{{Infobox Company | company_name = Taco Bell | company_slogan = "Think outside the bun""Why Pay More!?""Fourth Meal" | company_logo = | company_type = Wholly owned subsidiary | foundation = March 21, 1962 Downey, California | location = Irvine, California, U.S. | locations = 6,446 restaurants (2009) | key_people = Glen Bell, FounderGreg Creed, President, CEO | num_employees = 175,000+ | industry = Fast Food | products = Tacos, burritos, and other Tex-Mex cuisine-related fast food | revenue = $1.9 billion USD (2009)

Taco Bell Express

In 1991, Taco Bell opened the first Taco Bell Express in San Francisco, California. This concept is a reduced-size restaurant with a limited menu (primarily items priced under $1), meant to emphasize volume. Taco Bell Express locations operate primarily inside convenience stores, truck stops, shopping malls, and airports.

Controversies

In November 2006, Taco Bell made local headlines when 22 customers were sickened by the E. coli bacteria. The bacteria was traced to three New Jersey restaurants. While some people were hospitalized, none were severely harmed.

In February 2007, Taco Bell again made headlines when a Taco Bell/KFC restaurant in Manhattan was overrun by rats; footage of the rodents scurrying about were shown on news shows around the globe. The location was closed by order of the Department of Health until the issues were resolved. The outbreak prompted the closure of several additional Taco Bell restaurants throughout the Northeastern United States.

In August 2010, Taco Bell was linked to two outbreaks of Salmonella. At least 155 people in 21 states became ill as a result of eating contaminated food.

Coalition of Immokalee Workers

In March 2005, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) won a landmark victory in its national boycott of Taco Bell for human rights. Taco Bell agreed to meet all of the coalition's demands to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers in its supply chain.

After four years of a tenacious and growing boycott, Taco Bell and Yum! Brands agreed to make an agreement called the CIW-Yum agreement with representatives of CIW at Yum! Brands headquarters.

The CIW-Yum agreement set several precedents, establishing:

The first direct, ongoing payment by a fast-food industry leader to farm workers in its supply chain to address substandard farm-labor wages (nearly doubling the percentage of the final retail price that goes to the workers who pick the produce).

The first enforceable Code of Conduct for agricultural suppliers in the fast-food industry (which includes the CIW, a worker-based organization, as part of the investigative body for monitoring worker complaints).

Market incentives for agricultural suppliers willing to respect their workers’ human rights, even when those rights are not guaranteed by law;

Full transparency for Taco Bell’s tomato purchases in Florida; the agreement commits Taco Bell to buy only from Florida growers who agree to the pass-through and to document and monitor the pass-through, providing complete records of Taco Bell’s Florida tomato purchases and growers’ wage records to the CIW.

Lawsuits

Chihuahua

A lawsuit filed in 1998 by Joseph Shields and Thomas Rinks alleged Taco Bell failed to pay them for use of the Chihuahua character they created. The men alleged that Taco Bell had breached payment on a contract after they worked with the restaurant chain for a year to develop the talking Chihuahua for use in marketing. The Chihuahua became a hit: In a commercial, the character bypasses a female Chihuahua for a Taco Bell taco and declares: "Yo quiero Taco Bell." The two men received $30.1 million in compensation plus nearly $12 million in additional interest three months later. Taco Bell in turn sued its ad agency TBWA saying it should have been aware of the conflicts. In 2009, a three-judge federal appeals panel ruled against Taco Bell.

50 Cent

The rap artist 50 Cent filed a federal lawsuit against Taco Bell on July 23, 2008. The suit claimed that his name was used in a print ad asking him to change his name to 79 Cents, 89 Cents, or 99 Cents as a part of the "Why Pay More?" campaign. 50 Cent was not aware of the ad until it came out, while fake letters containing the name change request were sent to the news media for promotional purposes. He sought $4 million in damages. In turn, Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch said they made a good faith, charitable offer of $10,000 to 50 Cent if he would change his name to 79, 89, or 99 Cents for one day and rap his order at a Taco Bell location. On November 24, 2009, 50 Cent and Yum! Brands/Taco Bell settled the suit for an undisclosed amount.

Menu

Border Bell

In 1997, PepsiCo experimented with a new "fresh grill" concept, opening at least one Border Bell restaurant in Mountain View, California on El Camino Real (SR 82). In addition to a subset of the regular Taco Bell menu, Border Bell offered Mexican-inspired items like those available from Chevys Fresh Mex restaurants (then owned by PepsiCo), such as Chevys signature sweet corn tamalito pudding and a fresh salsa bar.

Reduction of trans fats

, Taco Bell had switched to zero trans fat frying oil in all of its US single-branded locations.

Volcano Taco and Volcano Double Beef Burrito

Taco Bell revealed in June 2009 that it will be adding to its main menu the Volcano Double Beef Burrito and the Volcano Taco, a former limited-time item.

Cupcakes and Smoothies

It was reported in October 2009 that the chain has been testing smoothies, mini-snacks, and other items. A juice bar has been installed in some restaurants along with a display containing cupcakes and other snacks.

Advertising

In March 2001, Taco Bell announced a promotion to coincide with the re-entry of the Mir space station. They towed a large target out into the Pacific Ocean, announcing that if the target was hit by a falling piece of Mir, every person in the United States would be entitled to a free Taco Bell taco. The company bought a sizable insurance policy for this gamble. No piece of the station struck the target.

In 2004, a local Taco Bell franchisee bought the naming rights to the Boise State Pavilion in Boise, Idaho and renamed the stadium Taco Bell Arena.

In 2006, Taco Bell was a ESPN partner of its coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

In 2007, Taco Bell offered the "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" promotion—if any player from either team stole a base in the 2007 World Series the company would give away free tacos to everyone in the United States in a campaign similar to the Mir promotion, albeit with a much higher likelihood of being realized. After Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox stole a base in Game 2, the company paid out this promotion on October 30, 2007. This promotion was used again in the 2008 World Series, when Jason Bartlett of the Tampa Bay Rays stole a base during Game 1 at Tropicana Field, which was paid out on October 28, 2008.

Taco Bell sponsors a promotion at home games for both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Cleveland Cavaliers in which everyone in attendance receives a coupon for a free Chalupa if the home team scores 100 points or more.

In 2009, Taco Bell introduced a music video style commercial entitled, "It's all about the Roosevelts" composed and produced by Danny de Matos at his studio for Amber Music on behalf of DraftFCB Agency. Featuring Varsity Fanclub's Bobby Edner, the rap music style commercial shows a group of friends gathering change as they drive toward Taco Bell. The commercial represents Taco Bell's first foray into movie theater advertising, featuring the ad during the opening previews of and Public Enemies as well as screens in some movie theater lobbies.

On July 1, 2009, Taco Bell has replaced 20-year sponsor McDonald's as the fast food partner of the NBA. Taco Bell and the NBA agreed on a 4 year deal allowing them to advertise on ABC, TNT and ESPN, and NBA-themed promotions.

Infomercial salesman Billy Mays signed a deal in June 2009 to shoot infomercial-style commercials for the chain, with filming to begin in August. His unexpected death from a heart attack on June 28, 2009 canceled those plans.

On July 21, 2009, Gidget, the Chihuahua featured in Taco Bell ads in the late 1990s, was euthanized after suffering a stroke. She was 15 years old.

2009 commercials for the "Frutista Freeze" frozen drink feature Snowball, an Eleonora Cockatoo noted for his ability to dance to human music.

In an effort to promote their $2 Meal Deals, Taco Bell started a Facebook group in June 2010 to collect signatures on a petition that appeals to the Federal Reserve to produce more two-dollar bills.

Outside the United States

Australia

Taco Bell first opened in Australia in September 1981, but Taco Bell was ordered to change its name after the owner of a local restaurant successfully sued Taco Bell for misleading conduct. The local restaurant was called "Taco Bell's Casa" and had been operating in Australia since the 1970s. The owner successfully argued that Sydneysiders would confuse the takeaway chain with his restaurant, and this would damage his reputation. Taco Bell later opened in 1997 in Australia with a store in the cinema district on George St in Sydney and later in 2002 within a few KFC stores in the state of New South Wales, but by 2005, the Taco Bell brand was pulled out of the country.

Cyprus

A Taco Bell opened in Cyprus in December 2009 in Limassol at the MyMall. Further restaurants are planned to be opened within the next 18 months (probably also in Cyprus' capital Nicosia).

China

In 2003, Yum! Brands introduced the Taco Bell brand into People's Republic of China. The Chinese Taco Bell restaurants were not fast-food restaurants like other Taco Bells. Instead, they were full-service restaurants called Taco Bell Grande that are more analogous to a Mexican grill in the United States. In addition to the usual taco and burritos, Taco Bell Grande also served other Mexican cuisine like albóndigas (meatball soup), tomatillo grilled chicken, fajitas, and alcoholic drinks such as Margaritas. The chain had operated three restaurants in China, two in Shenzhen and one in Shanghai. However, the Shanghai location closed at the end of January 2008. One location in Shenzhen closed on February 20, 2008; the second location followed shortly after, closing on March 5, 2008.

Greece

Greece's first Taco Bell opened in Athens upon the grand opening of the newly constructed Athens Metro Mall on November 30, 2010.

Iceland

Taco Bell in Iceland is operated as a part of the KFC establishment in Hafnarfjörður, suburb of Reykjavík. It was established in late 2006, after the departure of the U.S. Navy from Naval Air Station Keflavik. A second location opened in the Ártúnshöfði part of Reykjavik in November 2008

India

India's first Taco Bell outlet is in Mantri square mall, Bangalore. A new outlet on the 80 feet road - 100 feet road junction of Koramangala has been opened.

Mexico

Taco Bell has attempted to enter the Mexican market twice. After a highly-publicised launch in Mexico City in 1992, all the restaurants were closed two years later. In September 2007, Taco Bell returned to Monterrey, this time promoting itself as selling American food, but closed in January 2010 due to low patronage.

Philippines

Taco Bell opened its first Philippine branch on October 30, 2004 at the Gateway Mall in Cubao, Quezon City. They now have one on the Ground Floor and one on the 4th floor in the food court at the Gateway Mall. They have also added another branch at the TriNoma mall in Quezon City.

Poland

First Taco Bell store was opened in Poland in 1993. The same year next stores were opened, but soon all stores were closed. In 2007, Polish company AmRest decided to bring back Taco Bell to Poland, but the date is not known yet.

Singapore

Taco Bell in Singapore existed for a number of years, mostly as combination stores with KFC such as the one that operated at the Funan Digital Life Mall, but in 2008, Taco Bell completely pulled out of Singapore.

Spain

The first Taco Bell in Spain was opened at Naval Station Rota in 2004 and is available only to those authorized to access the naval base. The first Taco Bell for the general public was opened in the Islazul Shopping Mall, Madrid, in December 2008. Yum! Brands announced that it would open additional restaurants in Spain in early 2009 as part of a test trial for the European market. A second location has now opened at the Vaguada Shopping Mall, Madrid (03/2010).

United Arab Emirates

A Taco Bell opened in the United Arab Emirates in November 2008 in Dubai at the Dubai Mall.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom was the first European country with a Taco Bell, although it remains extremely difficult for UK inhabitants to patronise a store. In 1986, a location was opened in London on Coventry Street (between Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus) followed by a second location in Earls Court near the Earl's Court tube station. One other store opened in Uxbridge but all closed in the mid 1990s. In 1994, the university food provider Compass announced plans to open stores in its university and college sites. However, only one store was opened in Birmingham University, no other stores were opened, and the Birmingham site is now closed. There is at least one Taco Bell site in the UK in operation at the Strategic Air Command and United States Air Force bases at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, but, commensurate with existing security controls, access is restricted to relevant service personnel.

Yum! Brands announced that it is considering reopening Taco Bell locations in the United Kingdom as part of a large planned expansion into Europe, with trial outlets opening first in Spain in early 2009. Yum! is taking advantage of the recent recession which led to increasing sales at other fast food outlets; it also said that there is now a greater awareness of Mexican food in the UK and that it can be successful with improved menu offerings and marketing. Taco Bell opened a second store in Basildon on 29 November 2010. More stores are planned to open in 2011.

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Canada, and Spain are the only countries where Taco Bell offers French fries, which appears in 2 varieties: Fiesta Fries (Topped Fries in Spain) (like Nachos Supreme, changing nachos for fries) and regular French fries.

See also

Priszm

Taco Bell chihuahua

Enchirito

Notes

External links

Official site

Official mobile site

Canadian website

Philippines website

Taco Bell Wiki: A Taco Bell Wiki

Taco-Bell Sued By Sick Boy With E-Coli - FORBES

Information from FDA

United Kingdom site

Category:Fast-food franchises Category:Fast-food chains of Canada Category:Fast-food chains of the United States Category:Fast-food Mexican restaurants Category:Retail companies established in 1962 Category:Companies based in Irvine, California Category:Restaurants in Orange County, California Category:Yum! Brands

Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), nicknamed "Shaq" ( ), is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Boston Celtics. Standing tall and weighing , he is one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. Throughout his 18-year career, O'Neal has used his size and strength to overpower opponents for points and rebounds. After the retirement of Lindsey Hunter on March 5, 2010, O'Neal became the oldest active player in the NBA.

