Want to write sports stories about Shaquille O'Neal or your favorite NBA team?

Career Highlights:

Selected in 1996 as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History

Three-time NBA Finals MVP after leading the Lakers to back-to-back-to-back NBA Finals victories (2000, 2001, 2002)

Voted the 1999-2000 Most Valuable Player (regular season) by media

Four-time All-NBA First Team selection (1997-98, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02), two-time All-NBA Second Team selection (1994-95, 1998-99) and three-time All-NBA Third Team selection (1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97)

Two-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection (1999-2000, 2000-01)

Nine-time All-Star selection (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002)

Co-MVP of the 2000 NBA All-Star Game after tallying 22 points and nine rebounds

Two-time regular season scoring champion after posting 29.3 ppg (1994-95) and 29.7 ppg (1999-2000)

Led the league in field-goal percentage five times (1993-94, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01)

Won the 1999-2000 IBM Award, determined by a computerized rating that measures a player's overall contribution to a team

Named 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year, and to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, after averaging 23.4 ppg, 13.9 rpg and 3.53 bpg

Member of gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic team in Atlanta (1996) and World Championship team in Toronto (1994)