Shaquille O’Neal showcased his humorous side on live television while analyzing an NBA game in 2021. During a post-game show for the NBA on TNT, the Diesel embraced the opportunity to display his shooting skills following a slight disagreement with Candace Parker. His claim of making 1-13 from behind the 3-point line left his co-panelist in splits as Shaq took matters into his own hands.
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Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ away defeat to the Phoenix Suns in December of that year, the analysts shifted the focus on Talen Horton-Tucker. The starting shooting guard for the visitors went 1-13 from the field while shooting 0-8 from behind the arc. Shedding on Talen’s off-night, O’Neal openly declared,
“Listen, I’m not a shooter but I’m not gonna go 1-13. Guranatee you that. Wide open, nobody guarding me, I’m not gonna go 1-13”.
It spurred a reaction from Parker hinting at her disbelief before she mockingly mentioned, “Thought he meant from the three-point line. That’s why I was confused”. “Give me the ball right now,” the 51-year-old stated as he became determined to prove Candace wrong with his endeavours. It paved the way for an interesting premise as the 7ft 1″ icon prepared to shoot uncontested 3-pointers within the studio set.
With assistance from his colleague Kenny Smith, the 4x champion aimed to make at least one three-pointer count in less than thirteen attempts. Things got onto a rough start as all of his initial seven attempts resulted in misses, with multiple turning out to be airballs. It sparked a hysterical reaction out of Parker as she failed to contain her laughter upon witnessing Shaq’s actions.
After the seventh miss, the 2x MVP declared, “I was just messing with y’all,” before scoring from his eighth attempt from behind the arc. Thus, the Big Aristotle went 1-8 from the field, surpassing Horton-Tucker’s stat line from the deep on that night. The success of the challenge excited O’Neal as he screamed,
“I was just messing with y’all. I was just playing with y’all. I set y’all up”.
Shaq was determined to change the narrative around his shooting skills. His shooting percentage was merely a 4.5% success rate from behind the arc as during his entire career, the 1993 ROTY made only one 3-pointer count. Thus, his challenge against Candance helped him match his career three-point record on the studio set.
The entire scenario had put forward the competitive nature of one of the most dominant NBA players of all time. Despite leaving the court a decade ago, Shaq showcased his ability to channel his relentlessness through all the activities in his life. Thus, no matter how unnecessary it seemed on a surface level, the fierce competitor willingly put his pride on the line to silence his doubter.
It was not the first time Shaquille O’Neal had something like this
Despite being one of the most feared players of his era, the New Jersey-born had a major weakness. His shooting skills, even from close range always remained a source of concern for his team. It is better reflected in his career free-throw percentage of only 52.7%, ranking him as the 5th worst in that category in the history of the NBA.
Yet, Shaquille O’Neal has never stepped back from changing the narrative around his shooting even after he retired from the sport. One such instance took place a couple of years back, once again on the set of TNT as he went up against a 10-year-old. Competing against the kid from the free-throw line, the 15x All-Star shot 0-4 to eventually lose the challenge.
All these further displayed his mentality of never backing down from a presented opportunity to improve his status. Driven by high emotions, his competitive self has often gotten the best of him. So, he just keeps it that way even at this stage as an entertainer.
