Believe it or not, Shaquille O’Neal’s personality on the cameras is exactly the person that he is. He’s always willing to be the butt of the joke and is playful to a fault on and off set. This means he gets in all kinds of trouble, like when he tried to walk off with a $3 million diamond, which opened the door to Shaq revealing a peculiar game he shares with Kenny Smith.
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O’Neal’s energy has led many people to gravitate toward him throughout the years. One of those people is a fourth-generation jeweller, and Vice President of East Continental Gems, Adam Mirzoeff. His relationship with O’Neal began many years ago in the mid-1990s after he was crowned as the next head of the family business and was coming into his own.
Mirzoeff was doing a trunk show at Neiman, located in Copley Place. He had a plethora of items, such as clothes and jewelry. Unfortunately, the crowd was nonexistent causing his confidence to crumble. His morale clearly wasn’t in the best place, but that changed when a shocking figure unexpectedly walked in.
Adam made a surprise appearance on The Big Podcast with Shaq to detail the chronology of his relationship with Shaq. As a result, he went in-depth about the hilarious interaction the two shared that day that led to their 30 plus year friendship.
“I just cut a diamond that’s 42.39 karats, it’s a huge diamond,” Mirzeoff revealed. “[Shaquille O’Neal] came to the showcase and his eye went right to the biggest stone in the showcase.”
O’Neal began to joke about attempting to steal the diamond, which Mirzeoff alluded to being the truth. “He puts it on his pinky, and he goes and puts it in his pocket and starts walking away. He then goes, ‘What diamond?'”
The two broke into laughter, which jogged O’Neal’s memory, recalling a personal story. “I was getting ready to rob you,” joked Shaq. While the two were on the topic of stealing, he revealed that he had developed a game with Inside the NBA co-host Kenny Smith revolving around theft.
“We always say, ‘Can Shaq get away with it?’ O’Neal revealed. “One day me and Kenny went to steal on purpose. I grabbed a candy bar and walked by, you know what the lady said? ‘Shaq, stop playing.'”
Shaq is lucky that worker shared his sense of humor, because there would be some very unflattering headlines if he had been caught. However, these two instances are just the tip of the iceberg, as the Hall-of-Fame big man has found the opportunity to have fun all over.
Throughout his NBA career, O’Neal would serve as the light of the room. In the 2007 All-Star Weekend practice, O’Neal challenged Dwight Howard and LeBron James to a duel. However, it wasn’t involving basketball.
Shaq’s antics led to a dance battle breaking out in the middle of center court. The two stars fed off the crowd’s energy, while Shaq created his own. Unfortunately for the youthful James and Howard, they were no match for O’Neal’s moves.
Years following his retirement, O’Neal remains the same person he was during his playing career. He is goofy, ridiculous and, above all else, willing to play the fool for the enjoyment of others. That energy remains infectious to countless people to this day.
