Hooped Up

Twenty-five thousand is a lot of anything, no matter how you spell it, or write it. That’s 12,500 two-point field goals. Double that many makes from the free-throw line. Or to be specific, 9,914 two-point buckets, one from beyond the arc and 5,184 from the charity stripe over a 15-year career.

Only 14 players in NBA history have ever amassed such an enormous point total. The list is dominated by Hall of Famers (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, among others) or those soon to join them in Springfield, Mass., (Reggie Miller). Add to that list, Shaquille O’Neal, who surpassed the mark with a hook shot in the lane with 6:04 remaining in the opening quarter of Miami’s trip to Madison Square Garden.

O’Neal has scored the lion’s share of his points (13,895) while donning the purple and yellow of the Los Angeles Lakers, with whom he won three straight NBA championships. O’Neal then moved to Miami to add on another 3,101 points and counting, as well as another NBA title. His career began in Orlando, where he scored 8,019 points in his first four NBA seasons.

NBA