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2002-03:
Named to the All-NBA Third Team for the second consecutive season in 2002-03. ... Selected to the USA Basketball 'core group' for qualifying for the 2004 Olympics. ... One of three players in the NBA, and the only one in the East, to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds a game, he averaged a career-best 20.8 ppg and 10.3 rpg. ... The first Pacers’ player to ever be named Player of the Month twice in his career, he won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month twice this season, winning in January and then again in April 2003. He was just the second Pacers’ player to be named Player of the Month and the first since Detlef Schrempf won the award for February 1992. ... A career 62.1 percent shooter from the foul line entering the season, he shot 73.1 percent FTS this season. ... He led the Pacers with 373 FTM and 510 FTA. He is the first Pacers’ player (other than Reggie Miller) to make 300+ FTM since Detlef Schrempf’s 525 FTM in 1992-93. ... He had a career-high 14 FTM at Milwaukee, 12/11. In that game, he shot 16 FTS, two short of his career-high He entered the season having hit just 1-24 from 3-pt range in his career. However, he shot 7-21 3-pt FGS, including 5-10 in the last 13 games. ... He led the
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Eastern Conference and was sixth in the NBA with 43 double-doubles. That is his second season with 40+ double-doubles and he is the only Pacers’ player to ever achieve that in his NBA career. He and Clark Kellogg are the only players in team NBA history to register 40+ double-doubles in an NBA season. ... He had two 20-20 games this season, scoring 26 points and snaring a career-high 21 rebounds at Washington, 11/26. He also had 23 points and 20 rebounds vs. the Lakers, 2/4. That was the third 20-20 of his career. With a career-high 796 rebounds this season, he narrowly missed becoming the third player in the team’s NBA history to record 800+ rebounds in one season. ... He became the fifth player in the team’s history with 500+ blocked shots with his four vs. Atlanta, 2/14. ... He rejected the 700th shot of his NBA career vs. Philadelphia, 3/26. ... Ranked seventh in the league in blocked shots (2.31), he set a team NBA record by rejecting 10 shots against the Toronto Raptors, 1/22. In that game, he became the second Pacers’ player (and the first in the NBA) to ever have a triple-double involving blocked shots. He added 11 rebounds and 18 points in that game. Darnell Hillman had a like triple-double in an ABA game vs. Miami, 3/12/72 ... His 10 blocked shots in that game tied the most by any player in the NBA this season, equaling the Pistons’ Ben Wallace. ... He nearly had his second triple-double just two games later, blocking eight shots with 21 points and 10 rebounds vs. the Clippers, 1/26. ... Only the second Pacers’ player to ever be elected an All-Star starter by the fans, he registered the first double-double in an All-Star Game by a member of the Pacers with 10 points and an Eastern Conference-leading 10 rebounds. He also led the East with four blocked shots and grabbed two steals in that game. ... His four blocked shots in the All-Star Game was the third highest total in All-Star Game history. ... He sat out five games due to injury, missing four games in December (12/20 to 12/27) with a hyperextended left knee and one in April (4/2) due to a sprained right ankle. ... His 77 games played this season is the second most of his career.
Playoffs: Set team playoff record by averaging 17.5 rebounds in the first-round loss to Boston, including a single-game record 22 in Game 5. Averaged 19.2 rebounds in the last five games of the series. … Averaged team-high 22.8 points on .467 shooting, as well as 3.0 blocked shots.
2001-02:
NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2001-02, raised his scoring average from a career-high 12.9 ppg in 2000-01 to a team-leading 19.0 ppg this past season...Also lifted his rebounding average to a team-best 10.5 rpg, which was seventh best in the NBA...His 10.5 rpg is the third highest single-season average in the Pacers’ NBA history...Selected to the All-NBA Third Team...Is just the second Pacers’ player (along with Reggie Miller) to be named to the All-NBA team...Also named, with Miller, to the U.S. team for the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championship for Men held in Indianapolis, 8/29 to 9/8...In the World Championship, averaged 7.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg in eight appearances...An All-Star for the first time in his career in 2002, scored seven points with a bench-high seven rebounds for the Eastern Conference squad...Was seventh player in the Pacers’ NBA history to be named to an All-Star team...His 569 defensive rebounds this season were one short of the team’s single-season record set by Detlef Schrempf in 1992-93...Blocked 166 shots and ranked sixth in the NBA with 2.31 bpg...Passed James Edwards for fifth on the Pacers' career blocks list with his two blocks at Cleveland, 4/16...Registered 39 double-doubles, third best in the Eastern Conference and eighth in the NBA...His 79 career double-doubles with Indiana is the seventh highest career total in the Pacers’ NBA history...Only Dale Davis (158), Herb Williams (149), Detlef Schrempf (132), Clark Kellogg (131), Rik Smits (122) and Steve Stipanovich (82) have accumulated more double-doubles in their careers with Indiana...Scored 20 or more points 32 times and hit for 30 or more points four times...Scored a career-high 38 points in the Pacers’ win at Cleveland, 12/22...His 413 FTA led the Pacers and his 284 FTM were second to Reggie Miller’s 296 FTM...Ranked 28th in the NBA in field goal shooting with a mark of 47.9 percent...His 18 points vs. Boston, 4/2, put him over 3,000 points in his career...Including ties, he led the Pacers in scoring 26 times and topped Indiana’s rebounders 47 times...His 11 rebounds vs. the Magic, 3/5, put him over 2,000 boards in his NBA career...The second of his seven blocked shots at Golden State, 2/25, gave him 500 rejections in his career...Had a career-high 118 assists, including a career-best five assists in the Pacers’ win vs. Orlando, 3/5...Missed a total of eight games due to injury, including a four-game stretch from 1/16 to 1/21 with a hyperextended left knee suffered against the Bucks, 1/15...In a stretch of four games from 11/13 to 11/17, he sat out three games with a bruised lower back…Also missed game vs. Dallas, 2/5, with a sprained left ankle...Suspended for two games for his part in an altercation with the Detroit Pistons, 3/26, missing games games at Orlando, 3/29, and at home against the Heat, 3/31.
