 jermaine lee o'neal (born october 13, 1978) is an american professional basketball player of the national basketball association (nba) who is currently a free agent. the 6&nbsp;ft 11 in (2.11 m), 255&nbsp;lb (115&nbsp;kg) forward-center had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 nba draft straight out of high school. he was selected by the portland trail blazers with the 17th pick of the first round, but o'neal was unable to break into the first team in portland and was traded to the indiana pacers in 2000. in his eight seasons with the club, he was voted an nba all-star six times, made the all-nba teams three times, and was voted the nba most improved player in the 2001â02 season. he also helped indiana reach the nba playoffs six times, including the conference finals in the [[2003â04 nba season|20
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