Following a standout career at Louisiana State University, O'Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. He quickly became one of the top centers in the league, winning Rookie of the year in 1992–93 and later leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After four years with the Magic, O'Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won three consecutive championships, playing alongside Kobe Bryant, in 2000, 2001, and 2002. O'Neal's relationship with Bryant eventually declined into a feud, leading to O'Neal's trade to the Miami Heat in 2004. He won his fourth NBA championship in 2006, but was traded midway through the season a year and a half later to the Phoenix Suns. After a season-and-a-half with the Suns, O'Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played alongside LeBron James in the 2009–10 season.

O'Neal's individual accolades include the 1999–00 MVP award, the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections. He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); the other players are Willis Reed in 1970 and Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998. He ranks 5th all-time in points scored, 6th in field goals, 14th in rebounds, and 7th in blocks.

In addition to his basketball career, O'Neal has released four rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum. He has also appeared in numerous films and has starred in his own reality shows, Shaq's Big Challenge and Shaq Vs.

Early life

O'Neal credits the Boys and Girls Club of America in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, with giving him a safe place to play and keeping him off the streets. "It gave me something to do," he said. "I'd just go there to shoot. I didn't even play on a team." He led his Robert G. Cole High School team, from San Antonio, Texas, to a 68–1 record during his two years there and helped the team win the state title during his senior year. His 791 rebounds during the 1989 season remain a state record for a player in any classification.

College career

After graduating from high school, O'Neal attended Louisiana State University, where he studied business. He had first met Dale Brown, LSU's men's basketball coach at that time, years before in Europe. With O'Neal's stepfather stationed on a U.S. Army base at Wildflecken, West Germany, and his godfather a First Sergeant at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio,Texas, O'Neal attended Fulda American High School, a DODDS school.

While playing for Brown at LSU, O'Neal was a two-time All-American, two-time SEC player of the year, and received the Adolph Rupp Trophy as NCAA men's basketball player of the year in 1991.

O'Neal left LSU early to pursue his NBA career, but returned to school in 2000 and received a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies. He was later inducted into the LSU Hall of Fame.

NBA career

Orlando Magic (1992–1996)

The Orlando Magic drafted O'Neal with the 1st overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. During that summer, prior to moving to Orlando, he spent a significant amount of time in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. During his rookie season, O'Neal averaged 23.4 points on 56.2% shooting, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game for the season. He was named the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year and became the first rookie to be voted an All-Star starter since Michael Jordan in 1985. The Magic finished 41–41, winning 20 more games than the previous season; however, the team ultimately missed the playoffs by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Indiana Pacers. On more than one occasion during the year, Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum overheard O'Neal saying, "We've got to get [head coach] Matty [Guokas] out of here and bring in [assistant] Brian [Hill]."

In O'Neal's second season, Hill was the coach and Guokas was reassigned to the front office. O'Neal improved his scoring average to 29.4 points (second in the league to David Robinson) while leading the NBA in field goal percentage at 60%. On November 20, 1993, against the New Jersey Nets, O'Neal registered the first triple-double of his career, recording 24 points to go along with career highs of 28 rebounds and 15 blocks. He was voted into the All-Star game and also made the All-NBA 3rd Team. Teamed with newly-drafted Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, the Magic finished with a record of 50–32 and made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. In his first playoff series, O'Neal averaged 20.7 points and 13.3 rebounds in a losing effort as the Magic were swept in the first round by the Indiana Pacers.

In his third season, O'Neal led the NBA in scoring with an average of 29.3 points per game. He finished second in MVP voting to David Robinson and was voted into his third straight All-Star Game along with teammate Penny Hardaway. O'Neal and Hardaway formed one of the top duos in the league and helped Orlando to a 57–25 record and the Atlantic Division crown. The Magic won their first ever playoff series against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 1995 NBA Playoffs. They then defeated the Chicago Bulls in the conference semi-finals, dealing Michael Jordan one of his few playoff losses of the decade. After beating Reggie Miller's Indiana Pacers, the Magic reached the NBA Finals, where they would face the defending NBA champion Houston Rockets. O'Neal played well in his first Finals appearance, averaging 28 points on 59.5% shooting, 12.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. Despite this, the Rockets, led by future Hall-of-Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, swept the series in four games.

O'Neal was injured for a great deal of the 1995–96 season, missing 28 games. He averaged 26.6 points and 11 rebounds per game, made the All-NBA 3rd Team, and played in his 4th All-Star Game. Despite O'Neal's injuries, the Magic finished with a regular season record of 60–22, second in the Eastern conference to the Chicago Bulls, who finished with an NBA record 72 wins. Orlando easily defeated the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds of the 1996 NBA Playoffs; however, they were no match against the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, who swept them in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Los Angeles Lakers (1996–2004)

O'Neal became a free agent after the 95–96 NBA season. In the summer of 1996, O'Neal was named to the United States Olympic basketball team, and was later part of the gold medal-winning team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. While the Olympic basketball team was training in Orlando, the Orlando Sentinel published a poll that asked whether the Magic should fire Hill if that were one of O'Neal's conditions for returning. 82% answered "no". He said the team "just didn't respect [Hill]." Another question in the poll asked, "Is Shaq worth $115 million?" in reference to the amount of the Magic's offer. 91.3% of the response was "no". On the team's first full day at the Olympics in Atlanta, it was announced that O'Neal would join the Los Angeles Lakers on a seven-year, $121 million contract. He insisted he did not choose Los Angeles for the money. "I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money," O'Neal said after the signing. "I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok," he added, referring to a couple of his product endorsements. The Lakers won 56 games during the 1996–97 season. O'Neal averaged 26.2 points and 12.5 rebounds in his first season with Los Angeles; however, he again missed over 30 games due to injury. The Lakers made the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Utah Jazz in five games.

The following season, O'Neal averaged 28.3 points and 11.4 rebounds. He also led the league with a 58.4 field goal percentage, which would be the first of five consecutive seasons in which he did so. The Lakers finished the season 61–21, first in the Pacific Division, and were the second seed in the western conference during the 1998 NBA Playoffs. After defeating the Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle SuperSonics in the first two rounds, the Lakers again fell to the Jazz, this time in a 4–0 sweep.

With the tandem of O'Neal and teenage superstar Kobe Bryant, expectations for the Lakers increased. However, personnel changes were a source of instability during the 1998–99 season. Long-time Laker point guard Nick Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets; his former backcourt partner Eddie Jones was packaged with back-up center Elden Campbell for Glen Rice to satisfy a demand by O'Neal for a shooter. Coach Del Harris was fired, and former Lakers forward Kurt Rambis finished the season as head coach. The Lakers finished with a 31–19 record during the lockout-shortened season. Although they made the playoffs, they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs, led by Tim Duncan and David Robinson in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. The Spurs would go on to win their first league title that year.

In 1999, the Lakers hired Phil Jackson as their new head coach, and the team's fortunes soon changed. Using Jackson's triangle offense, O'Neal and Bryant went on to enjoy tremendous success on the court, as they led the Los Angeles Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles (2000, 2001, and 2002). O'Neal was named MVP of the NBA Finals all three times and has the highest scoring average for a center in NBA Finals history.

O'Neal was also voted the 1999–2000 regular season Most Valuable Player, coming just one vote short of becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history. Fred Hickman, then of CNN, was the sole voter who did not cast his first-place vote for O'Neal, instead choosing Allen Iverson, then of the Philadelphia 76ers who would go on to win MVP the next season. O'Neal also won the scoring title that year while finishing second in rebounds and third in blocked shots. Jackson's influence resulted in a newfound commitment by O'Neal to defense, resulting in his first All-Defensive Team selection (second-team) in 2000.

In the 2001 NBA Finals against the 76ers, O'Neal fouled out in Game 3 backing over Dikembe Mutombo, the 2000-2001 Defensive Player of the Year. "I didn't think the best defensive player in the game would be flopping like that. It's a shame that the referees buy into that," O'Neal said. "I wish he'd stand up and play me like a man instead of flopping and crying every time I back him down.

In the summer of 2001, holding a basketball camp on the campus of Louisiana State University, O'Neal was challenged to a friendly wrestling match by LSU alumnus and current Boston Celtics player Glen "Big Baby" Davis, then 15 years of age and attending high school. O'Neal, weighing , was impressed by the youngster, who had lifted and body-slammed him to the ground. A month before the training camp, O'Neal had corrective surgery for a claw toe deformity in the smallest toe of his left foot. He was ready for the start of the regular season, but the toe frequently bothered him during the season. In January 2002 he was involved in a spectacular on-court brawl in a game against the Chicago Bulls. He punched center Brad Miller after an intentional foul to prevent a basket, resulting in a melee with Miller, forward Charles Oakley and several other players. O'Neal was suspended for three games without pay and given a $15,000 fine. For the season, O'Neal averaged 27.2 points and 10.7 rebounds, excellent statistics but below his career averages at the time; he was less of a defensive force during the season. After the season, O'Neal told friends that he did not want another season of limping and being in virtually constant pain from his big right toe. His trademark mobility and explosion had been often absent. The corrective options ranged from reconstructive surgery on the toe to rehabilitation exercises with more shoe inserts and anti-inflammatory medication. O'Neal was already wary of the long-term damage his frequent consumption of anti-inflammatory medications might have. He did not want to rush to make a decision with his career potentially at risk. He waited the whole summer until just before training camp for the surgery and explained, "I got hurt on company time, so I’ll heal on company time." The Lakers started the season with a record of 11-19. After the Lakers fell to the fifth seed and failed to reach the Finals in 2003, the team made a concerted off-season effort to improve its roster. They sought the free-agent services of forward Karl Malone and aging guard Gary Payton, but due to salary cap restrictions, could not offer either one nearly as much money as he could have made with some other teams. O'Neal assisted in the recruitment efforts and personally persuaded both men to join the squad. Ultimately, both signed, each forgoing larger salaries in favor of a chance to win an NBA championship, which neither had accomplished in his career (and which neither would achieve with the Lakers). At the beginning of the 2003–04 season, with two years left on his contract at the time, O'Neal informed the team of his desire for a substantially larger extension to his contract. It is widely believed that there was also concern about O'Neal's relationship with Kobe Bryant, as the two had exchanged public barbs during the off-season. With Bryant scheduled to become a free agent at the end of that season, many believed he would not choose to remain with the Lakers as O'Neal's sidekick.

After the Lakers' loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal was angered by comments made by Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak regarding O'Neal's future with the club, as well as by the departure of Lakers coach Phil Jackson at the request of Dr. Buss. O'Neal made comments indicating that he felt the team's decisions were centered on a desire to appease Bryant to the exclusion of all other concerns, and O'Neal promptly demanded a trade. Kupchak wanted the Dallas Mavericks's Dirk Nowitzki in return but Cuban refused to let go of Nowitzki and the Lakers ended trade talks with Dallas. However, Miami showed interest and gradually a trade agreement was made.

Miami Heat (2004–2008)

On July 14, 2004, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a future first-round draft choice. O'Neal reverted from (his Lakers jersey) number 34 to number 32, which he wore while playing for the Orlando Magic. Upon signing with the Heat, O'Neal promised the fans that he would bring a championship to Miami. He claimed that one of the main reasons for wanting to be traded to Miami was because of their up-and-coming star, Dwyane Wade. With O'Neal on board, the new-look Heat surpassed expectations, claiming the best record in the Eastern Conference. He averaged 22.9 ppg and 10.4 rpg, made his 12th consecutive All-Star Team, and made the All-NBA 1st Team. Despite being hobbled by a deep thigh bruise, O'Neal led the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals and a Game 7 against the defending champion Detroit Pistons, losing by a narrow margin. Afterwards, O'Neal and others criticized Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy for not calling enough plays for O'Neal. O'Neal also narrowly lost the 2004–05 MVP Award to Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash in one of the closest votes in NBA history.

In August 2005, O'Neal signed a 5-year-extension with the Heat for $100 million. Supporters applauded O'Neal's willingness to take what amounted to a pay cut and the Heat's decision to secure O'Neal's services for the long term. They contended that O'Neal was worth more than $20 million per year, particularly given that considerably less valuable players earn almost the same amount.

In the second game of the 2005–06 season, O'Neal injured his right ankle and subsequently missed the following 18 games. Upon O'Neal's return, Van Gundy resigned, citing family reasons, and Pat Riley assumed head coach responsibilities. After one of those missed games, a Christmas Day match-up against the Lakers, he ripped Jackson, who O'Neal once called a second father, referring to his former coach as Benedict Arnold. Jackson had previously said, "The only person I've ever [coached] that hasn't been a worker ... is probably Shaq." The Heat struggled during O'Neal's absence but with his return won seven of their next eight games. Bad luck still haunted the squad, however, as Wade dislocated his left shoulder, leaving O'Neal as the focus of the team. Critics were doubting if O'Neal, now in his mid-thirties, was able to put the team on his shoulders and if he could carry them into the playoffs. The Heat went on a much needed winning streak to keep them in the race for a playoff spot, which they finally secured against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 5.

In a rematch of the year before, the Heat faced the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. The Heat struggled against the Bulls and although O'Neal put up reasonable numbers, he was not able to dominate the series. The Bulls outplayed the Heat, resulting in a sweep. It was for the first time in ten years that O'Neal did not advance into the second round. In the 2006–07 season O'Neal reached 25,000 career points, becoming the 14th player in NBA history to accomplish that milestone. Despite this milestone, the 2006–07 season was the first in his career in which O'Neal's scoring average dropped below 20 points per game.

