[2] While O'Neal's first season was hardly noteworthy (he even played as quarterback for the Eau Claire team)[4] things changed when he grew five inches over the next year and a half, and he was inspired to develop into a defensive powerhouse like his idol, Bill Russell.

[2] The DA eventually did not prosecute O'Neal, but as the latter struggled to cope with the pressure on and off the court, Glymph stepped in, introducing discipline to his life and keeping his feet to the ground.

[3] In his senior season at Eau Claire, O'Neal's averages of 22.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per game ensured that he was voted First Team All-State, South Carolina's Player of the Year and "Mr. Basketball".

[1] The rookie was surrounded by veterans and emerging stars who could show him the ropes in Portland; forming the frontcourt with him were Arvydas Sabonis, Rasheed Wallace and Cliff Robinson.

[5] O'Neal also became the youngest player at 18 years, three months and eleven days to score 20 points in a game on January 22, 1997, against the Seattle SuperSonics.

[6] While fans at the Rose Garden harbored thoughts of an upset against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs,[3] the Trail Blazers succumbed in four games.

[8] In the playoffs, Dunleavy opted to go with a more youthful lineup: before the trade deadline, he had acquired point guard Damon Stoudamire, as well as forwards Carlos Rogers and Walt Williams.

Boasting one of the league's most balanced squads that also had strength in depth,[9] the Trail Blazers chalked up an impressive 35–15 record and topped the division.

[11] After sweeping the Phoenix Suns 3–0 in the first round, Portland defeated the Utah Jazz 4–2 to set up a showdown with the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

O'Neal's disappointment at losing in the Conference Finals was compounded by the fact that his regular-season minutes had dropped to fewer than 10 a game for the first time,[7] and that his contributions to the team were mostly insignificant, to begin with.

[citation needed] However, in an unexpected move, Portland showed their willingness to invest in O'Neal by offering him a four-year contract worth $24 million.

They notched 59 wins in the regular season, and defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz en route to reaching the Western Conference Finals.

[14] Up against recent perennial rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, the team relinquished a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter of the pivotal game 7, and lost 89–84.

[13] The Trail Blazers relented in the end and sent him to the Indiana Pacers alongside Joe Kleine in exchange for NBA All-Star Dale Davis.

[13][16] The Pacers roster also saw the departures of Mark Jackson, Rik Smits and Chris Mullin, and even coach Larry Bird stepped down.

[1] Indiana recorded 42 wins and qualified for the playoffs once again as the eighth seed,[20] where they faced one of the hottest teams in the league at that time, the New Jersey Nets.

At the same time, the Pacers seemed to have found players in Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Al Harrington and Jamaal Tinsley who complemented O'Neal.

[citation needed] The San Antonio Spurs, led by two-time NBA champion Tim Duncan, looked an interesting proposition as perennial All-Star David Robinson had just retired.

[24] Even so, the offseason produced a few surprises for O'Neal when Isiah Thomas was replaced by Rick Carlisle, and Brad Miller left for the Sacramento Kings.

Artest was instrumental to the team's success too as he enjoyed a breakthrough season, netting his first All-Star berth as well as the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

[25] That sent them back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth time in 11 years, where they were disposed of by eventual NBA champions Detroit Pistons.

[18] In the series-deciding sixth game, O'Neal endured a sprained knee and managed to tally 20 points and 10 rebounds, but Richard Hamilton's inspired play ensured a close victory for the Pistons.

Things worsened when he sprained his right shoulder in March and played sparingly for the remainder of the regular season, while hoping to recover in time for the playoffs.

[1] and was voted by the fans as the starting forward for the Eastern Conference All-Star team (he was later replaced by Gilbert Arenas due to injury).

While he was expected to combine with Toronto's three-time All-Star Chris Bosh to form a strong frontcourt and provide greater rebounding and interior defense for the Raptors,[32][33] O'Neal's arrival was dwarfed by the Elton Brand signing pulled off by division rivals Philadelphia.

By the All-Star break, injuries had ruled the big man out for almost a quarter of Toronto's games, while Bargnani regained his starting spot with a streak of solid performances.

[citation needed] This, coupled with the Raptors entering the break placed 14th in the conference and 13 games under .500, Toronto General Manager Bryan Colangelo looked to move O'Neal to bring in a wing player and free up salary space.

Boston swept the Knicks, but lost to the eventual Eastern Conference champions, the Miami Heat, in the second round in five games.

Two days later, O'Neal would record his first double-double with the Suns by scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a close 111–108 overtime victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

The Americans won all of their five games and the gold medal, and O'Neal led the team in blocks and shooting percentage, while finishing second in points and rebounds.