Orlando Signs O’Neal, Matches Offer for Roberts
Shaquille O’Neal, first pick in the 1992 NBA draft, signed a contract with the Orlando Magic on Friday that reportedly is worth $40 million over seven years.
The deal is thought to be the most lucrative in team sports history.
The 7-foot-1, 300-pound center from Louisiana State is the most-heralded NBA prospect since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar--then known as Lew Alcindor--joined the league in 1969.
O’Neal averaged 24.1 points, 14 rebounds and 5.2 blocked shots last season, his third at LSU.
In signing quickly, O’Neal made it possible for the Magic to match a five-year, $15-million offer sheet extended by the Dallas Mavericks to free-agent center Stanley Roberts, a former teammate of O’Neal’s at LSU. The Magic had until midnight Friday to match Dallas’ offer to Roberts but would have been unable to do so without first signing O’Neal.
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