O'Neal experienced a rough start for the 2007–08 season, averaging career lows in points, rebounds and blocks. His role in the Heat offense diminished, as he attempted only 10 field goals per game, in comparison with his career average of 17. In addition, O'Neal was plagued by fouls, and during one stretch fouled out five consecutive games. As a result of his poor performance and lengthy court absences, O'Neal's 14 straight All-Star appearances ended that season, as he was neither selected as a starter nor as a reserve in the game at New Orleans.

Phoenix Suns (2008–2009)

The Phoenix Suns acquired O'Neal from the Miami Heat, who were a league worst 9–37, in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. O'Neal made his Suns debut on February 20, 2008 against his former Lakers team, scoring 15 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in the process. The Lakers won, 130–124. O'Neal was upbeat in a post-game press conference, stating: "I will take the blame for this loss because I wasn't in tune with the guys [...] But give me four or five days to really get in tune and I'll get it."

However, in 28 regular-season games, O'Neal averaged 12.9 points and 10.6 rebounds in his first year with the Suns, reaching the playoffs. One of the alleged reasons for the trade was to limit Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs in case of a series during the postseason, especially after the Suns' six-game elimination in the 2007 NBA Playoffs. O'Neal and the Phoenix Suns did face the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, yet they were once again eliminated, this time in five games. In the series, O'Neal averaged 15.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

The 2008–09 season differed very much for O'Neal, averaging 18 pts, 9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks through the first half (41 games) of the season, leading the Suns to a 23–18 record and 2nd place in their division. He returned to the All-Star Game in 2009 and emerged as co-MVP along with ex-teammate Kobe Bryant.

On February 27, 2009, O'Neal scored 45 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, his 49th career 40-point game in a win against the Toronto Raptors. He and the Suns defeated the Raptors 133–113.

In a matchup against Orlando on March 3, 2009, O'Neal was outscored by Magic center Dwight Howard, 21-19. "I'm really too old to be trying to outscore 18-year-olds," O'Neal said, referring to the then 23-year-old Howard. "It's not really my role anymore." O'Neal was double-teamed most of the night. "I like to play people one-on-one. My whole career I had to play people one-on-one. Never once had to double or ask for a double. But it's cool," said O'Neal. During the game, O'Neal flopped against Howard. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, who coached O'Neal previously with the Heat, was "very disappointed cause [O'Neal] knows what it's like. Let's stand up and play like men, and I think our guy did that tonight." O'Neal responded, "Flopping is playing like that your whole career. I was trying to take the charge, trying to get a call. It probably was a flop, but flopping is the wrong use of words. Flopping would describe his coaching." Mark Madsen, a former Lakers teammate of O'Neal's for three years, found it amusing since "everyone in the league tries to flop on Shaq and Shaq never flops back." In a 2006 interview in Time, O'Neal said if he were NBA commissioner, he would "Make a guy have to beat a guy--not flop and get calls and be nice to the referees and kiss ass."

On March 6, O'Neal talked about the upcoming game against the Rockets and Yao Ming. “It’s not going to be man-on-man, so don’t even try that,” says O’Neal with an incredulous laugh. “They’re going to double and triple me like everybody else ... I rarely get to play [Yao] one-on-one ... But when I play him (on defense), it’s just going to be me down there. So don’t try to make it a Yao versus Shaq thing, when it’s Shaq versus four other guys."

The 2009 NBA Playoffs was also the first time since O'Neal's rookie season in 1992–93 that he did not participate in the playoffs.

He was named as a member of the All-NBA Third Team.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2009–2010)

On June 25, 2009, O'Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, $500,000 and a 2010 second round draft pick. Upon arriving in Cleveland, O'Neal said, "My motto is very simple: Win a Ring for the King," referring to LeBron James.

On Friday, February 25, 2010 O'Neal suffered a severe right thumb injury while attempting to go up for a shot against Glen Davis of the Boston Celtics. He had surgery on the thumb on March 1 and returned to play on April 17 in the first round playoff game against the Chicago Bulls.

O'Neal averaged career lows in almost every major statistical category, taking on a much less significant role than in previous years. His presence in the post was not as significant as in years past. O'Neal returned to the starting line-up in time for the 2010 NBA Playoffs. The Cavaliers swiftly defeated the Chicago Bulls in the first round, yet Cleveland became the first team in NBA history to miss the NBA Finals after laying claim to the NBA's top playoff seed for two consecutive seasons. On May 13, the Cavaliers were eliminated from the playoffs, losing to the Boston Celtics 4–2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Boston Celtics (2010–present)

Upon hearing Bryant comment that he had more rings than O'Neal, Wyc Grousbeck, principal owner of the Celtics, wanted to acquire O'Neal. On August 4, 2010, the Boston Celtics announced that they had signed O'Neal. The contract was for two years at the veteran minimum salary for a total contract value of $2.8 million. The Atlanta Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks also expressed interest but had stalled on O'Neal's salary demands. He was introduced by the Celtics on August 10, 2010, and chose to wear the number 36.

O'Neal said he didn't "compete with little guys who run around dominating the ball, throwing up 30 shots a night -- like D-Wade, Kobe." O'Neal added that he is only competing against Duncan: "If Tim Duncan gets five rings, then that gives some writer the chance to say 'Duncan is the best,' and I can't have that." He insisted he did not care whether he starts or comes off the bench for the Celtics but expected to be part of the second unit. and U.S. shoe size 23, he is famous for his physical stature. His physical frame gives him a power advantage over most opponents.

O'Neal's "drop step", (called the "Black Tornado" by O'Neal) in which he posts up a defender, turns around and, using his elbows for leverage, powers past him for a very high-percentage slam dunk, has proven an extremely effective offensive weapon, though it has been limited in recent years. In addition, O'Neal frequently uses a right-handed jump hook shot to score near the basket. The ability to dunk frequently contributes to his career field goal accuracy of .581, the second highest field goal percentage of all time.

Opposing teams often use up many fouls on O'Neal, limiting the playing time of their own big men. O'Neal's imposing physical presence inside the paint has caused dramatic changes in many teams' offensive and defensive strategies that can be seen over the course of his career.

O'Neal's primary weakness is his free-throw shooting. His career average is 52.7%. He once missed all 11 free throws in a game against the Seattle SuperSonics on December 8, 2000, a record. In hope of exploiting O'Neal's poor foul shooting, opponents often commit intentional fouls against him, a tactic known as "Hack-a-Shaq". O'Neal is the fourth-ranked player all-time in free throws taken, having attempted 11,121 free-throws in 1,170 games through the 09–10 season. On December 25, 2008, O'Neal missed his 5,000th free throw, becoming the second player in NBA history to do so along with Wilt Chamberlain.

On his own half of the hardwood, O'Neal is considered to be a capable defender, and he was named three times to the All-NBA Second Defensive Team. His presence serves to intimidate opposing players shooting near the basket, and he has averaged 2.3 blocked shots per game over the course of his career.

Media personality

O'Neal is generally liked by the media for his playful tone in interviews. He has been called "The Big Aristotle and Hobo Master", a name that was self-given, for his composure and insights during these interviews. O'Neal has several nicknames, many of which have been given by the media. Some of these nicknames are "Shaq", "The Diesel", "Shaq Fu", "The Big Aristotle", "The Big Daddy", "Superman", "The Big Agave", "The Big Cactus", "The Big Shaqtus", "The Big Galactus", "Wilt Chamberneezy", "The Big Baryshnikov", "The Real Deal", "Dr. Shaq" (after earning his MBA), "The Big Shamrock", "The Big Leprechaun", "Shaqovic." and more recently "The Big Conductor".

During the 2000 Screen Actors Guild strike, O'Neal performed in a commercial for Disney. O'Neal was fined by the union for crossing the picket line.

O'Neal's humorous and sometimes incendiary comments fueled the Los Angeles Lakers' long standing rivalry with the Sacramento Kings; O'Neal frequently referred to the Sacramento team as the "Queens." During the 2002 victory parade, O'Neal declared that Sacramento will never be the capital of California, after the Lakers beat the Kings in a tough seven game series enroute to completing a three-peat of championship titles.

He also received media flak for mocking Chinese people when interviewed about newcomer center Yao Ming. O'Neal told a reporter, "you tell Yao Ming, ching chong yang, wah, ah so." O'Neal later said it was locker-room humor and he meant no offense. Yao believed that O'Neal was joking, but he said a lot of Asians wouldn't see the humor. Yao joked, "Chinese is hard to learn. I had trouble with it when I was little."

During the 2005 NBA playoffs, O'Neal lamented of his poor play due to injury as being comparable to Erick Dampier, a Dallas Mavericks center who had failed to score a single point in one of their recent games. The quip inspired countless citations and references by announcers during those playoffs, though Dampier himself offered little response to the insult. The two would meet in the 2006 NBA Finals.

O'Neal is very vocal with the media, and often jabs at former Laker teammate Kobe Bryant. In the summer of 2005, when asked about Kobe, he responded, "I'm sorry, who?" and continued to pretend that he did not know who Kobe was until well into the 2005–2006 season.

O'Neal has also appeared in many other shows such as Saturday Night Live and in 2007 hosted Shaq's Big Challenge, a reality show on ABC where he challenged Florida kids to lose weight and stay in shape.

When the Lakers faced the Miami Heat on January 16, 2006, O'Neal and Kobe Bryant made headlines by engaging in handshakes and hugs before the game, an event that was believed to signify the end of the so-called "Shaq–Kobe feud" that had festered since the center left Los Angeles. O'Neal was quoted as saying that he accepted the advice of NBA legend Bill Russell to make peace with Bryant. However, on June 22, 2008, O'Neal freestyled a diss rap about Bryant in a New York club. While rapping, O'Neal blamed Kobe for his divorce from his wife Shaunie and claims to have received a vasectomy, as part of a rhyme. He also taunted Bryant for not being able to win a championship without him. O'Neal led the audience to mockingly chant several times "Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes." O'Neal justified his act by saying "I was freestyling. That's all. It was all done in fun. Nothing serious whatsoever. That is what MCs do. They freestyle when called upon. I'm totally cool with Kobe. No issue at all." Although even other exponents of hip hop, such as Snoop Dogg, Nas and Cory Gunz, agreed with O'Neal, Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio expressed his intention to relieve O'Neal of his Maricopa County sheriff posse badge, due to "use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language". The quote from his song was "it's like a white boy trying to be more nigga than me."

Off court

Education

O'Neal left LSU for the NBA after three years. However, he promised his mother he would eventually return to his studies and complete his bachelor's degree. He fulfilled that promise in 2000, earning his bachelor of arts in general studies. Coach Phil Jackson let O'Neal miss a home game so he could attend graduation. At the ceremony, he told the crowd "now I can go and get a real job". Subsequently, O'Neal earned an MBA online through the University of Phoenix in 2005. In reference to his completion of his MBA degree, he stated: }}

He is currently undertaking a PhD in Leadership and Education with a specialization in Human Resource Development at Barry University. His dissertation topic is "The Duality of Humor and Aggression in Leadership Styles".

Law enforcement

O'Neal has maintained a high level of interest in the workings of the police department and has become personally involved in law enforcement. O'Neal went through the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Reserve Academy and became a reserve officer with the L.A. Port Police. He is seen in a commercial for ESPN in Miami Police garb climbing up a tree to rescue LSU's costumed mascot Mike the Tiger.

On March 2, 2005, O'Neal was given an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshal title and named the spokesman for the Safe Surfin' Foundation; he served an honorary role on the task force of the same name, which tracks down sexual predators who target children on the Internet.

Upon his trade to Miami, O'Neal began training to become a Miami Beach reserve officer. On December 8, 2005, he was sworn in as a reserve officer, electing for a private ceremony so not to distract from the special moment of the other officers. He assumed a $1 per year salary in this capacity. Shortly thereafter, in Miami, O'Neal was a witness to a hate crime (assaulting a man while calling out homophobic slurs) and called Miami-Dade police, giving them a description of the suspect and helping police, over his cell phone, track the offender.

Music career

Name	Shaquille O'Neal
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal
Born	March 06, 1972
Origin	Newark, New Jersey
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	1993–present
Label	Jive, Interscope, A&M;, Trauma
Associated acts	Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, DJ Kayslay

From 1993 onward, O'Neal has pursued a rapping career. He has released five studio albums and 1 compilation album. Although his rapping abilities were often criticized earlier in his career, it has been noted that he has continuously been "progressing as a rapper in small steps, not leaps and bounds" and has also been praised for his skills. His 1993 debut album, Shaq Diesel, received platinum certification from the RIAA. O'Neal was featured alongside Michael Jackson as a guest rapper on "2 Bad," a song from Jackson's 1995 album .

Acting

Starting with Blue Chips and Kazaam, O'Neal has appeared in a number of movies that have been largely panned by critics along with his acting.

