Shaq discovers Cavs move on Twitter

US basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal is joining the Cleveland Cavaliers from his current side the Phoenix Sun - but it seems that the player only found out about the deal through social networking site Twitter.

A series of tweets between 'Shaq' and his fans indicate that the deal came as something of a surprise to the 37-year-old - regarded as one of the finest players in basketball history.

There had been rumours of a deal between the Sun and the Cavs but the correspondence on Wednesday night suggests the player wasn't up to speed with all the goings-on. One follower, as fans are called on Twitter, asked the 7ft 1in center "Is it tru u a Cleveland Cavalier?". The response from Shaq was: "I didn't hear dat yet."

A follow-up from another follower saying he had been traded and wishing him luck at his new team elicited the response: "I did for real no I didn't stop playin". When another message poked fun at Shaq for finding out "he was traded thru twitter" it drew the surly reply "I kno right".

O'Neal, who is one of the most popular Twitter users with 1.4m followers, then mysteriously went offline.

The deal is a coup for the Cavs. Shaq might be getting on but he is still one of the biggest names in basketball and is a 15-time all-star and one of the NBA's all-time top 50 players. As befits a man of his size and stature, he also has a bewildering array of nicknames, including The Diesel, Dr Shaq, The Big Shaqtus and Wilt Chamberneezy.

He first rose to prominence in 1992 when he joined Orlando Magic as a junior from Louisiana State. He went to the LA Lakers in 1996 where he formed a formidable partnership with Kobe Bryant to win three consecutive NBA titles. He then moved to the Miami Heat in 2004 and helped them to their first championship in 2006. He had been with the Suns for just over a year before his latest transfer.