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PHOENIX -- Shaquille O'Neal will lose his special deputy's badge in Maricopa County because of language he used in a rap video that mocks former teammate Kobe Bryant. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the Phoenix Suns center's use of a racially derogatory word and other foul language left him no choice. Arpaio made Shaq a special deputy in January and promoted him to colonel of his largely ceremonial posse earlier this month.

Four years, two teams and a championship later, Shaquille O'Neal is still ripping Kobe Bryant. Video on TMZ.com shows the Phoenix Suns center doing a freestyle rap in a nightclub on Sunday night in which he puts down his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate. "You know how I be," Shaq rapped. "Last week Kobe couldn't do without me." Bryant led the Lakers to the NBA Finals this season, but they were beaten 4-2 by the Boston Celtics. O'Neal and Bryant last played together during the 2003-04 season, when the duo led the Lakers to the Finals. They lost to the...

It takes a big man with deep pockets to figure out what to do with $1.3 million a month -- on expenses so extravagant they'd make Paris Hilton jealous. Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal is that man. Consider his monthly expenditures: • $156,116 on mortgages. • $110,505 on vacations. • $60,417 on gifts. • $26,560 on baby-sitters. • $24,300 on gasoline. • $22,190 on maids. • $17,220 on clothes. • $12,775 on food. On top of that, the tax man gets his share: O'Neal, 35, pays about $500,000 a month in income taxes. The details of O'Neal's checkbook were revealed...

Look out ladies (seriously, get out of his way), Big Shaq Diesel is going back on the market. In divorce papers filed Tuesday in a Miami court, Shaquille O'Neal claimed his marriage to wife Shaunie has been "irretrievably broken," and accuses her of being shady with his cash, reports the Miami Herald. The couple has four kids together and each has a child from a previous relationship. They tied the knot in a ridiculously lavish Beverly Hills ceremony in 2002. Shaq, who is currently in a contract with the Miami Heat worth a cool $100 mil, claims that his wife...

The Talk Shows Sunday, February 19th, 2006 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Evan Bayh, D-Ind.; former Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo. MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sens. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. THIS WEEK (ABC): Chertoff; Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., and Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va.; basketball player Shaquille O'Neal. LATE EDITION (CNN) : Chertoff; British ambassador to the United States David Manning, German ambassador to the U.S. Wolfgang Ischinger and French ambassador to the U.S. Jean-David...

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- The newest police detective on Miami Beach won't be hard to find -- he's 7 feet 1 inch tall, and weighs more than 300 pounds. Miami Heat star Shaquille O'Neal took his official oath Thursday afternoon. Local 10 was on hand to exclusively cover O'Neal's swearing it at Miami Beach Police Headquarters. Shaq has completed more than 1,200 hours of training and he attended the police academy in Los Angeles before passing his exam. He said it has been his dream since childhood to be a police officer, but "winning the athletic lottery a couple times"...

<p>MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Shaquille O'Neal has been credited with an assist away from the basketball court, following a suspect who allegedly assaulted a gay couple and alerting police.</p> <p>The 7-foot-1 Miami Heat center, who is in the process of becoming a Miami Beach reserve officer, was driving on South Beach about 3 a.m. Sunday. That's when he saw the man, riding as a passenger in a silver Honda, yell anti-gay slurs at the couple, said Bobby Hernandez, spokesman for the Miami Beach Police Department.</p>

MIAMI BEACHShaq's big assist leads to an arrestAn 18-year-old was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and assault with a deadly weapon, and it's all thanks to Shaquille O'Neal.BY CASEY WOODScwoods@herald.com That's Officer Shaq, to you.Shaquille O'Neal, who is in the process of becoming a reserve officer with the Miami Beach Police Department, helped nab the suspect of a hate crime on South Beach early Sunday, police said.Two men were walking on Washington Avenue near Third Street about 3 a.m. when two men in a silver Honda yelled anti-gay slurs at them, police said.One of the men in the car...

MIAMI (AP) -- Sweat dripping from his head as he worked in the midday South Florida sun, Shaquille O'Neal loaded the last item into a cavernous 18-wheel trailer and pointed to the generous stranger. "Give the man a hug," he urged his children, who quickly obliged. "Tell him thank you." For the last week, O'Neal and his wife have coordinated efforts to help those in Louisiana and Mississippi whose lives were ripped apart by Hurricane Katrina. And Saturday, O'Neal was on the front line, personally accepting medical items, toiletries, clothes and other items from those inclined to help.

In one of the photos that charter-fishing captain Mark Quartiano distributed two weeks ago publicizing his latest catch, he is sprawled across a heap of very large dead sharks. He grins lasciviously at the camera and splays his legs while one hand caresses a fin and the other holds a shark's mouth agape. The tableau is reminiscent of an orgy at a sleazy porno shoot -- Quartiano indulging his bloodlust a little too literally. Adding to the aura of obscenity is the fact that among the dead is one species of shark so rare it is federally protected. Quartiano knows...

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer MIAMI Shaquille O'Neal wants to pay more than respects to the family of George Mikan. O'Neal said Thursday that he wants the Mikan family to contact the Miami Heat offices, so arrangements can be made for him to handle funeral expenses for the league's first dominant big man. Mikan died Wednesday night at a rehabilitation center in Scottsdale, Ariz., following a long fight with diabetes and kidney ailments. He was 80. "I'd like to send my condolences to the Mikan family," O'Neal said after Miami beat Detroit 88-76 in Game 5 of the Eastern...