O'Neal has appeared as himself on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, bedridden after Larry David's character accidentally tripped him while stretching, and in two episodes each of My Wife and Kids and The Parkers. O'Neal appeared in the 311 music video for the hit single "You Wouldn't Believe" in 2001, in P. Diddy's video for "Bad Boys 4 Life", the video for Aaron Carter's "That's How I Beat Shaq, and the video for Owl City's Vanilla Twilight. O'Neal appeared in the movie CB4 in a small "interviewing" scene. O'Neal played John Henry Irons/Steel in a movie based on the popular superhero Steel. O'Neal appeared in a SportsCenter commercial dressed in his Miami police uniform, rescuing Mike the Tiger from a tree. O'Neal was also a support character in the movie Blue Chips with Nick Nolte. O'Neal also reportedly wanted a role in the film X2 (the second in the X-Men film series), but was ignored by the filmmakers.

He has voiced animated versions of himself on several occasions, including on the animated series "Static Shaq" episode of Static Shock; in the Johnny Bravo episode "Back on Shaq", in which O'Neal discovers that Johnny Bravo is a good luck charm and uses him to help his team win games until it came to a face-off against Seth Green and his good-luck charm Huckleberry Hound; and in the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny, in which he is seen fighting Godzilla and survives a collision with the Batmobile. Because he is a fan of The Man of Steel, Static Shock creators had hoped to have O'Neal and Superman meet in a Season 3 episode, but O'Neal was not located in time to do the episode.

Video games

O'Neal is featured on the covers of video games NBA Live 96, NBA 2K6, NBA 2K7, , NBA Hoopz, and NBA Inside Drive 2004. O'Neal appeared in the arcade version of NBA Jam, NBA Jam (2003) and NBA Live 2004 as a current player and as a 90's All-Star. O'Neal starred in Shaq Fu, a fighting game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis. O'Neal has also appeared in Backyard Basketball 2004, as a playable boxer, and as an unlockable character in . Shaq is also unlockable in UFC 2010 Undisputed.

Reality television

O'Neal and his mother Lucille Harrison were featured in the documentary film Apple Pie, which aired on ESPN. O'Neal had a 2005 reality series on ESPN, Shaquille, and hosted a television Television called Shaq's Big Challenge on ABC appearing with Tyler Florence and long time trainer and personal physician Carlon Colker among others.

O'Neal appeared on NBA Ballers and , in the 2002 Discovery Channel special Motorcycle Mania 2 requesting an exceptionally large bike to fit his large size from famed custom motorcycle builder Jesse James, in the first Idol Gives Back in 2007, on an episode of Fear Factor, and on an episode of MTV's Jackass, where he was lifted off the ground on Wee Man's back. O'Neal is a fan of wrestling and has made appearances at many WWE events.

O'Neal was pranked on the MTV show Punk'd when a crew member accused him of stealing his parking space. After O'Neal and his wife went into the restaurant, Ashton Kutcher's crew members let the air out of O'Neal's car tires. O'Neal and the crew member then got into an altercation and after Kutcher told O'Neal he was Punk'd, O'Neal flipped the bird at the camera.

O'Neal is starring in a reality show called Shaq Vs. which premiered on August 18, 2009, on ABC. The show features O'Neal competing against other athletes at their own sports. On the July 27 episode of WWE Raw, O'Neal was the special guest host and put himself as the special ringside enforcer in a match involving Cryme Tyme and the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho and The Big Show. After the match O'Neal and Big Show had a confrontation which lead to O'Neal shoulder blocking The Big Show. He even became a nominee for the Raw Guest Host of the Year during the 2009 Slammy Awards; the award was won by Bob Barker.

The Washington Post has pointed out similarities to Shaq Vs. and Todd Gallagher's book "Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan" saying the book and the show have "precisely the same premise" and that a TV show based on the book Gallagher was trying to sell was "the exact same show." TMZ later reported that Gallagher received a half-million dollar settlement. Gallagher's name appears in the credits of season 2 as a producer.

Other projects

O'Neal is looking to expand his business ventures with real-estate-development projects aimed at assisting Orlando homeowners facing foreclosure. His plans involve buying the mortgages of those who have fallen into foreclosure and then selling the homes back to them under more affordable terms. He would make a small profit in return, but overall, O'Neal is looking to make an investment in Orlando and help out the homeowners of the city.

Mixed martial arts

O'Neal has been training in mixed martial arts (MMA) since 2000. At Jonathan Burke's Gracie Gym, he has trained in boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and wrestling. At the gym, he goes by the nickname Diesel.

O'Neal challenged kickboxer and mixed martial artist Choi Hong-man to a mixed martial arts rules bout in a YouTube video posted on June 17, 2009. Hong-man replied to an email asking him if he would like to fight O'Neal saying "Yes, if there is a chance." Hong-man also responded to a question asking if O'Neal had a chance of winning with a simple "No." On August 28, 2010 at UFC 118 in Boston, O'Neal reiterated his desire to fight Choi in an interview with Ariel Helwani.

Personal life

O'Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey. He remains estranged from his biological father, Joseph Toney of Newark. Toney, who was once an All-State guard in high school who was offered a basketball scholarship to play at Seton Hall, struggled with drug addiction and was, by 1973, imprisoned for drug possession when O'Neal was an infant. Upon his release, Toney did not resume a place in O'Neal's life and instead, agreed to relinquish his parental visitation rights to O'Neal's stepfather, Phillip A. Harrison, a career Army Reserve sergeant. Ironically, Harrison had faced Toney as a player on his high school varsity basketball team. O'Neal and Toney have never spoken, and O'Neal has expressed no interest in establishing a relationship. On his 1994 rap album, Shaq Fu: The Return, O'Neal voiced his feelings of disdain for Toney in the song "Biological Didn't Bother", referring to Harrison with the verse, "Phil is my father."

In his mansion in Orlando, Florida, O'Neal has a homemade movie theater with two rows of five retractable chairs, Superman lights, another Superman symbol on the floor, a big screen, another Superman symbol on his blanket, and 5.1 surround sound. O'Neal also has an indoor basketball court.

O'Neal is a Muslim; the Los Angeles Times quoted him as saying, "It's a Muslim thing", with regard to the greetings he exchanged with opposing player Hedo Türkoğlu before the Western Conference Finals series in 2002.

O'Neal married Shaunie Nelson on December 26, 2002. The couple have four children (Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me'arah), and Nelson has one child from a previous relationship (Myles). O'Neal also has a daughter from a previous relationship (Taahirah), making him the biological father of five, and the former stepfather of one.

On September 4, 2007, O'Neal filed for divorce from his wife Shaunie in a Miami-Dade Circuit court. Shaunie later said that the couple had gotten back together and that the divorce was withdrawn. However, on November 10, 2009, Shaunie filed an intent to divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

O'Neal is a 2009 inductee of the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

NBA career statistics

A list of O'Neal's career statistics:

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1992–93 | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 81 || 81 || 37.9 || .562 || .000 || .592 || 13.9 || 1.9 || .7 || 3.5 || 23.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1993–94 | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 81 || 81 || 39.8 || .599 || .000 || .554 || 13.2 || 2.4 || .9 || 2.8 || 29.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1994–95 | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 79 || 79 || 37.0 || .583 || .000 || .533 || 11.4 || 2.7 || .9 || 2.4 || 29.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1995–96 | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 54 || 52 || 36.0 || .573 || .500 || .487 || 11.0 || 2.9 || .6 || 2.1 || 26.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1996–97 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 51 || 51 || 38.1 || .557 || .000 || .484 || 12.5 || 3.1 || .9 || 2.9 || 26.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1997–98 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 60 || 57 || 36.3 || .584 || .000 || .527 || 11.4 || 2.4 || .6 || 2.4 || 28.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1998–99 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 49 || 49 || 34.8 || .576 || .000 || .540 || 10.7 || 2.3 || .7 || 1.7 || 26.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 79 || 79 || 40.0 || .574 || .000 || .524 || 13.6 || 3.8 || .5 || 3.0 || 29.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2000–01 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 74 || 74 || 39.5 || .572 || .000 || .513 || 12.7 || 3.7 || .6 || 2.8 || 28.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 67 || 66 || 36.1 || .579 || .000 || .555 || 10.7 || 3.0 || .6 || 2.0 || 27.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 67 || 66 || 37.8 || .574 || .000 || .622 || 11.1 || 3.1 || .6 || 2.4 || 27.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 67 || 67 || 36.8 || .584 || .000 || .490 || 11.5 || 2.9 || .5 || 2.5 || 21.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 73 || 73 || 34.1 || .601 || .000 || .461 || 10.4 || 2.7 || .5 || 2.3 || 22.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 59 || 58 || 30.6 || .600 || .000 || .469 || 9.2 || 1.9 || .4 || 1.8 || 20.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 40 || 39 || 28.4 || .591 || .000 || .422 || 7.4 || 2.0 || .2 || 1.4 || 17.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 33 || 33 || 28.6 || .581 || .000 || .494 || 7.8 || 1.4 || .6 || 1.6 || 14.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 28 || 28 || 28.7 || .611 || .000 || .513 || 10.6 || 1.7 || .5 || 1.2 || 12.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 75 || 75 || 30.0 || .609 || .000 || .595 || 8.4 || 1.7 || .6 || 1.4 || 17.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 53 || 53 || 23.4 || .566 || .000 || .496 || 6.7 || 1.5 || .3 || 1.2 || 12.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 1,170 || 1,161 || 35.2 || .581 || .045 || .527 || 11.0 || 2.6 || .6 || 2.3 || 24.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 12 || 9 || 22.8 || .551 || .000 || .452 || 8.1 || 1.4 || 1.1 || 1.6 || 16.8

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1993–94 | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 3 || 3 || 42.0 || .511 || .000 || .471 || 13.3 || 2.3 || .7 || 3.0 || 20.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1994–95 | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 21 || 21 || 38.3 || .577 || .000 || .571 || 11.9 || 3.3 || .9 || 1.9 || 25.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1995–96 | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 12 || 12 || 38.3 || .606 || .000 || .393 || 10.0 || 4.6 || .8 || 1.2 || 25.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1996–97 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 9 || 9 || 36.2 || .514 || .000 || .610 || 10.6 || 3.2 || .6 || 1.9 || 26.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1997–98 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 13 || 13 || 38.5 || .612 || .000 || .503 || 10.2 || 2.9 || .5 || 2.6 || 30.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1998–99 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 8 || 8 || 39.4 || .510 || .000 || .466 || 11.6 || 2.3 || .9 || 2.9 || 26.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1999–00 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 23 || 23 || 43.5 || .566 || .000 || .456 || 15.4 || 3.1 || .6 || 2.4 || 30.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2000–01 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 16 || 16 || 42.3 || .555 || .000 || .525 || 15.4 || 3.2 || .4 || 2.4 || 30.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 19 || 19 || 40.8 || .529 || .000 || .649 || 12.6 || 2.8 || .5 || 2.5 || 28.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 12 || 12 || 40.1 || .535 || .000 || .621 || 14.8 || 3.7 || .6 || 2.8 || 27.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 22 || 22 || 41.7 || .593 || .000 || .429 || 13.2 || 2.5 || .3 || 2.8 || 21.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 13 || 13 || 33.2 || .558 || .000 || .472 || 7.8 || 1.9 || .4 || 1.5 || 19.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 23 || 23 || 33.0 || .612 || .000 || .374 || 9.8 || 1.7 || .5 || 1.5 || 18.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 4 || 4 || 30.3 || .559 || .000 || .333 || 8.5 || 1.3 || .2 || 1.5 || 18.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 5 || 5 || 30.0 || .440 || .000 || .500 || 9.2 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 2.6 || 15.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 11 || 11 || 22.1 || .516 || .000 || .660 || 5.5 || 1.4 || 0.2 || 1.2 || 11.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 214 || 214 || 37.8 || .563 || .000 || .505 || 11.7 || 2.7 || .5 || 2.1 || 24.5

Discography

Shaq Diesel (1993)

(1994)

You Can't Stop the Reign (1996)

Respect (1998)

Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol. 1 (Unreleased)

Filmography

Blue Chips (1994)

Kazaam (1996)

Good Burger (1997)

Steel (1997) (nominated for Razzie Award for Worst Actor)

He Got Game (1998)

A Great Day in Hip Hop (1998)

The Wash (2001)

Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

After the Sunset (2004)

Scary Movie 4 (2006)

The House Bunny (2008)

See also

List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders

List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of individual National Basketball Association scoring leaders by season

List of National Basketball Association players with 60 or more points in a game

List of National Basketball Association players with 10 or more blocks in a game

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career blocks leaders

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season blocks leaders

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season rebounding leaders

List of oldest active NBA players

References

Further reading

A Good Reason to Look Up (1998)

Shaq and the Beanstalk and Other Very Tall Tales (1999) Hardcover

External links

Profile at NBA.com

Hoopedia bio

Basketball-Reference Career statistics

ESPN Profile

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Position	Center
Height ft	7 |height_in=0
Weight lbs	255
Number	34, 15
Birthdate	January 21, 1963
Birthplace	Lagos, Nigeria
Career start	1984
Career end	2002
Draftyear	1984
Draft round	1
Draft pick	1
College	University of Houston
Teams
Letter	o
Bbr	olajuha01
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	26,946
Stat2label	Rebounds
Stat2value	13,747
Stat3label	Blocks
Stat3value	3,830
Stat4label	Assists
Stat4value	3,058
Stat5label	Steals
Stat5value	2,162
Highlights
Hof player	hakeem-olajuwon

}} Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born January 21, 1963) is a retired Nigerian American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) (but closer to 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) by his own admission), Olajuwon is considered one of the greatest centers ever to play the game.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Olajuwon traveled from his home country to play for the University of Houston. Under Coach Guy Lewis, he had a standout career for the Cougars alongside future NBA Hall of Fame player Clyde Drexler, which included three trips to the Final Four. At the time, he spelled his first name Akeem. Olajuwon was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the first overall selection of the 1984 NBA Draft, a draft that included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. Olajuwon joined the Houston Rockets and was affectionately known as "Akeem The Dream" for his grace on and off the court. He combined with the 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) Ralph Sampson to form a duo dubbed the "Twin Towers". The two led the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics.

