MIAMI - Retired NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal is suing a former employee for damaging his reputation, claiming that the technology specialist sold O'Neal's personal e-mails.

The lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court seeks unspecified damages plus the return of all O'Neal e-mails and a court injunction banning Shawn Darling from transfering any of the former NBA giant's messages to anyone else.

Darling, who has sued O'Neal over computer hacking issues, was paid as much as $150 an hour to create a person Internet domain for "Shaq", but one that Darling controlled unbeknownest to O'Neal.

O'Neal, 39, claims Darling invaded his privacy by obtaining e-mails sent by the 7-foot-1, 325-pound O'Neal and sold them to Internet sites and people, with some of them becoming public.

"Shaq" played 19 NBA seasons from his selection by Orlando with the first pick in the 1992 NBA Draft to last June, when he announced his retirement after his final season with the Boston Celtics.

O'Neal won four NBA titles, three with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-2002 and another with Miami in 2006. He was a three-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player and a two-time NBA scoring champion.