70	70	28.4	.529	.000	.720	7.0	1.3	.4	1.4	13.6
2010–11	Boston	24	10	18.0	.459	.000	.674	3.7	.5	.1	1.3	5.4
2011–12	Boston	25	24	22.8	.433	.000	.677	5.4	.4	.3	1.7	5.0
2012–13	Phoenix	55	4	18.7	.482	.000	.835	5.3	.8	.3	1.4	8.3
2013–14	Golden State	44	13	20.1	.504	.000	.750	5.5	.6	.3	.9	7.9
Career		1,011	697	27.1	.467	.147	.715	7.2	1.4	.5	1.8	13.2
All-Star		5	2	24.0	.478	.000	.667	7.6	.8	.8	1.4	11.2

Playoff Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1997	Portland	2	0	2.0	.000	.000	.000	.5	.0	.0	.5	.0
1998	Portland	1	0	3.0	.000	.000	.000	1.0	.0	.0	2.0	.0
1999	Portland	9	0	6.1	.400	.000	.500	1.9	.1	.0	.3	1.6
2000	Portland	8	0	4.8	.273	.000	.667	.9	.1	.0	.4	1.5
2001	Indiana	4	4	39.3	.436	.000	.500	12.5	1.8	.0	2.5	9.8
2002	Indiana	5	5	38.4	.447	.000	.750	7.6	1.0	.8	1.6	17.2
2003	Indiana	6	6	45.3	.467	.000	.785	17.5	.7	.5	3.0	22.8
2004	Indiana	16	16	37.8	.423	.000	.700	9.1	1.2	.5	2.3	19.2
2005	Indiana	13	13	36.6	.365	.000	.750	8.0	2.2	.5	2.6	16.0
2006	Indiana	6	6	36.0	.524	.000	.717	7.5	1.7	.5	2.3	21.0
2009	Miami	6	5	27.0	.549	.000	.750	4.5	1.5	.5	1.5	13.3
2010	Miami	5	5	23.4	.205	.000	.429	5.6	1.0	.8	2.0	4.2
2011	Boston	9	9	21.9	.488	.000	.909	4.2	.9	.2	1.8	5.8
2014	Golden State	7	3	12.0	.563	.000	.750	3.4	.1	.1	.4	6.0
Career		97	72	26.6	.426	.000	.718	6.5	1.0	.4	1.7	11.6

NBA Achievements

NBA All-Star: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
All-NBA Teams:
- Second Team: 2004
- Third Team: 2002, 2003
NBA Most Improved Player Award: 2002
NBA Magic Johnson Award: 2004
Holds these Indiana Pacers team records:
- Most blocks in a game: 10 (January 22, 2003 vs. the Toronto Raptors)
- Most blocks in a season: 228 (2000–01)
- Most rebounds in a playoff game: 22 (April 29, 2003 vs. Boston Celtics)
- Highest rebounding average in a playoff series: 17.5 (2003 Eastern Conference First Round vs. Boston Celtics)
- Most free throws attempted in a game: 25 (January 4, 2005 vs. the Milwaukee Bucks)

Personal Life

Jermaine O'Neal is married to Mesha. They have two children: a son, Jermaine Jr., and a daughter, Asjia. Asjia is a talented volleyball player. She won the 2022 and 2023 NCAA national championships with the University of Texas.

O'Neal also owned a recording studio called Bogota Entertainment in Atlanta. He is a Christian and often shares his faith on social media. In 2021, O'Neal was an executive producer for the Netflix film Untold: Malice at the Palace. He is currently the head basketball coach for Dynamic Prep Academy in Irving, Texas.