Shaquille O’Neal will star in a TV series where the NBA center will challenge top athletes such as Michael Phelps in their respective sports.

During one episode of “Shaq Vs.,” which debuts on Aug. 18 on ABC, Shaq will swim against Olympic superstar Phelps.

O’Neal, now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, also will try his football skills against Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, box retired world champion Oscar De La Hoya, bat against St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols, trade tennis volleys with Wimbledon champ Serena Williams and play volleyball against Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor.

O’Neal will negotiate a handicap with his opponents and train with a coach for one week leading up to each challenge.

“These athletes may be on top of their game, but I am up for the challenge,” O’Neal said. “I plan to train hard and win, so look out.”

O’Neal came up with the idea for the competition as a way of training for the upcoming season.

His first opponent will be Roethlisberger, the Steelers’ Super Bowl-winning QB. They’ll compete in a 7-on-7 passing drill to be filmed later this week in the Pittsburgh area. Also, there will be a news conference leading up to the event as well as before future challenges.

A four-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, O’Neal was traded from Phoenix to Cleveland last month. The 37-year-old has just one season left on his contract but said he wants to play three more years and is hoping he can help Cleveland superstar LeBron James win his first league title.

Everybody that have thought the Houston Rockets will be finished in the series without their best player Yao Ming in the game was proved wrong when the Rockets made a 98-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers to tie up the semifinals of the Western Conference of the NBA at 2 games each making the next game a deciding one.

Aaron Brooks scored a career high of 34 points and Shane Battier nailed 5 three-pointer balls and scored 23 points. Luis Scola had 11 points and 14 rebounds giving the Houston Rockets the team spirit thy needed to compensate the absence of their ace player Yao Ming. Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant scored 30 and 15 points respectively for the Los Angeles Lakers. It was not that the Houston Rockets were too strong to stop, but the real problem is that Lakers’ players have taken the game lightly and probably, they have earned their lesson.

For the Houston Rockets, they have found out that team spirit is the key to win even if in such a pinch. And as for the Los Angeles Lakers, an important lesson has been learned by them-treating every team in the conference as a threat to their road of success.

This is a nice shot by Joe Johnson’s sit down three pointers from out of bounds that tries to top LeBron Jame’s halfcourt shot. This kind of shot requires a certain degree of control of upper body strength and is easier said than done.

But others said it’s not even close. Lebron James Finger Roll from past half court was far more impressive then Joe Johnson’s sit down three pointer. I live it to you to decide…