After Sampson was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 1988, Olajuwon became the Rockets' undisputed leader. He led the league in rebounding twice (1989, 1990) and shot-blocking three times (1990, 1991, 1993). Raised as a Muslim, Olajuwon became more devoted to the faith during this period and changed the spelling of his name from Akeem to Hakeem. Despite very nearly being traded during an ugly contract dispute before the 1992–93 season, he remained with the team. In 1993-94, he became the only player in NBA history to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP), Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP awards in the same season. His Rockets won back-to-back championships against the New York Knicks, avenging his college championship loss to Patrick Ewing, and Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic. In 1996 Olajuwon was a member of the Olympic gold-medal-winning United States national team, and was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He ended his career as the league's all-time leader in blocked shots.

Early life

Olajuwon was born to Salim and Abike Olajuwon, middle-class Yoruba owners of a cement business in Lagos, Nigeria. "Olajuwon" translates to "always being on top" in Yoruba.

During his youth, Olajuwon was a soccer goalkeeper, which helped give him the footwork and agility to balance his size and strength in basketball, and also contributed to his shot-blocking ability. Olajuwon did not play basketball until the age of 15, when he entered a local tournament.

Basketball career

University of Houston and "Phi Slama Jama"

Olajuwon emigrated from Nigeria to play basketball at the University of Houston under Cougars coach Guy Lewis. Olajuwon was not highly recruited and was merely offered a visit to the university to work out for the coaching staff, based on a recommendation from a friend of Lewis who had seen Olajuwon play. He later recalled that when he originally arrived at the airport in 1980 for the visit, no representative of the school was there to greet him. When he called the staff, they told him to take a taxi out to the university. While there, he and his teammates (including Clyde Drexler) formed what was dubbed "Phi Slama Jama", the first slam-dunking "fraternity", so named because of its above-the-rim prowess. men's basketball team, Olajuwon's #34 hangs in Hofheinz Pavilion.]] After redshirting his freshman year in 1980-81 because he could not yet get clearance from the NCAA to play, Olajuwon won the 1983 NCAA Tournament Player of the Year award, even though he played for the losing team in the final game. He is, to date, the last player from a losing side to be granted this honor. Drexler departed for the NBA in 1983, leaving Olajuwon the lone star on the team.

After the 1983–84 season, Olajuwon debated whether to stay in college or declare early for the NBA draft. At that time (before the NBA Draft Lottery was introduced in 1985), the first pick was awarded by coin flip. Olajuwon recalled: "I really believed that Houston was going to win the coin flip and pick the number 1 draft choice, and I really wanted to play in Houston so I had to make that decision (to leave early)." He teamed with the 1984 Rookie of the Year, 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) Ralph Sampson to form the original NBA "Twin Towers" duo. Olajuwon averaged 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.68 blocks in his rookie season. He finished as runner-up to Michael Jordan in the 1985 Rookie of the Year voting, and was the only other rookie to receive any votes.

Olajuwon averaged 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game during his second pro season (1985–86). The Rockets advanced to the 1986 NBA Finals where they succumbed in six games to the Boston Celtics, whose 1986 team is often considered one of the best teams in NBA history.

Mid-career

During the 1987–88 season, Sampson (who was struggling with knee injuries that would eventually end his career prematurely) was traded to the Golden State Warriors. The 1988–89 season was Olajuwon's first full season as the Rockets' undisputed leader. This change also coincided with the hiring of new coach Don Chaney. The Rockets ended the regular season with a record of 45–37, Olajuwon posted exceptional playoff numbers of 37.5 ppg and 16.8 rpg, plus a record for points in a four-game playoff series (150). Nevertheless, the Rockets were eliminated in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks, 3 games to 1.

The 1989–90 season was a disappointment for the Rockets. They finished the season with a .500 record at 41–41, becoming only the third player in NBA history to do so.

The Rockets finished the 1990–91 season with a record of 52–30 However, the Rockets were swept in the playoffs by the LA Lakers.

The following season was a low point for the Rockets during Olajuwon's tenure. They finished 42–40, Despite his usual strong numbers, he could not lift his team out of mediocrity. Since making the Finals in 1986, the Rockets had made the playoffs five times, but their record in those playoff series was 1–5 and they were eliminated in the first round four times. Following the season, Olajuwon requested a trade in part because of his bad contract; his salary was considerably low for a top center, and his contract specifically forbade re-negotiation. He also expressed displeasure with the organization's efforts to surround him with quality players. He felt the Rockets had cut corners at every turn, and were more concerned with the bottom line than winning. Management had also infuriated Olajuwon during the season when they accused of him of faking a hamstring injury because of his unhappiness over his contract situation. His agent cited his differences with the organization as being "irreconcilable", and Olajuwon publicly insulted owner Charlie Thomas and the team's front office. With the 1992–93 season approaching, a reporter for the Houston Chronicle said that Olajuwon being dealt was "as close to a sure thing as there is."

Nonetheless he was not traded and the Rockets began the season with a new coach in Rudy Tomjanovich. Olajuwon improved his passing in 1992–93, which had previously been considered subpar, setting a new career high of 3.5 assists per game. The team rewarded him with a four year contract extension toward the end of the regular season. In stark contrast to the previous year, the Rockets entered the 1993–94 season as a team on the rise. They had a solid core of young players and veterans, with a leader in Olajuwon who was entering his prime.

Championship years

Olajuwon gained a reputation as a clutch performer and also as one of the top centers in history based on his performances in the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons. In the 30 head–to–head match-ups during the seven seasons from the 1989 to 1996, when both Olajuwon and Robinson were in their prime, Olajuwon averaged 26.3 points per game, shooting 47.6% from the field, while Robinson averaged 22.1 and 46.8%.

The Rockets won the 1994 NBA Finals in a seven-game series against the New York Knicks, the team of one of Olajuwon's perennial rivals since his collegiate days, Patrick Ewing. After being down 2-1, the Knicks took a 3–2 lead into Game 6. The Rockets were defending an 86–84 lead when in the last second, Knicks guard John Starks (who had already scored 27 points) went up for a finals-winning three. Olajuwon pulled off a clutch play by blocking the shot as time expired. In Game 7, Olajuwon posted a game–high 25 points and 10 rebounds, which helping defeat the Knicks, bringing the first professional sports championships to Houston since the Houston Oilers won the American Football League championship in 1961. Olajuwon dominated Ewing in their head–to–head match-up, outscoring him in every game of the series and averaging 26.9 points per game on 50% shooting, compared to Ewing's 18.9 and 36.3%. For his efforts Olajuwon was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.

Olajuwon was at the pinnacle of his career. In 1994 he became the only player in NBA history to win MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. He was also the first foreign-born player to win the league's MVP award. the Rockets repeated as champions in 1995. They were bolstered in part by Olajuwon's former University of Houston Phi Slama Jama teammate Clyde Drexler's acquisition in a mid-season trade from the Portland Trail Blazers. Olajuwon averaged 27.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game during the regular season. Olajuwon was again named Finals MVP. He averaged 33.0 points on .531 shooting, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.81 blocks in the 1995 Playoffs.

Post-championship period

The Rockets' two-year championship run ended when they were eliminated in the second round of the 1996 NBA Playoffs by the eventual Western Conference Champion Seattle SuperSonics. Michael Jordan had returned from a 21-month hiatus in late 1995, and his Chicago Bulls dominated the league for the next three years (1996–98). The Bulls and Rockets never met in the NBA Playoffs. The Rockets posted a 57–win season in 1996–97 season when they added Charles Barkley to their roster. They started the season 21–2, but lost the Western Conference Finals in six games to the Utah Jazz. After averaging 26.9 and 23.2 points in 1995–96 and 1996–97 respectively, Olajuwon's point production dipped to 16.4 in 1997–98. Drexler retired. In 1998–99 the Rockets acquired veteran All-Star Scottie Pippen and finished 31–19 in the lockout-shortened regular season. Olajuwon's scoring production rose to 18.9 points per game, After the season, Pippen was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Olajuwon became a naturalized American citizen during the 1993 season, and was a member of the Dream Team III, the famed U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Toronto Raptors

Houston began to rebuild, bringing in young guards Cuttino Mobley and 2000 NBA co-Rookie of the Year Steve Francis. On August 2, 2001, Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors for draft picks (the highest of which was used by Houston to draft Bostjan Nachbar at #15 in the 2002 NBA Draft), where he played his final NBA season, averaging career lows of 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game,

Olajuwon was highly skilled as both an offensive and defensive player. On defense, his rare combination of quickness and strength allowed him to guard a wide range of players effectively. He was noted for both his outstanding shot-blocking ability and his unique talent (for a frontcourt player) for stealing the ball. Olajuwon is the only player in NBA history to record more than 200 blocks and 200 steals in the same season. He averaged 3.09 blocks and 1.75 steals per game for his career. He is one of only four players to have recorded a quadruple-double in the NBA.

Dream Shake

:"The best footwork I’ve ever seen from a big man" ::—Pete Newell

Off the court

Olajuwon married his current wife Dalia Asafi on August 8, 1996 in Houston. They have two daughters, Rahmah and Aisha Olajuwon. Abisola Olajuwon, his daughter with former wife Lita Spencer, whom he met in college, represented the West Girls in the McDonald's All American Game and played for the WNBA's Chicago Sky.

In addition to English, Olajuwon is fluent in French, Arabic, and the Nigerian languages of Yoruba and Ekiti. He wrote his autobiography, Living the Dream, with co-author Peter Knobler in 1996. During his 18-year NBA career, Olajuwon earned more than $107,000,000 in salary.

Olajuwon, who endorsed a sneaker made by Spalding which retailed for $35, is one of the very few well-known players in any professional sport to endorse a sneaker not from Nike, Reebok, Adidas, or other high-visibility retail brands. As Olajuwon declared: "How can a poor working mother with three boys buy Nikes or Reeboks that cost $120?...She can't. So kids steal these shoes from stores and from other kids. Sometimes they kill for them."

Muslim faith

In Olajuwon's college career and early years in the NBA, he was often undisciplined, talking back to officials, getting in minor fights with other players and amassing technical fouls. Later, Olajuwon took an active interest in spirituality, becoming a more devout Muslim. On March 9, 1991, he altered his name from Akeem to the proper Arabic spelling Hakeem, saying, "I'm not changing the spelling of my name, I'm correcting it". He later recalled, "I studied the Qur'an every day. At home, at the mosque...I would read it in airplanes, before games and after them. I was soaking up the faith and learning new meanings each time I turned a page. I didn't dabble in the faith, I gave myself over to it." Olajuwon was still recognized as one of the league's elite centers despite his strict observance of Ramadan (e.g., abstaining from food and drink during daylight hours for about a month), which occurred during virtually every season of his career. Olajuwon was noted as sometimes playing better during the month, and in 1995 he was named NBA Player of the Month in February, even though Ramadan began on February 1 of that year.

Post-NBA life

Olajuwon played for 20 consecutive seasons in the Houston area, first collegiately for the Cougars and then the Rockets. Olajuwon has had great success in the Houston real estate market, with his estimated profits exceeding $100 million. He buys in cash-only purchases, as it is against Islamic law to pay interest. Since the end of his career Olajuwon has spent most of his time in Jordan, where he moved with his family to pursue Islamic studies. Olajuwon has worked with several NBA players, including power forward Emeka Okafor, of the New Orleans Hornets and center Yao Ming of the Rockets. In September 2009, he also worked with Kobe Bryant on the post moves and the Dream Shake. More recently he has been working with Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, helping him diversify his post moves and encouraging more mental focus.

Olajuwon was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2008.

Awards and achievements

2× NBA champion (1994, '95)

2× NBA Finals MVP (1994, '95)

1× NBA MVP (1994)

2× Defensive Player of Year (1993, '94)

6× All-NBA First Team (1987, '88, '89, '93, '94, '97)

3× All-NBA Second Team ('86, '90, '96)

3× All-NBA Third Team (1991, '95, '99)

5× All-Defensive First Team ('87, '88, '90, '93, '94)

4× All-Defensive Second Team ('85, '91, '96, '97)

12× All-Star

Olympic gold medalist (1996)

Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).

Olajuwon ended his career in the top ten all-time in blocks, scoring, rebounding, and steals. He is the only player in NBA history to retire in the top ten for all four categories (he is now 11th all-time in rebounding).

