Comedy and basketball go hand in hand for Shaquille O’Neal, who probably thinks of himself as a comedian, considering how many zingers he’s dropped on Inside the NBA for over a decade. The Hall of Famer’s love for making jokes — and also being the butt of jokes — was highlighted on the latest edition of his Big Podcast, where he admitted that he loves getting roasted by comedians. More than some other legendary American athletes, at least.
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He’s notably been in the crowd for several brilliant stand-up comedians where they made sure to go at the 7-footer. Whether it was Kevin Hart poking fun at the way he falls on NBA hardwood or Aries Spears imitating his rather, unflattering baritone voice, O’Neal knows how to take a joke.
Co-host of the podcast, Adam Lefkoe, revealed to their guest, David Spade, O’Neal’s desire: “Shaq wants to get roasted. If he goes to a comedy show, he wants to get destroyed,” he told the Saturday Night Live (SNL) legend.
The former Lakers center agreed straight away. “I do,” he said, drawing huge laughs from the trio. Spade then wondered whether O’Neal had ever been part of a roast before.
“I did a roast a long time ago, and I’m talking to Jeff about doing another one,” revealed O’Neal.
The Jeff he was referring to is Jeff Ross, the mastermind behind the Comedy Central roasts and a roaster considered to be as skilled in his craft as Michael Jordan was in basketball. The last major celebrity to get roasted on that program was seven-time NFL Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, who had a rather mixed experience, as O’Neal revealed.
“Tom Brady his roast was very funny, but I don’t think he enjoyed it,” added O’Neal. “I’m gonna enjoy it.”
Spade and Lefkoe agreed, recalling how the show’s roasters, Nikki Glaser and even Drew Bledsoe, tore Brady a new one. “He was done then, and then there were eight more guys,” Spade said.
Fortunately for those making the jokes, O’Neal can take them much better—either that, or he knows he could physically crush anyone who goes a little too far with their roasts.
But that doesn’t mean the four-time NBA champion is without fears. In fact, he once told Tom Segura on an older episode of his podcast that he has a fear of comedy—specifically, performing stand-up himself.
“Comedy scares me, it really does,” he told Segura at the time.
You wouldn’t think O’Neal, someone who’s been in movies and on TV for 30 years, would get nervous about trying to be funny. He might not want to admit it, but Inside The NBA is basically just Shaq’s tight five. The only difference? It’s much longer than five minutes, and he sprinkles in basketball analysis in between.
Either way, a Roast of Shaquille O’Neal in the year of our Lord 2025 could be exactly what we need.