MIAMI (AP) -- The family of George Mikan accepted Shaquille O'Neal's offer to pay for the late center's funeral expenses. O'Neal said arrangements were finalized Friday. ``Everything's going to be handled,'' O'Neal said. Mikan, the NBA's first dominant big man, died Wednesday night at a rehabilitation center in Scottsdale, Ariz., following a long fight with diabetes and kidney ailments. He was 80. O'Neal said he greatly enjoyed getting to know and speak with Mikan on several occasions. Shortly after the Heat beat Detroit 88-76 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night, O'Neal said he would like...

MIAMI, FL (AHN) - Shaquille O'Neal has joined a Department of Justice task force that tracks down sexual predators who target children on the Internet. Shaq was recently sworn in as a U.S. deputy marshal and, on the Saturday afternoon before the Miami-Washington playoff series, O'Neal spent six hours with Miami Beach police investigators helping with cases. Miami Beach Police Chief Don De Lucca says O'Neal is becoming familiar with the techniques and software the officers use to track down the predators. O'Neal spends countless hours on his home computer, logging into the police network and learning the ropes.

deny,deny,deny

Saturday, July 10, 2004 Center is excited about Wade, Riley -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com news services Warm weather. Smaller centers. A star guard. Pat Riley. Life in South Florida sounds mighty nice to Shaq. A source told ESPN's David Aldridge Saturday that the Lakers center has agreed to accept a proposed trade that would send him to the Miami Heat in exchange for guard Caron Butler and forwards Lamar Odom and Brian Grant. The trade has not been finalized, but O'Neal has informed both the Lakers and Heat that he will not do anything to hinder the swap and would not opt...

Officer Shaq O'Neal - An Exclusive interview By Elie Seckbach Embedded NBA Correspondent - with the NBA Superstar and his police unit. http://hometown.aol.com/elienews/myhomepage/profile.html We all know that Los Angeles Lakers star Shaq O'neal is a great basketball player. He is 7-foot-1, 360 pounds of pure power. We also know he can rap, act, tell jokes and is an all around entertaining individual. Still here's something few people know about Shaq. All season long the NBA superstar has been wearing two uniforms. During the day he's the biggest big man in the league, wearing number 34 for the Los Angeles Lakers,...

May 21, 2004, 5:44PM Woman killed at Shaquille O'Neal's home From staff reports SUGAR LAND -- Fort Bend County authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing that occurred here early this afternoon at a home listed as being owned by Los Angeles Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal. Authorities identified the woman as Alice Williams, 37, who they said worked as a housekeeper at the home. More details to come.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal was suspended without pay by the NBA on Monday, one day after using obscene language and publicly criticizing the officials during a television interview. The suspension was announced just hours after O'Neal issued a statement apologizing for the comments he made following the Lakers' 84-83 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. O'Neal will serve the suspension Monday night, sitting out a game against the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers. It will cost him nearly $295,000. O'Neal scored a season-high 36 points against the Raptors in his third game back after missing 12 because of...

For the last three months, the education of Yao Ming has included chalk talks and film study, footwork drills and shooting instruction. There is no diagram, however, to explain Shaquille O’Neal. ... Through it all, O’Neal has watched with a jaded eye. Earlier this week, he said, “I don’t feel I have to outscore him and outdo him to solidify my position in this game. Everyone knows who I am. In America, in China, in Africa, they all know who I am.”

LA Lakers(18-20) Time: 9:30 PM ETVenue: Compaq Center  National TV: Houston(22-15) LA LAKERS STATISTICS SCORING G FG% FT% PPG K. Bryant 38 .451 .820 27.9 S. O'Neal 26 .562 .598 25.9 ASSISTS G TO STL APG K. Bryant 38 3.8 2.2 7.0 R. Fox 32 2.0 1.0 3.4 REBOUNDS G OFF BLK RPG S. O'Neal 26 3.5 2.2 10.5 K. Bryant 38 1.6 0.9 7.6 INJURIES Condition Jannero Pargo G Knee COMPLETE STATISTICS HOUSTON STATISTICS SCORING G FG% FT% PPG S. Francis 37 .437 .785 22.9 C. Mobley 29 .428 .861 18.2 ASSISTS G TO STL APG S. Francis 37 3.9...

<p>WE WAITED a few days, to see if it would pan out the way we figured it would. And it did.</p> <p>Shaquille O'Neal and Fuzzy Zoeller have a lot in common. For starters, both think they're funnier than they are. But that stands to reason because people tend to laugh harder than jokes warrant when they're spoken by sports celebs.</p>

We had seriously considered breaking new ground by calling for a preemptive strike and naming the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the Presumptive Whiners of the Week, not for anything they did last week but for the whining we feel certain they will fill the air with this week as they remind us that they never get any respect. But we rejected the idea, partly because we are certain the Bucs’ time will come, but mostly because the Class of the Second Week of January provided a plethora of babies. Our Whiner of the Week pulled off the rare unassisted triple whine,...

Shaq O'Neal may be one of the most well liked figures in the National Basketball Association, but his recent verbal attacks on Houston Rockets 7 foot 6 inch big man Yao Ming from China are starting to raise troubling questions-is Shaq indeed racist?Some feel Shaq's comments in his escalating war of words with Yao have crossed the line from trash talk to racial slurs.Asian Week columnist Irwin Tang recently 'called out' O' Neal in public for several racially derogatory comments thrown in Yao's direction. Tell Yao Ming, 'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh,' O Neal said to a reporter recently in a mock Chinese accent.When...

Dear Shaq: We want it back. We want back the game you've devoured along with all the pizzas, Shaq Packs, Cap'n Crunch cereal and chocolate milk it takes to keep that 350-pound engine running. Big Aristotle, if you are as wise and generous as your namesake, the Original Big Aristotle, you'll give basketball back to the little people. Shaquille O'Neal's assault on the NBA game has got to stop. Please, if you will, let me explain: First off, and with all due respect, Big Mug, your game is U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi. You know, a lot of people...