Trivial Matters

Shaquille Revealed

Most Valuable Presence

When the Lakers opened training camp on Oct. 1, Shaquille O'Neal was recovering from surgery to remove bone spurs from his arthritic right big toe, and the team didn't know if he would heal in time for its Oct. 29 opener against the Spurs. Since O'Neal joined the Lakers in 1996-97, they've gone 283-97, a .745 winning percentage, when he's in the lineup. What's L.A.'s record in the 80 games O'Neal has missed?

a. 62-18, .775
b. 55-25, .688
c. 46-34, .575
d. 37-43, .463

Magic Man

In his 10 NBA seasons O'Neal has never been on a losing team. The worst record an O'Neal team has had was in 1992-93, his rookie season, when the Orlando Magic was 41-41. Only two other members of that squad are still in the NBA. Who are they, and where do they play?

This Week's Matchup

Pair the movies O'Neal has appeared in with the description of his character.

1. Blue Chips
2. Freddy Got Fingered
3. Kazaam
4. Steel

a. army veteran
b. genie
c. love interest
d. weapons designer