Olajuwon was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2008. Ranked #13 in SLAM Magazine's 2009 revision of the top 50 greatest players of all time (published in the August 2009 issue)

NBA statistics

{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 90%; white-space: nowrap;" |- | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black;" |   GP | Games played | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" |   GS  | Games started | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" |  MIN  | Minutes per game |- | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black;" |  FG%  | style="padding-right: 8px" | Field-goal percentage | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" |  3P%  | style="padding-right: 8px" | 3-point field-goal percentage | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" |  FT%  | Free-throw percentage |- | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black;" |  OFF  | Offensive rebounds per game | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black;" |  DEF  | Defensive rebounds per game | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black;" |  REB  | Total rebounds per game |- | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" |  AST  | Assists per game | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" |  STL  | Steals per game | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black;" |  BLK  | Blocks per game |- | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black;" |  TOV  | Turnovers per game | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" |  PF  | Fouls per game | style="background-color: #F2F2F2; border: 1px solid black" |  PTS  | Points per game |- |}

Averages

{| class="wikitable sortable" text-align:center;" ! Season ! Age ! Team ! GP !! GS !! MIN !! FG% !! 3P% !! FT% !! OFF !! DEF !! REB !! AST !! STL !! BLK !! TOV !! PF !! PTS |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 22 | align="left" | Houston |bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 35.5 || .538 || || .613 || 5.4 || 6.5 || 11.9 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 2.7 || 2.9 || 4.2 || 20.6 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 23 | align="left" | Houston | 68 || 68 || 36.3 || .526 || || .645 || 4.9 || 6.6 || 11.5 || 2.0 || 2.0 || 3.4 || 2.9 || 4.0 || 23.5 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 24 | align="left" | Houston | 75 || 75 || 36.8 || .508 || .200 || .702 || 4.2 || 7.2 || 11.4 || 2.9 || 1.9 || 3.4 || 3.0 || 3.9 || 23.4 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 25 | align="left" | Houston | 79 || 79 || 35.8 || .514 || .000 || .695 || 3.8 || 8.3 || 12.1 || 2.1 || 2.1 || 2.7 || 3.1 || 4.1 || 22.8 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 26 | align="left" | Houston |bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 36.9 || .508 || .000 || .696 || 4.1 || 9.4 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 13.5 || 1.8 || 2.6 || 3.4 || 3.4 || 4.0 || 24.8 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 27 | align="left" | Houston |bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 38.1 || .501 || .167 || .713 || 3.6 || 10.4 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 14.0 || 2.9 || 2.1 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 4.6 || 3.9 || 3.8 || 24.3 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 28 | align="left" | Houston | 56 || 50 || 36.8 || .508 || .000 || .769 || 3.9 || 9.8 || 13.8 || 2.3 || 2.2 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 3.9 || 3.1 || 3.9 || 21.2 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 29 | align="left" | Houston | 70 || 69 || 37.7 || .502 || .000 || .766 || 3.5 || 8.6 || 12.1 || 2.2 || 1.8 || 4.3 || 2.7 || 3.8 || 21.6 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 30 | align="left" | Houston | 82 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 39.5 || .529 || .000 || .779 || 3.5 || 9.6 || 13.0 || 3.5 || 1.8 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 4.2 || 3.2 || 3.7 || 26.1 |- | align="left" style="background-color:#AFE6BA" | † | align="center" | 31 | align="left" | Houston | 80 || 80 || 41.0 || .528 || .421 || .716 || 2.9 || 9.1 || 11.9 || 3.6 || 1.6 || 3.7 || 3.4 || 3.6 || 27.3 |- | align="left" style="background-color:#AFE6BA" | † | align="center" | 32 | align="left" | Houston | 72 || 72 || 39.6 || .517 || .188 || .756 || 2.4 || 8.4 || 10.8 || 3.5 || 1.8 || 3.4 || 3.3 || 3.5 || 27.8 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 33 | align="left" | Houston | 72 || 72 || 38.8 || .514 || .214 || .724 || 2.4 || 8.4 || 10.9 || 3.6 || 1.6 || 2.9 || 3.4 || 3.4 || 26.9 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 34 | align="left" | Houston | 78 || 78 || 36.6 || .510 || .313 || .787 || 2.2 || 7.0 || 9.2 || 3.0 || 1.5 || 2.2 || 3.6 || 3.2 || 23.2 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 35 | align="left" | Houston | 47 || 45 || 34.7 || .483 || .000 || .755 || 2.5 || 7.3 || 9.8 || 3.0 || 1.8 || 2.0 || 2.7 || 3.2 || 16.4 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 36 | align="left" | Houston |bgcolor="CFECEC"| 50 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 50 || 35.7 || .514 || .308 || .717 || 2.1 || 7.4 || 9.6 || 1.8 || 1.6 || 2.5 || 2.8 || 3.2 || 18.9 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 37 | align="left" | Houston | 44 || 28 || 23.8 || .458 || .000 || .616 || 1.5 || 4.8 || 6.2 || 1.4 || 0.9 || 1.6 || 1.7 || 2.0 || 10.3 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 38 | align="left" | Houston | 58 || 55 || 26.6 || .498 || .000 || .621 || 2.1 || 5.3 || 7.4 || 1.2 || 1.2 || 1.5 || 1.4 || 2.4 || 11.9 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 39 | align="left" | Toronto | 61 || 37 || 22.6 || .464 || .000 || .560 || 1.6 || 4.4 || 6.0 || 1.1 || 1.2 || 1.5 || 1.6 || 2.4 || 7.1 |- | align="left" colspan=3| Career | 1,238 || 1,186 || 35.7 || .512 || .202 || .712 || 3.3 || 7.8 || 11.1 || 2.5 || 1.7 || 3.1 || 3.0 || 3.5 || 21.8 |- | align="left" colspan=3| Playoffs | 145 || 140 || 39.6 || .528 || .222 || .719 || 3.2 || 7.9 || 11.2 || 3.2 || 1.7 || 3.3 || 2.9 || 3.9 || 25.9 |- | align="left" colspan=3| All-Star | 12 || 8 || 23.2 || .409 || 1.000 || .520 || 3.2 || 4.7 || 7.8 || 1.4 || 1.3 || 1.9 || 2.2 || 2.6 || 9.8 |}

Totals

{| class="wikitable sortable" text-align:center;" ! Season ! Age ! Team ! GP !! GS !! MIN !! FGM !! FGA !! 3PM !! 3PA !! FTM !! FTA !! OFF !! DEF !! REB !! AST !! STL !! BLK !! TOV !! PF !! PTS |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 22 | align="left" |Houston |bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 2,914 || 677 || 1,258 || 0 || 0 || 338 || 551 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 440 || 534 || 974 || 111 || 99 || 220 || 234 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 344 || 1,692 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 23 | align="left" |Houston | 68 || 68 || 2,467 || 625 || 1,188 || 0 || 0 || 347 || 538 || 333 || 448 || 781 || 137 || 134 || 231 || 195 || 271 || 1,597 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 24 | align="left" |Houston | 75 || 75 || 2,760 || 677 || 1,332 || 1 || 5 || 400 || 570 || 315 || 543 || 858 || 220 || 140 || 254 || 228 || 294 || 1,755 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 25 | align="left" |Houston | 79 || 79 || 2,825 || 712 || 1,385 || 0 || 4 || 381 || 548 || 302 || 657 || 959 || 163 || 162 || 214 || 243 || 324 || 1,805 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 26 | align="left" |Houston |bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 3,024 || 790 || 1,556 || 0 || 10 || 454 || 652 || 338 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 767 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 1,105 || 149 || 213 || 282 || 275 || 329 || 2,034 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 27 | align="left" |Houston |bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 3,124 || 806 || 1,609 || 1 || 6 || 382 || 536 || 299 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 850 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 1,149 || 234 || 174 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 376 || 316 || 314 || 1,995 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 28 | align="left" |Houston | 56 || 50 || 2,062 || 487 || 959 || 0 || 4 || 213 || 277 || 219 || 551 || 770 || 131 || 121 || 221 || 174 || 221 || 1,187 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 29 | align="left" |Houston | 70 || 69 || 2,636 || 591 || 1,177 || 0 || 1 || 328 || 428 || 246 || 599 || 845 || 157 || 127 || 304 || 187 || 263 || 1,510 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 30 | align="left" |Houston | 82 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 82 || 3,242 || 848 || 1,603 || 0 || 8 || 444 || 570 || 283 || 785 || 1,068 || 291 || 150 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 342 || 262 || 305 || 2,140 |- | align="left" style="background-color:#AFE6BA" |† | align="center" | 31 | align="left" |Houston | 80 || 80 || 3,277 || 894 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 1,694 || 8 || 19 || 388 || 542 || 229 || 726 || 955 || 287 || 128 || 297 || 271 || 289 || 2,184 |- | align="left" style="background-color:#AFE6BA" |† | align="center" | 32 | align="left" |Houston | 72 || 72 || 2,853 || 798 || 1,545 || 3 || 16 || 406 || 537 || 172 || 603 || 775 || 255 || 133 || 242 || 237 || 250 || 2,005 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 33 | align="left" |Houston | 72 || 72 || 2,797 || 768 || 1,494 || 3 || 14 || 397 || 548 || 176 || 608 || 784 || 257 || 113 || 207 || 247 || 242 || 1,936 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 34 | align="left" |Houston | 78 || 78 || 2,852 || 727 || 1,426 || 5 || 16 || 351 || 446 || 173 || 543 || 716 || 236 || 117 || 173 || 281 || 249 || 1,810 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 35 | align="left" |Houston | 47 || 45 || 1,633 || 306 || 633 || 0 || 3 || 160 || 212 || 116 || 344 || 460 || 143 || 84 || 96 || 126 || 152 || 772 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 36 | align="left" |Houston |bgcolor="CFECEC"| 50 ||bgcolor="CFECEC"| 50 || 1,784 || 373 || 725 || 4 || 13 || 195 || 272 || 106 || 372 || 478 || 88 || 82 || 123 || 139 || 160 || 945 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 37 | align="left" |Houston | 44 || 28 || 1,049 || 193 || 421 || 0 || 2 || 69 || 112 || 65 || 209 || 274 || 61 || 41 || 70 || 73 || 88 || 455 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 38 | align="left" |Houston | 58 || 55 || 1,545 || 283 || 568 || 0 || 1 || 123 || 198 || 124 || 307 || 431 || 72 || 70 || 88 || 81 || 141 || 689 |- | align="left" | | align="center" | 39 | align="left" |Toronto | 61 || 37 || 1,378 || 194 || 418 || 0 || 2 || 47 || 84 || 98 || 268 || 366 || 66 || 74 || 90 || 98 || 147 || 435 |- |align="left" colspan=3|Career | 1,238 || 1,186 || 44,222 || 10,749 || 20,991 || 25 || 124 || 5,423 || 7,621 || 4,034 || 9,714 || 13,748 || 3,058 || 2,162 || 3,830 || 3,667 || 4,383 || 26,946 |- |align="left" colspan=3|Playoffs | 145 || 140 || 5,749 || 1,504 || 2,847 || 4 || 18 || 743 || 1,034 || 471 || 1,150 || 1,621 || 458 || 245 || 472 || 424 || 562 || 3,755 |- |align="left" colspan=3|All-Star | 12 || 8 || 278 || 45 || 110 || 1 || 1 || 26 || 50 || 38 || 56 || 94 || 17 || 15 || 23 || 26 || 31 || 117 |}

Career highs

Top shot-blocking efforts

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" ! Blocks ! Opponent ! Home/Away ! Date ! Minutes played ! Points ! Rebounds ! Assists ! Steals |- | 12 (2 OT) | Seattle SuperSonics | Home | | 53 | 38 | 17 | 6 | 7 |- | 12 | Utah Jazz | Home | | 42 | 24 | 21 | 2 | 5 |- | 11 | Golden State Warriors | Home | | 40 | 26 | 12 | 7 | 2 |- | 11 | Golden State Warriors | Home | | 40 | 29 | 18 | 9 | 5 |- | 11 | Milwaukee Bucks | Home | | 40 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 1 |- | 11 (OT) | Orlando Magic | Home | | 50 | 24 | 16 | 4 | 2 |- | 10 | San Antonio Spurs | Home | | 42 | 38 | 10 | 4 | 5 |- | 10 | Orlando Magic | Home | | 43 | 32 | 25 | 2 | 3 |-bgcolor="AFE6BA" | 10 | Los Angeles Lakers | Away | | 43 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 2 |- | 10 (OT) | Portland Trail Blazers | Away | | 44 | 40 | 9 | 3 | 1 |- | 10 | Vancouver Grizzlies | Away | | 38 | 15 | 14 | 3 | 1 |- | 10 | Dallas Mavericks | Home | | 32 | 31 | 13 | 6 | 0 |}

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

List of National Basketball Association players with 1000 games played

List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders

List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association season rebounding leaders

List of National Basketball Association season blocks leaders

List of National Basketball Association players with most blocks in a game

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season rebounding leaders

Notes

Sources

External links

nba.com historical playerfile

NBA.com Biography

NBA.com Player Page

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:African American basketball players Category:American expatriate basketball people in Canada Category:African American Muslims Category:American people of Yoruba descent Category:Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Nigerian expatriate basketball people in the United States Category:Houston Cougars men's basketball players Category:Houston Rockets draft picks Category:Houston Rockets players Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award winners Category:NBA Finals MVP Award winners Category:Nigerian basketball players Category:Nigerian immigrants to the United States Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:People from Lagos (city) Category:Toronto Raptors players Category:United States men's national basketball team members

Name	David Letterman
Caption	Speaking at the opening of the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute (September 2009)
Pseudonym	Earl Hofert
Birth name	David Michael Letterman
Birth date	April 12, 1947
Birth place	Indianapolis, Indiana
Notable work	Host of Late Night with David Letterman (NBC)Host of Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
Signature	David Letterman Autograph.svg

}} David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC. Only Letterman's friend and mentor Johnny Carson has had a longer late-night hosting career. was a florist; his mother Dorothy Letterman (née Hofert, now Dorothy Mengering), a Presbyterian church secretary of German descent, is an occasional figure on the show, usually at holidays and birthdays. He has an older sister Janice and a younger sister Gretchen.

