Jermaine L. O'Neal

Jermaine O'Neal walking to the line.

My hero is Jermaine L. O’Neal, who was born in Columbia, South Carolina. He is an American NBA basketball player who currently plays for the Indiana Pacers. O’Neal is 6 ft 11 in, 250 lb, and plays forward-center. He declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft straight out of high school and was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 17th pick of the first round. He is a strong basketball player, who helps the community with donations, and he does charity work. He reads to children that are very young and spends extra playtime with them.

He's currently a 5-time NBA All-Star player, in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. He was given the Most Improved Player award in 2002. In 2004, he was given the NBA Magic Johnson Award. In 2001, he made 228 blocks earning him the NBA regular season leader for blocks. O'Neal volunteered to donate $1,000 to the victims of 2004's Boxing Day tsunamis for every point he scored in the January 6th game against San Antonio, as part of a joint donation by the SFX Agency. He scored 32 points against the Spurs in a losing effort, but decided instead to donate $55,000 based on a 55 point effort on January 4. He also donated $100,000 to Hurricane Katrina victims.

Jermaine O’Neal lived in Columbia, South Carolina, during his childhood. He attended Eau Claire High School in South Carolina. After being drafted to the Portland Trailblzers, he lived in Portland for while, but visits during the off season to Columbia, South Carolina. When he was traded to the Indiana Pacers, he moved to Indiana.

Jermaine O’Neal was born on October 13, 1978. He is still living to this day. He has no disease and no problem in health.

Jermaine O'Neal is important to me because he is someone who lived in my state, and city. He practiced hard and went from being a regular South Carolinian, to becoming a great and famous basketball player. He worked hard to get to where he is now by practicing. Seeing him on TV is a good way to learn about basketball. He still reaches out to the community with his charities. One organization that he participates in is called NBA Cares, which is the league's global community outreach initiative that addresses important social issues with an emphasis on programs that support education, youth and family development and health-related causes.