Miami Heat to Retire Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 Jersey on Dec. 22
In the early 2000s, the Los Angeles Lakers became popular with the head coach Phil Jackson together with the team's most dominant players of all-time, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The three most valuable players won three consecutive championships from 2000-02 that led them to reached another NBA Finals in 2004.
While the trio dominated the court, O'Neal, and Bryant clashed which led for the team to trade O'Neal to the Miami Heat after the 2004 season. While O'Neal was with the Heat, he won a fourth championship ring in 2006 and formed a similar dominant trio with their head coach Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade.
Shaquille O'Neal had played three and a half seasons with Miami Heat before he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. According to Lakers Nation, the Heat had decided to retire Shaquille O'Neal's No. 32 jersey in a special halftime ceremony on December 22nd at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The team had announced earlier with regards to their plans to retire the number that O'Neal wore for them in April 2013 on December 22 of this year. According to NBA, O'Neal will be considered as the third former Heat player to receive honor from the team. The Heat also decided to retire No. 23 as a tribute to Micheal Jordan.
NBA records show that O'Neal won four NBA titles as a player; three when he was playing with the Lakers and with Miami in 2016. On July 14, 2004, the Heat acquired him in a trade with the Lakers.
O'Neal has been helping Miami Heat for the championship since the trade in 2004. He got the second MVP vote shares in 2005 and won his fourth and final championship in 2006 with Dwyane Wade. O'Neal garnered an average of 19 points with 9.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks during the four seasons of Miami before he was traded to Phoenix.
The No. 32 Jersey will be the second NBA jersey that O'Neal will have to retire. The first one was his No. 34 jersey in 2013.