Playoffs: In Game One of the First Round series with the Nets, he led the Pacers to a road victory with a playoff career-high 30 points, including 24 in the first half. In that game, he added 11 rebounds ... For the series with the Nets, he averaged 17.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 1.60 bpg. ... He was 18-24 from the foul line (.750) against the Nets. In his previous 24 playoff appearances, he had made just 17 free throws and shot 17-33 FTS (.515).
2000-01:
He averaged career-highs of 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.81 blocks and 32.6 minutes in 81 appearances, including 80 starts....Led the Eastern Conference in double-doubles with 40....The second Pacers' player (Clark Kellogg, 47 in 1982-83) to register 40+ double-doubles in a season....One of only 11 players in the NBA to average more than three offensive rebounds a game with an average of 3.1 orpg....Registered 15+ rebounds on nine different occasions....Led the Eastern Conference and tied Shawn Bradley for the most blocked shots in the league with 228 and finished the season second in blocks per game with an average of 2.81 to Theo Ratliff....Became the first Pacers' player in franchise history to reject 200 or more shots in a season....At Houston, 3/13, he scored 28 points, had 18 rebounds and a career-high eight blocked shots in a career-high 54 minutes....Scored a career-high 30 points at Minnesota, 12/16, and at Cleveland, 4/18....In the final game of the season at Cleveland, 4/18, he added a career-high 20 rebounds, five assists and four blocks....In that game, he and Jalen Rose became the first Pacers' players to register 20-20's in the same game....During an eight game stretch in March (3/7 - 3/20), he averaged 16.0 points, 14.1 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game....Missed one game, vs. Denver, 2/2, due to a strained left groin.
1999-2000:
Tallied 8 points and 11 rebounds in a 96-95 loss to Denver on 4/19....Totaled 12 points and 10 rebounds in a 96-83 win at Golden State on 3/24....Posted 13 points and 8 rebounds in a 100-94 win in Boston on 2/6....Logged 14 points and 8 rebounds in an 85-75 win over Utah on 1/27....Totaled 17 points (7-9 FG) and 10 rebounds in a 131-95 victory over Atlanta on 11/13.
1998-99:
On the injured list from 4/6 to 4/14 due to bone spurs in his left ankle...Registered 9 points (4-5 FG) and 6 rebounds, in 12 minutes, in a 111-71 victory over the Houston Rockets on 3/7.
1997-98:
Recorded 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds against the Seattle SuperSonics on 2/18....Scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked 3 shots in a 101-83 win over the Golden State Warriors on 2/17....Posted a career-high 21 points (9-12 FG) and 9 rebounds, in his first start of the season, in a 117-82 win over the Denver Nuggets on 2/15....Registered 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in a 105-81 victory over the Houston Rockets on 2/13....Scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 115-110 victory over the Phoenix Suns on 2/12....Totaled 8 points and 10 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, in 14 minutes, in a 117-105 win over the L.A. Lakers on 2/10....Placed on the injured list on 12/21 due to a strained left calf muscle....Recorded 11 points (5-7 FG) and 6 rebounds in a 120-75 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on 11/17
1996-97:
O'Neal wrote his name in the NBA record books as the youngest player in league history when he made his debut, at the age of 18 years, 1 month and 22 days, against the Denver Nuggets on 12/5 at Denver.....Played three minutes in that game, scoring two points as he hit his only shot attempt....Debut was delayed when he spent the first 17 games of the season on the injured list because of a bone contusion in his left knee, then was a DNP-CD in his first game after being activated on Dec. 3.....He actually scored his first points as a professional player on his 18th birthday, in a preseason game against Sacramento on 10/13/96....O'Neal went on to appear in 45 games in his rookie season, averaging 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in just 10.2 minutes per game. He scored in double figures five times, tallying a career-high 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting in a 98-97 loss at Seattle on 1/22....Grabbed a career-high eight rebounds in a 110-86 loss at Utah on 2/13....Had two games with three blocked shots and three games with two blocks....Appeared in two playoff games, going scoreless with one rebound and one block in four minutes.
PRE-NBA:
O'Neal was named Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball in South Carolina in 1996....Named to the USA Today All-USA Basketball Team, and to the All-State First Team by the Associated Press, and played in the McDonald's All-America Game.....An intimating shotblocker, O'Neal averaged 5.2 blocks along with 22.4 points and 12.6 rebounds and shot .682 from the field....Scored 1,372 points and grabbed 833 rebounds in his high school career, and he set school records at Eau Claire for blocks in a game (16), season (170) and career (397)....Played in the Hoops Summit game in Charlotte against top international players under 22, and led the U.S. team with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks, although the U.S. lost the game, 104-96.
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