Shaquille O’Neal has been a prominent figure in the league since he stepped foot on the basketball court. This was not limited to his play on the hardwood, but also his presence off it. He was immediately loved by all the brands due to his marketable personality. And recently, Shaq shared an advertisement he had shot for TNT before the 2004-05 NBA season to take us down memory lane. Looks like the break from the show has gotten him all nostalgic.
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The ad featured superstars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and was a hilarious take on the then-recently concluded NBA season. Shaq, who has been a part of many such ads over the years, led to him building a 400-million-dollar empire. Little did he know that appearing on TNT ads would land him a permanent spot as an analyst on the ‘NBA on TNT’ show. But before all that could happen, he had to subject himself to humiliation by kids.
Shaquille O’Neal’s TNT ad featuring LeBron James
The 2003-04 NBA season had come to an end, and it was a season to remember. A year that had featured one of the best draft classes of all time, represented by LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. The season also had an unlikely champion in Detroit Pistons, who despite the lack of superstars, beat the star-studded Lakers franchise. All these events gave TNT the perfect opportunity to endorse the upcoming season. Here is the Instagram post with the advert, along with a screenshot of O’Neal sharing it.
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— Tonoy Sengupta (@TonoySengupta) June 9, 2023
The video starts with LeBron introducing himself as the Rookie of the Year to the kids. They were not impressed and asked – “LeBron James, did you win a championship?”. Later the kids go on to mock Carmelo Anthony before humiliating O’Neal. As a hilarious ending, the video shows Ron Artest waiting to be called to the principal’s office.
How did the 2004-05 season turn out?
With the fascinating promo to the season by TNT, it is worth looking at how the 2004-05 season ended up turning out. The pre-season saw Shaq leaving the Lakers to join the Miami Heat after irreconcilable differences with Kobe Bryant and the franchise. His first year with the franchise would end in a defeat against the defending champions, Detroit Pistons.
The season would also see San Antonio Spurs win the championship again under the leadership of Tim Duncan. Steve Nash emerged as the new star in the league after winning the Most Valuable Player award. However, the season was not as enthralling as the previous season. It contained an average draft class and a handful of newsworthy headlines.
