Shaq stats: Where does Shaquille O’Neal rank all time in each statistical category?
It’s hard to over-estimate the impact Shaquille O’Neal made during his time as a pro. Not only was he one of the most dominant NBA players of all time, but he was a darling of pop culture. From MVPs and rings to movies, hip hop, and video games, Shaq put his big fingerprints just about everywhere.
Despite being one half of one of the messiest NBA breakups, O’Neal was one of the Association’s most prominent players for nearly two decades. Shaq has career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game – no wonder he goes by Superman.
O’Neal is one of the undisputed best players in NBA history. How do his career regular season stats stack up?
Total points scored: 28,596 (8th all time)
As a rookie during the 1992-93 season, Shaq averaged 23.4 points per game for the Orlando Magic. From there, he averaged at least 26 points a night for the next ten seasons. O’Neal’s size, strength, and touch simply over-powered opposing defenses.
Even during the second half of his career, when declining athleticism and health compromised the big man, Shaq was an effective offensive weapon. It’s no surprise that given his potent scoring and lengthy career that he is among the most prolific players in league history.
Total rebounds: 13,099 (15th all time)
Clocking in at 7’1″ and north of 300 pounds, Shaq’s dominance wasn’t just in scoring the ball. He was an absolute force on the glass as well.
During his rookie season, Shaq grabbed 13.9 boards per contest, his highest single-season average of his career. Still, that more than set the tone for what would be a huge part of his game. Teammates like Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade could feel confident in taking just about any shot knowing Shaq would be there to pick up the pieces.
Total blocks: 2,732 (8th all time)
Dealing with Shaq’s monstrous offense is bad enough. But unfortunately for opponents, Diesel also got it done on the defensive side of the ball, too. Attack the rim was made all the more daunting with O’Neal patrolling the paint.
Shaq was able to post pretty consistent block numbers, even in the twilight of his career. His 7′ 7″ wingspan probably helped quite a bit, but his insane basketball IQ made him an assassin on D.
Total free throw attempts: 11,152 (3rd all time)
O’Neal isn’t exactly known for his effective free throw shooting. His career average of 52.7 percent from the charity stripe isn’t anything to sneeze at, though in 02-03 he shot a sizzling 62.2 percent from the free throw line.
Free throw shooting is one of the few holes in O’Neal’s game, and opposing coaches used this to their advantage. The infamous “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy saw the big man head to the foul line north of ten times a game for most of his career. In fact, assuming Shaq took an average of 8 seconds per attempt, O’Neal spent roughly 25 hours of his life shooting regular season free throws.
Total games played: 1207 (44th)
O’Neal played in the NBA from 1992 until 2011, marking one of the longest and most storied careers in league history. Unfortunately, Shaq’s injury history is a little checkered; he could be even higher on this list.
At 216 postseason games played, however, O’Neal ranks ninth in NBA history. For what it’s worth, his frenemy Kobe Bryant ended his career with 220 postseason games played.
Total assists: 3026 (216th all time)
Passing the ball wasn’t one of O’Neal’s signature skills. Usually he was the one receiving a pass rather than dishing them out. Still, with such a lengthy career, Shaq managed to rack up a number of assists.
The big man averaged north of 2.5 assists per game in nine different regular throughout his career. Not exactly John Stockton numbers, but pretty remarkable given Shaq’s usual profile.
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