Letterman lived on the north side of Indianapolis (Broad Ripple area), not far from Speedway, IN, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he enjoyed collecting model cars, including racers. In 2000, he told an interviewer for Esquire that, while growing up, he admired his father's ability to tell jokes and be the life of the party. Harry Joseph Letterman survived a heart attack at age 36, when David was a young boy. The fear of losing his father was constantly with Letterman as he grew up. The elder Letterman died of a second heart attack at age 57.

Letterman attended his hometown's Broad Ripple High School at the same time as Marilyn Tucker Quayle (wife of the former Vice President) who lived nearby, and worked as a stock boy at the local Atlas supermarket. According to the Ball State Daily News, he originally had wanted to attend Indiana University, but his grades weren't good enough, so he decided to attend Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana. He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and he graduated from what was then the Department of Radio and Television, in 1969. A self-described average student, Letterman endowed a scholarship for what he called "C students" at Ball State.

Though he registered for the draft and passed his physical after graduating from College, he avoided military service in Vietnam due to receiving a draft lottery number of 352 (out of 365).

Letterman began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the college's student-run radio station—WBST—a 10-watt campus station which now is part of Indiana public radio. He was fired for treating classical music with irreverence.

Letterman credits Paul Dixon—host of the Paul Dixon Show, a Cincinnati-based talk show also shown in Indianapolis while Letterman was growing up—for inspiring his choice of career: :"I was just out of college [in 1969], and I really didn't know what I wanted to do. And then all the sudden I saw him doing it [on TV]. And I thought: That's really what I want to do!"

Weatherman

Letterman began his career as a radio talk show host on WNTS (AM), and on Indianapolis television station WLWI (now called WTHR) as a local anchor and weatherman. He received some recognition for his unpredictable on-air behavior, which included congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane and predicting hail stones "the size of canned hams." (To this day he occasionally gives out canned hams on his show). He would also occasionally report the weather and the day's very high and low temps for fictitious cities ("Eight inches of snow in Bingree and surrounding areas."). He also starred in a local kiddie show, made wisecracks as host of a late night TV show called "Freeze-Dried Movies" (he once acted out a scene from "Godzilla" using plastic dinosaurs), and hosted a talk show that aired early on Saturday mornings called "Clover Power," in which he interviewed 4-H members about their projects.

In 1971, Letterman appeared as a pit road reporter for ABC Sports' tape-delayed coverage of the Indianapolis 500.

Move to Los Angeles

In 1975, encouraged by his then-wife Michelle and several of his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, Letterman moved to Los Angeles, California, with hope of becoming a comedy writer. He started off by writing material for comedian Jimmie Walker. He also began performing stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store, a famed comedy club and proving ground for young comics.

Letterman appeared in the summer of 1977 on the short-lived Starland Vocal Band Show. He has since joked about how fortunate he was that nobody would ever see his performance on the program (due to its low ratings).

Letterman had a stint as a cast member on Mary Tyler Moore's variety show, Mary; a guest appearance on Mork & Mindy (as a parody of EST leader Werner Erhard); and appearances on game shows such as The $20,000 Pyramid, The Gong Show, Password Plus and Liar's Club. He also hosted a 1977 pilot for a game show entitled The Riddlers that was never picked up. His dry, sarcastic humor caught the attention of scouts for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and Letterman was soon a regular guest on the show. Letterman became a favorite of Carson's and was a regular guest host for the show beginning in 1978. Letterman personally credits Carson as the person who influenced his career the most.

NBC

Morning show

On June 23, 1980, Letterman was given his own morning comedy show on NBC, The David Letterman Show. It was originally 90 minutes long, but was shortened to 60 minutes in August. The show was a critical success, winning two Emmy Awards, but was a ratings disappointment and was canceled in October 1980.

Late Night with David Letterman

NBC kept Letterman under contract to try him in a different time slot. Late Night with David Letterman debuted February 1, 1982; the first guest on the first show was Bill Murray. The show ran weeknights at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time, immediately following The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. It was seen as being edgy and unpredictable, and soon developed a cult following (particularly among college students). Letterman's reputation as an interviewer was borne out in verbal sparring matches with Cher (who even called him an asshole on the show), Shirley MacLaine, Charles Grodin, and Madonna. The show also featured inventive comedy segments and running characters, in a style heavily influenced by the 1950s and '60s programs of Steve Allen. Although Ernie Kovacs is often cited as an influence on the show, Letterman has denied this. In the final months of his first stint as host of The Tonight Show, Leno beat Letterman in the ratings by a 1.3 million viewer margin (5.2 million to 3.9 million), and Nightline and The Late Show were virtually tied. Once O'Brien took over Tonight, however, Letterman closed the gap in the ratings. O'Brien initially drove the median age of Tonight Show viewers from 55 to 45, with most older viewers opting to watch The Late Show instead.

Letterman's shows have garnered both critical and industry praise, receiving 67 Emmy Award nominations, winning twelve times in his first 20 years in late night television. From 1993–2009, Letterman ranked higher than Leno in the annual Harris Poll of Nation's Favorite TV Personality twelve times. Leno was higher than Letterman on that poll three times during the same period, in 1998, 2007, and 2008.

Hosting the Academy Awards

On March 27, 1995, Letterman acted as the host for the 67th Academy Awards ceremony. Critics blasted Letterman for what they deemed a poor hosting of the Oscars, noting that his irreverent style undermined the traditional importance and glamor of the event. In a joke about their unusual names (inspired by a similar joke by Woody Allen), he started off by introducing Uma Thurman to Oprah Winfrey, and then the both of them to Keanu Reeves: "Uma...Oprah! Oprah...Uma! Oprah, Uma...Keanu!" This and many of his other jokes fell flat. Although Letterman attracted the highest ratings to the annual telecast since 1983, many felt that the bad publicity garnered by Letterman's hosting caused a decline in the Late Show's ratings.

Letterman recycled the apparent debacle into a long-running gag. On his first show after the Oscars, he joked, "Looking back, I had no idea that thing was being televised." He lampooned his stint in the following year, during Billy Crystal's opening Oscar skit, which also parodied the plane-crashing scenes from that year's chief nominated film, The English Patient.

For years afterward, Letterman recounted his horrible hosting at the Oscars, although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences still holds Letterman in high regard and it has been rumored they have asked him to host the Oscars again. On September 7, 2010, he made an appearance on the premier of the 14th season of The View, and confirmed the rumors.

Heart surgery hiatus

On January 14, 2000, a routine check-up revealed that an artery in Letterman's heart was severely constricted. He was rushed to emergency surgery for a quintuple bypass.

During the initial weeks of his recovery, reruns of the Late Show were shown and introduced by friends of Letterman including Drew Barrymore, including Dr. O. Wayne Isom and physician Louis Aronne, who frequently appears on the show. In a show of emotion, Letterman was nearly in tears as he thanked the health care team with the words "These are the people who saved my life!" The episode earned an Emmy nomination. For a number of episodes, Letterman continued to crack jokes about his bypass, including saying, "Bypass surgery: it's when doctors surgically create new blood flow to your heart. A bypass is what happened to me when I didn't get The Tonight Show! It's a whole different thing." In a later running gag he lobbied his home state of Indiana to rename the freeway circling Indianapolis (I-465) "The David Letterman Bypass." He also featured a montage of faux news coverage of his bypass surgery, which included a clip of Dave's heart for sale on the Home Shopping Network. Letterman became friends with his doctors and nurses. In 2008, a Rolling Stone interview stated "he hosted a doctor and nurse who'd helped perform the emergency quintuple-bypass heart surgery that saved his life in 2000. 'These are people who were complete strangers when they opened my chest,' he says. 'And now, eight years later, they're among my best friends.' "

Additionally, Letterman invited the band Foo Fighters to play "Everlong", introducing them as "my favorite band, playing my favorite song." During a later Foo Fighters appearance, Letterman said that Foo Fighters had been in the middle of a South American tour which they canceled to come play on his comeback episode.

Letterman again handed over the reins of the show to several guest hosts (including Bill Cosby, Brad Garrett, Elvis Costello, John McEnroe, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Bonnie Hunt, Luke Wilson and bandleader Paul Shaffer) in February 2003, when he was diagnosed with a severe case of shingles. Later that year, Letterman made regular use of guest hosts—including Tom Arnold and Kelsey Grammer—for new shows broadcast on Fridays. In March 2007, Adam Sandler—who had been scheduled to be the lead guest—served as a guest host while Letterman was ill with a stomach virus.

Re-signing with CBS

In March 2002, as Letterman's contract with CBS neared expiration, ABC offered him the time slot for long-running news program Nightline with Ted Koppel. Letterman was interested as he believed he could never match Leno's ratings at CBS due to weaker lead-ins from the network's late local news programs, but was reluctant to replace Koppel. Letterman addressed his decision to re-sign on the air, stating that he was content at CBS and that he had great respect for Koppel.

On December 4, 2006, CBS revealed that David Letterman signed a new contract to host The Late Show with David Letterman through the fall of 2010. "I'm thrilled to be continuing on at CBS," said Letterman. "At my age you really don't want to have to learn a new commute." Letterman further joked about the subject by pulling up his right pants leg, revealing a tattoo, presumably temporary, of the ABC logo.

"Thirteen years ago, David Letterman put CBS late night on the map and in the process became one of the defining icons of our network," said Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation. "His presence on our air is an ongoing source of pride, and the creativity and imagination that the Late Show puts forth every night is an ongoing display of the highest quality entertainment. We are truly honored that one of the most revered and talented entertainers of our time will continue to call CBS 'home.'"

According to a 2007 article in Forbes magazine, Letterman earned $40 million a year. A 2009 article in The New York Times, however, said his salary was estimated at $32 million per year.

In June 2009, Letterman and CBS reached agreement to extend his contract to host The Late Show until August 2012. His previous contract had been set to expire in 2010. thus allowing his show to come back on air on January 2, 2008. On his first episode since being off air, he surprised the viewing audience with his newly grown beard, which signified solidarity with the strike. His beard was shaved off during the show on January 7, 2008.

Letterman and Carson

NBC's decision to select Jay Leno and not Letterman to succeed Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show was an embarrassment to Carson, who had all but promised the succession to Letterman. Letterman maintained a close relationship with Carson through his break with NBC. Three years after he left for CBS, HBO produced a made-for-television movie called The Late Shift, based on a book by New York Times reporter Bill Carter, chronicling the battle between Letterman and Leno for the coveted Tonight Show hosting spot. Letterman would mock the film for months afterward, specifically on how the actor playing him, John Michael Higgins, did not resemble him in the least. ("They took a guy who looked nothing like me and with make-up and special camera angles, turned him into a guy who looked nothing like me, with red hair.")

Carson later made a few cameo appearances as a guest on Letterman's show. Carson's final television appearance came May 13, 1994 on a Late Show episode taped in Los Angeles, when he made a surprise appearance during a 'Top 10 list' segment. The audience went wild as Letterman stood up and proudly invited Carson to sit at his desk. The applause was so protracted that Carson was unable to say anything, and he finally returned backstage as the applause continued (it was later explained that Carson had laryngitis, though Carson can be heard talking to Letterman during his appearance).

In early 2005, it was revealed that Carson still kept up with current events and late-night TV right up to his death that year, and that he occasionally sent jokes to Letterman, who used these jokes in his monologue; according to CBS senior vice president Peter Lassally (a onetime producer for both men), Carson got "a big kick out of it." Letterman would do a characteristic Johnny Carson golf swing after delivering one of Carson's jokes. In a tribute to Carson, all of the opening monologue jokes during the first show following Carson's death were written by Carson.

Lassally also claimed that Carson had always believed Letterman, not Leno, to be his "rightful successor." Letterman also frequently employs some of Carson's trademark bits on his show, including "Carnac the Magnificent" (with Paul Shaffer as Carnac), "Stump the Band" and the "Week in Review."

Letterman and Oprah Winfrey

On September 10, 2007, Letterman made his first appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He shared pictures of his son and live-in girlfriend. The so-called feud between Letterman and Winfrey apparently ended in 2005 when Winfrey appeared on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman on December 2, in an event Letterman jokingly referred to as "the Super Bowl of Love". Oprah had previously appeared on Letterman's show when he was hosting NBC's Late Night on May 2, 1989.

