A spinal implant assembly includes a housing for containing a bearing member therein and seating within an intervertebral space and a bearing member disposed within the housing for enabling disc-like movement between vertebrae defining the intervertebral space. The combination of the housing and bearing member provide a distracting mechanism disposed within the housing halves 12, 14 for distracting the housing halves 12, 14 from a first condition in which the housing halves 12, 14 are floatable into the intervertebral space to a second condition in which the housing halves 12, 14 are distracted to fixedly engage the opposing vertebral services defining the intervertebral space. A method of inserting the spinal implant assembly into the intervertebral space includes the steps of inserting the spinal implant assembly into the intervertebral space and then distracting the spinal implant assembly from a first condition in which the spinal implant assembly is floatable into the intervertebral space to a second condition in which the assembly is distracted to fixedly engage opposing vertebral services defining the intervertebral space,