“It’s Marketing for Me”: Shaquille O’Neal Loves When Fans Play the “Assumption Game” With His Romances

Shaquille O’Neal is a marketing genius. His ability to keep himself relevant is worth a case study. While his giant stature certainly helps, his larger-than-life presence couldn’t be possible without great marketing. Be it getting shoved into a Christmas tree or saying something outrageous to get a reaction, Shaq always knows what he’s doing.

During a recent appearance on the It’s Giving podcast, Shaq was told that the host’s six-year-old nephew knows who he is. His persona appeals to “kids” of any age, though, from six to 60+.

One of the biggest talking points about Shaq is his single status. The globally known celebrity and well-respected athlete with hundreds of millions of dollars in net worth has been single for a while. And every time he’s spotted on a date, it becomes breaking news. Shaq understands the public’s fascination with his personal life and cleverly uses it to his advantage.

When asked if he worries about being seen in public with someone, Shaq said, “When I go and you see something, that’s when the assumption game plays in… I like the assumption game because it’s marketing for me. Good or bad. Like, all day yesterday…talking about me and I love it.”

Shaq is almost playing a character. The man who he is and the one who shows up on camera are two different personalities. For the latter, he’s willing to go to any length.

“I’d marry me a one of those rich Arab princesses right now and give her every f*cking thing she needs. You wouldn’t have no problem with it,” the big fella said. Shaq knows that the drama sells.

Shaquille O’Neal on how the media and public bought into the drama of the Kobe-Shaq era

One of the biggest feuds in NBA history was what happened between Shaq and the late, great Kobe Bryant. They were teammates and arch-enemies at the same time. They were winning championships together but couldn’t see eye to eye. Shaq says it was all great marketing.

During a conversation with Taylor Rooks two years ago, Shaq said the drama was meant to get as loud as it did. It’s no secret that there was some tension between the two, but the big fella has said on numerous platforms that the severity of it was exaggerated. He told Rooks, “That’s what I intended it for. It’s called marketing.”

Shaq said that the fact it’s still being discussed proves that his “Marketing 101” worked like a charm. As per the Diesel, Shaq and Kobe couldn’t have won three in a row if they really hated each other. In fact, there was a lot of mutual respect between them, and they both understood the importance of the job at hand.