Winfrey and Letterman also appeared together in a Late Show promo that aired during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLI in February 2007, with the two sitting next to each other on the couch watching the game. Since the game was played between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, the Indianapolis-born Letterman wears a Peyton Manning jersey, while Winfrey—who tapes her show in Chicago—is in a Brian Urlacher jersey. Three years later, during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, the two appeared again, this time with Winfrey sitting on a couch between Letterman and Jay Leno. The appearance was Letterman's idea: Leno flew to New York City in an NBC corporate jet, sneaking into the Ed Sullivan Theater during the Late Show's February 4 taping wearing a disguise, meeting Winfrey and Letterman at a living room set created in the theater's balcony where they taped their promo.

Other projects

Worldwide Pants

Letterman started his own production company—Worldwide Pants Incorporated—which produced his show and several others, including Everybody Loves Raymond , The Late Late Show, and several critically-acclaimed, but short-lived television series for Bonnie Hunt. Worldwide Pants also produced the dramedy program Ed, which aired on NBC from 2000–2004. It was Letterman's first association with NBC since he left the network in 1993. During Ed's run, the star, Tom Cavanagh, appeared as a guest on The Late Show several times.

In 2005, Worldwide Pants produced its first feature film, Strangers with Candy, which was a prequel to the Comedy Central TV series of the same title. In 2007, Worldwide Pants produced the ABC comedy series, Knights of Prosperity.

Worldwide Pants made significant news in December 2007 when it was announced that Letterman's company had independently negotiated its own contract with the Writers Guild of America, East, thus allowing Letterman, Craig Ferguson, and their writers to return to work, while the union continued its strike against production companies, networks and studios who had not reached an agreement.

Rahal Letterman Racing

Rahal Letterman Racing (RLR) is an auto racing team that currently races in the American Le Mans Series, and part-time in the Indy Racing League. It is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal and Letterman himself, and is based in Hilliard, Ohio. The team won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 with driver Buddy Rice. Letterman was a pit reporter for ABC in the 1971 Indianapolis 500. The $21 million, David Letterman Communication and Media Building opened for the 2007 Fall semester. It features state-of-the-art recording equipment and facilities. Thousands of Ball State students, faculty, and local residents welcomed Letterman back to Indiana. Letterman's emotional speech touched on his struggles as a college student and his late father, and also included the "top ten good things about having your name on a building."

Letterman received the honor for his dedication to the university throughout his career as a comedian. Letterman finished with, "If reasonable people can put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible."

Letterman also received a Sagamore of the Wabash from Governor Mitch Daniels.

Record company

In late April 2010, several music industry websites reported that David Letterman started a record label named Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and signed his first artist, Runner Runner. Lucy Walsh announced on her myspace page that she has been signed by David Letterman and Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and is working on her album.

Appearances in other media

Letterman appeared in issue 239 of the Marvel comic book The Avengers, in which the title characters are guests on Late Night. A parody of Letterman, called "David Endocrine", is gassed to death along with his bandleader named "Paul" and their audience in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.

Letterman provided vocals for the Warren Zevon song "Hit Somebody" from My Ride's Here, and provided the voice for Butt-head's father in the 1996 animated film, Beavis and Butt-head Do America. He also had a cameo in the feature film Cabin Boy, with Chris Elliott, who worked as a writer on Letterman's show. In this and other appearances, Letterman is listed in the credits as "Earl Hofert", the name of Letterman's maternal grandfather. He also appeared as himself in the Howard Stern biopic Private Parts as well as the 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, in a few episodes of Garry Shandling's 1990s TV series The Larry Sanders Show and in "The Abstinence", a 1996 episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. Letterman also appeared in the pilot episode of the short-lived 1986 series "Coach Toast".

Personal life

Marriages and long-term relationships

In 1969, Letterman married Michelle Cook; the marriage ended by divorce in 1977. He also had a long-term relationship with former head writer and producer on Late Night, Merrill Markoe. In fact, Markoe was the mind behind several Late Night staples, such as "Stupid Pet/Human Tricks".

Letterman has a son, Harry Joseph Letterman (born in 2003), with Regina Lasko. Harry is named after Letterman's father. In 2005, police discovered a plot to kidnap Harry Letterman and ransom him for $5 million. Kelly Frank, a house painter who had worked for Letterman, was charged in the conspiracy.

Letterman and Lasko, who had been together since 1986, wed during a quiet courthouse civil ceremony in Choteau, Montana, on March 19, 2009. Letterman announced the marriage during the taping of his March 23 show, shortly after congratulating Bruce Willis for getting married the previous week. Letterman told the audience he nearly missed the ceremony because his truck became stuck in mud two miles from their house. The family resides in North Salem, New York, on a estate.

Stalking incidents

Beginning in May 1988, Letterman was stalked by Margaret Mary Ray, a woman suffering from schizophrenia. Letterman occasionally referenced her in his show, although not by name. She committed suicide in 1998. Letterman publicly expressed sympathy upon her death.

Extortion attempt and revelation of affairs

On his October 1, 2009 show, Letterman announced that he had been the victim of an extortion attempt by someone threatening to reveal that he had had sex with several of his female employees. He confirmed the relationships.

Letterman stated that three weeks earlier (on September 9, 2009) someone had left a package in his car with material he said he would write into a screenplay and a book if Letterman did not pay him $2 million. Letterman said that he contacted the Manhattan District Attorney's office, ultimately cooperating with them to conduct a sting operation involving giving the man a phony check. The extortionist, Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer of the CBS true crime journalism series 48 Hours, was subsequently arrested after trying to deposit the check. He was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury and pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted grand larceny on October 2, 2009. Birkitt had until recently lived with Halderman, who is alleged to have copied Birkitt's personal diary and to have used it, along with private emails, in the blackmail package.

On October 3, 2009, a former CBS employee, Holly Hester, announced that she and Letterman had engaged in a year-long "secret" affair in the early 1990s while she was his intern and a student at New York University.

In the days following the initial announcement of the affairs and the arrest, several prominent women, including Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host of NBC's Today Show, and NBC news anchor Ann Curry questioned whether Letterman's affairs with subordinates created an unfair working environment. A spokesman for Worldwide Pants said that the company's sexual harassment policy did not prohibit sexual relationships between managers and employees. According to business news reporter Eve Tahmincioglu, "CBS suppliers are supposed to follow the company's business conduct policies" and the CBS 2008 Business Conduct Statement states that "If a consenting romantic or sexual relationship between a supervisor and a direct or indirect subordinate should develop, CBS requires the supervisor to disclose this information to his or her Company's Human Resources Department..."

On October 5, 2009, Letterman devoted a segment of his show to a public apology to his wife and staff. Three days later, Worldwide Pants announced that Birkitt had been placed on a "paid leave of absence" from the Late Show. On October 15, CBS News announced that the company's Chief Investigative Correspondent, Armen Keteyian, had been assigned to conduct an "in-depth investigation" into Halderman's blackmail of Letterman.

On March 9, 2010, Halderman pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny and served a 6-month jail sentence, followed by probation and community service.

Awards

In his capacities as either a writer, producer, performer, or as part of a writing team, David Letterman is among the most nominated people in Emmy Award history with 52 nominations, winning two Daytime Emmys and five Primetime Emmys since 1981. His nomination record is second only to producer Jac Venza, who holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for an individual (57). Letterman has been nominated every year since 1984, when he first appeared on late night television as the host of Late Night with David Letterman. Additionally, he has won four American Comedy Awards.

References

External links

David Letterman's Feb. 24, 1978 appearance on 90 Minutes Live

Official Late Show biography

1999 article on Letterman from Salon.com

Tape of Letterman announcing affairs/extortion attempt on Late Show

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:American people of German descent Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Ball State University alumni Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Indianapolis, Indiana television anchors Category:Indy Racing League owners Category:People from Indianapolis, Indiana Category:Weather presenters

Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator best known for his 1987 Academy Award-nominated animated short Your Face.

Biography

Bill Plympton was born in Portland, Oregon, to Don and Wilda Plympton. From 1964 to 1968, he attended Portland State University, where he was a member of the film society and worked on the yearbook. In 1968, he transferred to the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Plympton's illustrations and cartoons have been published in The New York Times and weekly newspaper The Village Voice, as well as in the magazines Vogue, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Penthouse, and National Lampoon. His political cartoon strip Plympton, which began in 1975 in the Soho Weekly News, eventually was syndicated and appeared in over 20 newspapers. His distinctive style is easily recognized.

Plympton is the only animator ever to draw every frame for an animated feature film by himself. Signe Baumane, also a director and animator, has been inking and painting Plympton's cels for many years. , Plympton had created 26 animated short films and five animated features. He has also published a comic book, The Sleazy Cartoons of Bill Plympton. Plympton usually publishes a graphic novel version during the production of each feature in order to raise money for the film itself.

Plympton, together with other independent New York City animators, has released two DVDs of animated shorts, both titled Avoid Eye Contact. His work also appeared on the 1992–1993 Fox comedy series The Edge; on MTV during the late 1980s; and on MTV's animated series Liquid Television in the early 1990s. In 1995, he contributed animation and graphics to a computer game collection, Take Your Best Shot.

From 2001 to 2003, he teamed with Don Hertzfeldt for the touring "The Don and Bill Show", which played throughout the United States. In 2005, Plympton animated a music video for Kanye West's "Heard 'Em Say". The following year, he created the music video for "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Don't Download This Song".

The actress Martha Plimpton, a distant relative of his, served as associate producer on Plympton's animated feature Hair High (2004), doing much of the casting. The movie's voice cast included her father Keith Carradine and her uncle David Carradine. Plympton contributed animation in the History Channel series, 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America, to illustrate the events of Shay's Rebellion.

Plympton in early 2007 was in production on an 80-minute feature, Idiots and Angels, that would have no dialog. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on 26 April 2008, and was nominated in the feature film category at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2008.

His films: The Fan and the Flower; Eat, Your Face, Guard Dog and Santa: The Fascist Years were included in the Animation Show of Shows.

Awards

2010 Delray Beach Film Festival for "The Cow Who Wanted To Be a Hamburger"

2008 MoCCA (Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art) - Cartoonist of the Year, MoCCA Art Festival

2006 Special Career Award - Fantasporto Film Festival

2006 Winsor McCay Award; Annie Awards by ASIFA Hollywood

2005 2nd Oscar Academy Award Nomination for Short Animation "Guard Dog"

2005 Life Time Achievement (Time Machine Award) SITGES Film Festival

2001 Grand Prize for Short Films, Cannes Film Festival Critics' Week

1987 1st Oscar Nomination Academy Award for Short Animation "Your Face"

Filmography

Animated features

, in Glendale, California.]]

The Tune (1992)

Mondo Plympton (1997 shorts compilation)

I Married a Strange Person! (1997)

Mutant Aliens (2001)

Hair High (2004)

Idiots and Angels (2008)

Live-action features

J. Lyle (1993)

Guns on the Clackamas (1995)

Walt Curtis, the Peckerneck Poet (1997)

Animated shorts

''The Great Turn On (1968)

Lucas the Ear of Corn (1977)

Boomtown (1985)

Drawing Lesson #2 (1985)

Love in the Fast Lane (1985)

Your Face (1987)

One of Those Days (1988)

How to Kiss (1989)

25 Ways to Quit Smoking (1989)

Plymptoons (1990)

Tango Schmango (1990)

Dig My Do (1990)

The Wise Man (1990)

Draw (1990)

Push Comes to Shove (1991)

Nosehair (1994)

Faded roads (1994)

How to Make Love to a Woman (1995)

Smell the Flowers (1996)

Boney D (1996)

Plympmania (1996)

Sex & Violence (1997)

The Exciting Life of a Tree (1998)

More Sex & Violence (1998)

Surprise Cinema (1999)

Can't Drag Race with Jesus (2000)

Eat (2001)

Parking (2001)

Twelve Tiny Christmas Tales (2001)

Guard Dog (2004)

The Fan & The Flower (2005)

Guide Dog (2006) (sequel to Guard Dog)

Shuteye Hotel (2007)

Gary Guitar (2008)

Hot Dog (2008) (third in the Guard Dog series)

Santa: The Fascist Years (2008)

Horn Dog (2009) (fourth in the Guard Dog series)

The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger (2010)

Compilations (DVD)

Avoid Eye Contact Vol. 1

Avoid Eye Contact Vol. 2

Bill Plympton's Dirty Shorts

Plymptoons: The Complete Early Works of Bill Plympton (1992)

Mondo Plympton (2007)

Bill Plympton's Dog Days (2009)

Music videos

Peter Himmelman – "245 Days" (1990)

Kanye West – "Heard 'Em Say" (2005)

"Weird Al" Yankovic – "Don't Download This Song" (2006)

Parson Brown, "Mexican Standoff" (2008)

Commercials

The F-Word Documentary (2005)

United Airlines "Signature" (2005)

Geico Direct (6) (1999)

Microsoft Windows '95 (1995)

Taco Bell (1993)

Nik Naks (UK) (1993)

Soloflex (1992)

Trivial Pursuit (3) (1990–91)

Nutrasweet (1991)

MTV public service announcement "Acid Rain" (1989)

Footnotes

References

Official Web Site

The Sound of Young America public radio program / podcast: Plympton interview

Zoom In Online / podcast: "On the Circuit: Idiots and Angels"

Wild West Whoopee Cushion

Interviews

Bill is Interviewed by Roger of Pete's Basement at 2009 NYC Comic Con Time Stamp: 9:50

Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:People from Portland, Oregon Category:American animators Category:Portland State University alumni