Shaquille O’Neal has been one of the most iconic and influential figures for some time now. Initially becoming famous due to his time in the NBA, the Lakers legend has since grown both his fame and his money to astronomical levels. In fact, despite having retired from the league in 2011, the big man still gets name-dropped by some of the biggest hip-hop artists of this generation. To this phenomenon, Cardi B is no different, as seen in her song “Up”, in 2021. Here, she said, ” I said my face bomb, a** tight/ Racks stack up Shaq height”, something Shaq would later react to. Now, 2 years after being mentioned in her song, the big man has jumped to her defense after a set of controversial events.
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O’Neal was asked by his co-hosts on ‘The Big Podcast‘, about how he felt being name-dropped, and if he should’ve been asked permission before Cardi B’s line. Reacting to it very maturely, here is what he had to say on the matter.
“No, they don’t have to do anything, because it’s called a metaphor or bar. You know stacks sitting up as high as Shaq. I always take it as a compliment.”
There are many who would’ve disliked their name being used without permission. In stark contrast to that, ‘The Big Diesel’ recently came out in support of the rapper when she needed it most.
Shaquille O’Neal comes out in support of Cardi B after controversial concert interaction
During a recent concert, Cardi B was performing her hit song, Bodak Yellow. At this time, a fan close to the stage crossed multiple boundaries, by throwing drink at the artist, due to which, chaos ensued. Watch the events unfold in the tweet by Daily Loud.
While there are fans who are on her side, there are also many who have questioned her reaction, despite the disrespectful actions of the fan. Coming to her defense and approving of her actions, Shaquille O’Neal reshared the video on his Instagram story. Take a look at the tweet by ‘What are NBA Celebs Upto?‘, as well as the post by Complex shared by Shaq.
“Cardi B was not taking the disrespect.”
O’Neal seldom shares posts he doesn’t approve of. So, for the man to repost one that seems to be on Cardi B’s side is no coincidence. Shaq believes that the fan in question got what they deserved. Admittedly, it is hard to disagree with him on the matter.
O’Neal once revealed his opinion on unruly fans
Shaq has never been one to hide his opinions on anything. When the topic of mean-spirited fans came up, he revealed how he dealt with them. Here is what he said on ‘The Big Podcast‘.
“Sacramento was probably the toughest city. We go out before the games, and people would be talking about something… But like bruh, say what you wanna say about the game, I’m eating these pancakes. You f**king touch me, I’m gonna break your mother f**king jaw. I mean I either just make them shut up by whoever that player is by busting their a** or busting his a**. Or I’m gonna throw a ball over there and I’m gonna dive on ’em.”
In any scenario, having a 7-foot behemoth of a man hurling himself at you would be ill-advised for anyone. With Shaq’s threats of the same, it’s hard to imagine many chose to mess with him.
