Wearables & Beyond With Shaq

#sxsw #Shaq

Shaquille O'Neal was one of the first big-name celebrities to embrace social media -- witness his more than 8 million followers on Twitter. He's now turned a lot of his attention to wearable technology, which looks to be one of the biggest areas of emphasis at the 2014 SXSW Interactive Festival. In this conversation with Rick Valencia of Qualcomm, Shaq reveals his plans for dominating this brave new world of wearables.

Presenters

Rick Valencia

SVP & GM

Qualcomm Life

As the leader of Qualcomm’s health care subsidiary, Qualcomm Life, Rick directs Qualcomm’s product, technology and M&A strategy in the wireless health market. He also has a hand in driving innovation outside the company through his involvement with organizations such as the World Economic Forum’s Health Systems Initiative and through oversight of the $100 million Qualcomm Life Fund.
Previously, Rick was the founder and CEO of ProfitLine, building the company from a one-man consulting firm into a 200 person, multi-million dollar enterprise. He uses his business building know-how to help students and fellow entrepreneurs launch meaningful and enduring technology companies as a mentor at the Founder Institute, a member of the Executive Committee of the San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum and a member of the Board of Advisors at the University of San Diego School of Business. Rick is also a board member of Pedal the Cause, a cancer research fundraising organization.

Shaquille O'Neal

Pres/CEO

Shaq Inc

Shaquille O'Neal nicknamed Shaq, is an American retired basketball player, former rapper and current analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Standing 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall and weighing 325 pounds (147 kg), he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA. Throughout his 19-year career, O'Neal used his size and strength to overpower opponents for points and rebounds.

Following his career at Louisiana State University, O'Neal was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. He quickly became one of the top centers in the league, winning Rookie of the Year in 1992–93 and later leading his team to the 1995 NBA Finals. After four years with the Magic, O'Neal signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. They won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Amid tension between O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, and his fourth NBA championship followed in 2006. Midway through the 2007–2008 season he was traded to the Phoenix Suns. After a season-and-a-half with the Suns, O'Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009–10 season. O'Neal played for the Boston Celtics in the 2010–11 season before retiring.

O'Neal's individual accolades include the 1999–2000 MVP award, the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections. He is one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000); the other players are Willis Reed in 1970 and Michael Jordan in 1996 and 1998. He ranks 6th all-time in points scored, 5th in field goals, 13th in rebounds, and 7th in blocks. Largely due to his ability to dunk the basketball, O'Neal also ranks 3rd all-time in field goal percentage (58.2%).

In addition to his basketball career, O'Neal has released four rap albums, with his first, Shaq Diesel, going platinum. He has appeared in numerous films and has starred in his own reality shows, Shaq's Big Challenge and Shaq Vs.