Jermaine O'Neal has been on fire since returning from his 15-game suspsension. Gary Bassing/Getty Images

What was your welcome-to-the-NBA moment?

"Putting on the jersey for the first time. I think it was my birthday [Oct. 13]. It was a preseason game. Just putting on that jersey and walking on the court."

Your most embarrassing moment?

"We were in New York at the Garden my rookie year. I forgot to put on my jersey. I put on my warmups but not my jersey. When I went to check in, I started to take off my top, but I couldn't feel my jersey on underneath it. I had to go back to the bench and tell them I couldn't go in. I never got back in the game."

Favorite off-day activity?

"Taking my daughter bowling. I bowl about a 170. My daughter [Asjia] is five. She's O.K. She's still trying to bowl with two hands, and she's still on the bumpers."

If I weren't in the NBA, I'd be ...

"in the NFL. I played quarterback through my junior year at Eau Claire [S.C.] High. If I trained for three or four weeks, I could be a third- or fourth-stringer right now in the NFL."

If I were commissioner for a day, I'd ...

"reduce the suspensions from the brawl in Detroit."

Last Week
O'Neal has averaged 29.9 points and 9.9 rebounds in 11 games since the end of his 15-game ban for his role in the players-in-the-stands melee.

This Week
O'Neals squared: Jermaine meets Shaquille in Miami on Friday night.

Issue date: January 24, 2005