Shaquille O'Neal made such an indelible impression on the Miami Heat that he will be having his No. 32 retired by the franchise.
According to a press release on NBA.com, O'Neal's jersey retirement ceremony will happen at the beginning of the 2016-17 season.
Heat president Pat Riley said in the statement O'Neal's importance to the franchise and NBA makes him a worthy addition to Miami's basketball canon:
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the truly elite players in the history of the game and one of the greatest players to ever wear a HEAT uniform. He took us to another level as a basketball franchise while leading us to our first NBA championship. Retiring his number in the rafters, along with HEAT greats Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, is something we are very proud of.
O'Neal joined the Heat prior to the 2004-05 season in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. He spent three-and-a-half seasons in Miami, playing a key role in the franchise's 2006 NBA Finals victory over Dallas with 13.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
In 205 career games with the Heat, O'Neal averaged 19.6 points, 9.1 rebo ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Adam Wells
Shaquille O’Neal to Have No. 32 Retired by Heat: Date, Comments and Reaction
February 9th, 2016 by Adam Wells Leave a reply »
Advertisement