Jermaine O’Neal is a former professional basketball player from the United States. At the age of 17, O’Neal was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers and began playing in the NBA directly after graduating from high school. He was the youngest player to ever play in an NBA game when he made his debut at the age of 18.
Jermaine played the rest of his career with the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors, and Phoenix Suns, among others. With the Pacers, he had the most success, assisting them in reaching the NBA Playoffs six times and setting multiple team records. Six NBA All-Star selections, the NBA Magic Johnson Award, and the NBA Most Improved Player award are among his other accomplishments.
Jermaine O’Neal Bio & Wiki
Real Name | Jermaine Lee O’Neal Sr |
Nickname | Jermaine O’Neal |
Age | 45 years old |
Date Of Birth | 13 October 1978 |
Birth Place | Columbia, South Carolina |
Height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
Weight | 116 kgs (255 lbs) |
Marital Status | Married |
Girlfriend/Wife | Mesha O Neal |
Children | Asjia O’Neal, Jermaine O’Neal Jr. |
Mother | Angela Ocean |
Nationality | American |
Profession | Professional Basketball Player |
Estimated Net Worth in 2023 (Approx) | $80 million |
Jermaine O’Neal Early Life
Jermaine O’Neal was born in Columbia, South Carolina on October 13th, 1978. O’Neal, who was raised by a single mother with his brother, was drawn to athletics from a young age. His height made him a good candidate for a future career in basketball, and he was influenced by stars like Bill Russell. He was already 6 feet 4 at the age of 14, and as he proceeded to grow at a rapid rate, he became one of the most promising high school players in recent memory.
At the age of 16, he was embroiled in a dispute that threatened to derail his career. Due to an incident with his 15-year-old girlfriend, the District Attorney considered charging him with rape. Despite the fact that the charges were dropped, the incident had an impact on his performance on the court. This prompted George Glymph, the boy’s coach, to make an attempt to instil structure in his life.
O’Neal’s senior high school season was the most convincing of his career. He scored 22.4 points per game on average and received a slew of other awards and honours. However, due to his low SAT scores, he was unlikely to receive a college scholarship. Coach Glymph advised him to enter the NBA right away, citing the example of Kevin Garnett, who had done so just a year before.
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Jermaine O’Neal Career
O’Neal took the advise and joined the NBA draught in 1996. The Portland Trail Blazers, a team full of veterans and excellent players, chose him. Due to a bone contusion in his knee, O’Neal missed the first 17 games of the season. As a result, he made his NBA debut shortly after turning 18, making him the league’s youngest player ever. Andrew Bynum went on to break this record. He became the youngest player in NBA history to score 20 points in a game later that season.
Portland struggled to make an impression the next season. Jermaine was largely used as a substitute, playing roughly 10 minutes each game on average. O’Neal tried to stay upbeat despite misgivings about whether he should have gone to college, but he struggled to obtain playing time with the Trail Blazers. O’Neal didn’t get much playing time during the 1997-1998 season, as Portland was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
The Trail Blazers advanced to the Western Conference Finals the next season before being eliminated by the Spurs. O’Neal was once again providing absolutely little value to the club. However, the organisation elected to sign O’Neal to a four-year, $24 million contract following season. Unfortunately, Jermaine was forced to sit on the bench for the majority of the season. The Trail Blazers eventually realised it wasn’t going to work out, and he was traded to the Indiana Pacers.
O’Neal’s accomplishments with the Pacers were among his most impressive during his career. His first All-Star selections, an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals, and, of course, more playing time were among them. However, Jermaine’s stint was not without controversy, as he once attacked a fan who had invaded the court. He was given a 25-game suspension. Injury difficulties eventually forced him to be moved to the Toronto Raptors. He then went on to play for the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Phoenix Suns for the rest of his career. He re-signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2013. He missed the 2014-2015 season due to wrist surgery, and he announced his retirement in 2016.
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Jermaine O’Neal Personal Life
Jermaine O’Neal is a happily married man who shares his life with Mesha. With his wife Mesha, he has two children, Jermaine Jr. and Asjia. O’Neal has largely been in the headlines because of his NBA career, and he has managed to keep his personal life out of the spotlight.
O’Neal is a frequent user of Instagram, where he posts his latest news. On his official Instagram account, he presently has 129K followers.
Jermaine O’Neal Net Worth
Jermaine O’Neal’s net worth is expected to be around $80 million in 2023. After the famous Kobe Bryant, O’Neal was the NBA’s second-highest-paid basketball player. In the 2002-03 season, he signed a seven-year contract with the Indiana Pacers for $126 million.
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FAQs
Jermaine O’Neal was born on October 13, 1978, in Columbia, South Carolina. He is currently 43 years old.
His name hasn’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame yet.
Due to tiredness, O’Neal decided to sit out the 2014–15 NBA season. Despite receiving interest from a number of teams during the season, O’Neal decided to sit out and focus on his family. In February 2016, O’Neal indicated that he had not yet formally retired from the NBA.