O'NEAL IS A ONE-MAN SHOW-BUSINESS EMPIRE.Byline: Glenn Gaslin Daily News Staff Writer In case you haven't noticed, Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). does more than play basketball. When he moves to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. this year, he'll bring with him the equivalent of a multimedia production house. A Shaq-based studio (ShaqWorks SKG SKG Stichting Kwaliteit Gevelbouw (Dutch) SKG Spielberg, Katzenberg,and Geffen (DreamWorks Studios) SKG Thessaloniki, Greece - Thessaloniki (Airport Code) SKG Smith and Kraus Global ?) could conceivably take up several city blocks in Glendale. The evidence is all available down at your local mall: He's a movie star! Shaq ``plays'' a basketball ace in ``Blue Chips'' (1994) and then does the ancient-genie-living-in-a-boom box thing in this summer's ``Kazaam.'' He's a rapper! He did a cameo on the whimsical Fu-Schnicken's ditty dit·ty n. pl. dit·ties A simple song. [Middle English dite, a literary composition, from Old French dite, from Latin dict ``What's up Doc (Can we Rock)?'' in 1993. Then, of course, he put out his own album, ``Shaq Diesel,'' and now has his own label, Tooism. He's an animated character! A Pepsi commercial last year rendered Shaq as a cuddly cartoon. He's a brand name! The word ``Shaq'' is a registered trademark. He's a video game! The martial arts This is a list of martial arts, broken down by region and style. African martial arts Eritrea
But the dribbler-as-media-star is nothing new. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar For the football player, see . Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. on April 16, 1947) is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant coach. (the Shaq of the '70s?) appeared in ``Game of Death'' (with Bruce Lee) and then ``Airplane!' Fellow Laker Wilt Chamberlain joined Arnold Schwarzenegger for ``Conan the Destroyer.'' And Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman, both with big screen deals, might soon be competing with Shaq for Oscars. ``This move is better for him,'' says Rick Bradley, an agent with William Morris Agency Founded in 1898, the William Morris Agency is the largest diversified talent and literary agency in the world, with offices in New York City, Beverly Hills, Nashville, Miami, London, and Shanghai. who handles that other new Lakers recruit, 17-year-old Kobe Bryant. ``This could take Shaq's acting, his television and motion picture career to a whole different level.'' And that might be a feat, considering flat reviews for ``Kazaam.'' As one movie critic put it, ``(Shaq) gamely handles the less-than-distinguished dialogue like he shoots free throws, scoring on slightly less than half his tries.'' CAPTION(S): 4 Charts Chart: HOW SHAQ STACKS UP (1) The Highest-paid Athletesof the 1990s in millions (2) The Highest-Paid Athletes in 1995 in millions (3) The Richest People in America (4) The Highest-Paid Chief Executives in America |
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