Editing Shaquille O'Neal (section)

====Rookie of the Year (1992–1993)====
The [[Orlando Magic]] selected O'Neal with the [[List of NBA first overall draft picks|1st overall pick]] in the [[1992 NBA draft]]. In the summer before moving to [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], he spent time in Los Angeles under the tutelage of Hall of Famer [[Magic Johnson]].<ref>Luke, Chelsea. (April 28, 2015). [http://universe.byu.edu/2015/04/28/college-triple-double-header-kyle-collinsworth-versus-shaquille-oneal/ "College triple-double header: Kyle Collinsworth versus Shaquille O'Neal"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529105438/http://universe.byu.edu/2015/04/28/college-triple-double-header-kyle-collinsworth-versus-shaquille-oneal/ |date=May 29, 2017 }}. Retrieved June 17, 2015.</ref> O'Neal wore No. 32 because veteran teammate [[Terry Catledge]] refused to relinquish the 33 jersey.<ref name=number/> O'Neal said that 32 was the first number he wore when he began playing basketball.{{efn|Multiple articles refer to him wearing No. 32 in high school because No. 33 was not available. The ''[[Corpus Christi Caller-Times]]'' wrote that pictures from a Cole High game in 1989 show him wearing 33. "Maybe he wore No. 32 in earlier seasons", the newspaper added.<ref>{{cite news|first=Allison|last=Ehrlich|title=#TBT: Thirty years ago, West Oso went up against Shaq|date=August 1, 2019|newspaper=Corpus Christi Caller-Times|url=https://www.caller.com/story/news/special-reports/building-our-future/throwback/2019/08/01/tbt-west-oso-versus-shaq-1989-playoffs/1867826001/|access-date=March 27, 2025}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Don't Send Flowers, Check Will Be Enough|date=August 28, 1992|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-28-sp-5899-story.html|access-date=March 27, 2025}}</ref> 

O'Neal was named the Player of the Week in his first week in the NBA, the first player to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.nba.com/sixers/news/131104-mcw-eastern-player-week|title = Michael Carter-Williams Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week|website = NBA.com|access-date = August 8, 2014|archive-date = March 20, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140320010535/http://www.nba.com/sixers/news/131104-mcw-eastern-player-week|url-status = live}}</ref> During his [[1992–93 NBA season|rookie season]], O'Neal averaged 23.4 points on 56.2% shooting, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 [[Block (basketball)|blocks]] per game for the season.<ref name="career">{{cite web |title=Shaquille O'Neal Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/onealsh01.html |website=Basketball Reference |access-date=June 2, 2024}}</ref> He was named the 1993 [[NBA Rookie of the Year Award|NBA Rookie of the Year]] and was the first rookie to be voted an All-Star starter since [[Michael Jordan]] in 1985.<ref name="Magic history">{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/magic/history/magic_history.html |title=MAGIC: Magic History |access-date=March 10, 2008 |work=NBA.com/magic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201003005/http://www.nba.com/magic/history/magic_history.html |archive-date=February 1, 2008}}</ref> The Magic finished 41–41, winning 20 more games than the previous season, but missed the playoffs by virtue of a tie-breaker with the [[Indiana Pacers]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1992-93 Orlando Magic Roster and Stats |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ORL/1993.html |website=Basketball Reference |access-date=June 2, 2024}}</ref> On more than one occasion during the year, ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' writer [[Jack McCallum]] overheard O'Neal saying, "We've got to get [head coach] [[Matt Guokas|Matty [Guokas]]] out of here and bring in [assistant] [[Brian Hill (basketball)|Brian [Hill]]]."<ref name=mccallum>{{cite news |last=McCallum |first=Jack |author-link=Jack McCallum |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1997/03/03/the-young-and-the-feckless-another-nba-coach-finds-outtoo-latewhos-really-running-the-show |title=The Young And The Feckless |quote=On more than one occasion during O'Neal's rookie season of 1992–93, I heard him say of his then coach, "We've got to get Matty [Guokas] out of here and bring in Brian." |date=March 3, 1997 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103143912/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1009558/index.htm |archive-date=November 3, 2012  |access-date=June 2, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>