Miami Heat to retire Shaquille O'Neal's jersey number next season

The Big Aristotle is getting his jersey retired in South Beach.

The Miami Heat announced Tuesday a plan to retire Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 jersey in a ceremony at the beginning of next season. O’Neal was originally traded to the Heat from the Lakers in 2004 and he later re-signed as a free agent before helping Miami to its first ever championship in 2006.

“Shaquille O’Neal is one of the truly elite players in the history of the game and one of the greatest players ever to wear a Heat uniform,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “He took us to another level as a basketball franchise while leading us to our first NBA championship. Retiring his number in the rafters, along with Heat greats Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, is something we are very proud of.”

Watch Jimmy Kimmel tell Shaq that he's getting his own statue at the Staples Center

O’Neal is Miami’s all-time leader in FG percentage (.596) and his 19.6 scoring average ranks third in team history. Playing alongside Dwyane Wade, O’Neal averaged 13.7 points and 10.2 rebounds in the 2006 finals victory over the Mavericks.

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