Shaquille O'Neal has announced that he is set to retire from the NBA. The 39-year-old Boston Celtics centre posted a video on his Twitter page saying he was bringing an end to his 19-year career.
"We did it, 19 years, baby," O'Neal said. "Thank you very much. That's why I'm telling you first. I'm about to retire. Love you. Talk to you soon."
O'Neal, a 7ft 1in centre, started his career at the Orlando Magic before moving to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 and where he won three successive championships from 2000.
He moved to the Miami Heat in 2004 and won a fourth championship in 2006 before spells at the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has been at the Celtics since last year.
O'Neal, who has also released several rap albums and appeared in a number of films, won the NBA Most Valuable Player, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in 2000, among a host of other honours.