Heal had two stints in the NBA, firstly in the 1996–97 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, when he averaged 1.7 points per game in 43 games, and secondly in the 2003–04 season with the San Antonio Spurs, when he averaged 3.7 points per game in 6 contests.
Heal won the 2002–03 NBL championship with the Sydney Kings. Heal retired from basketball after his stint at the Kings. He later continued his career, coming out of retirement to play for the newly formed South Dragons initially as a player. This quickly changed after the coaching position became vacant and he was offered the job as the club's player/coach, which he accepted. He was sacked from his job at the Dragons during his second season at the club, after multiple poor performances. Heal was signed in May 2008 as a player for the recently formed Gold Coast Blaze. Heal retired the second and last time, on 14 February 2009, playing the last of his 440 NBL matches for the Gold Coast Blaze and finished on a winning note, the Blaze completing a three-game winning streak despite an otherwise modest season.
He held an Australian Institute of Sport basketball scholarship from 1987 to 1988.
Coaching career
South Dragons
On 3 March 2006, it was reported in Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper that Heal was considering coming out of retirement to captain the South Dragons, a new Melbourne-based NBL franchise to enter the league in the 2006/07 season. He officially signed with the team on 6 April as the Dragons' inaugural captain. On 23 October 2006, Dragons coach Mark Price resigned his position after the Dragons lost their first five NBL championship season games, citing family reasons. Price was replaced by Heal, who was appointed as player and interim coach for the remainder of the season. After multiple successful performances, his contract was extended to the end of the 2008/2009 season. However, on 1 February 2008, Heal was sacked from his job as player/coach at the Dragons after a poor season left the club struggling at the bottom of the table and himself battling fitness issues.
Sydney Kings
On 24 February 2012, Shane Heal became the coach of the Sydney Kings after former coach Ian Robilliard stood down. Robilliard took the post of Sydney Kings CEO after Stephen Dunn's departure as Executive Director. Dunn had been fulfilling the role of Executive Director in an unpaid capacity for nine months to assist the club. Heal began his Sydney Kings coaching career with a 71-69 win against the Townsville Crocodiles on 26 February 2012. On 10 October 2013, Heal was named in the Sydney Kings 25th Anniversary Team. On 4 February 2014, Heal was named the Coach of the Month for January. On 21 March 2014, Heal announced that he would not be re-applying for the Sydney Kings' head coaching job for the 2014–15 season. His announcement was made following the Kings' loss to the Wollongong Hawks, ending the Kings' hopes of making the 2013–14 playoffs.
On 5 February 2014, Heal signed with the Wellington Saints to be the club's head coach for the 2014 New Zealand NBL season. After guiding the Saints to the 2014 championship, he announced on November 27, 2014 that he would not be returning to the club in 2015.
In March 2015, Heal was named the head coach of the new WNBL side, South East Queensland Stars. The club dissolved and left the league after just one season.
Heal coached the Sutherland Sharks Waratah Championship League women's team in 2018. The team reached the Grand Final, but fell 90-70 to Norths to finish as runners-up. Heal has decided to coach the Sharks women's championship team for 2019. The team contains both daughters, Shyla Heal and his eldest daughter, Ashleigh Heal.
