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“My butt’s too big to fit on these rides!”: 7’1 Shaquille O’Neal expressed his theme park sorrows to 15 million people

Samir Mehdi
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“My butt’s too big to fit on these rides!”: 7’1 Shaquille O’Neal expressed his theme park sorrows to 15 million people

Shaquille O’Neal took to social media to let everybody know that his butt was too big to fit on rides at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Shaquille O’Neal is a large man. We could end this right here with that one statement but let’s proceed further. With a 7’0 frame, let’s just say it’s difficult to miss him if you see him walking down a street. His weight has fluctuated between 325lbs and 375lbs, with him claiming he was the latter during the final year of their Lakers 3-peat in 2002.

Over the past 30+ years that Shaq has been in the public eye, any appearance of his on late night segments or interviews have had at least one or two conversations about his stature. Whether it was about how small donuts and phones look when he holds them or him not fitting in the very Buicks he endorsed, it’s been made very clear by media that Shaq is indeed a very large man.

While Shaquille O’Neal being 7’0 helped him build out his illustrious 19-year career in the NBA, his everyday life isn’t always too pretty. This is simply due to the fact that, well, ‘The Big Aristotle’ is much too big for a lot of mundane activities.

One such activity would be theme park rides.

Also read: “I don’t know how to play chess, Kobe Bryant”: Shaquille O’Neal remembers Black Mamba’s hilarious chess metaphor

Shaquille O’Neal tweets out his discomfort at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Knott’s Berry Farm is a theme/amusement park located in California and Shaquille O’Neal decided to visit it in the summer of 2009. That summer saw him be traded away from the Phoenix Suns and to LeBron James’s Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a second round pick, and $500,000.

Usually, theme parks have to limit customers who are perhaps too small for the rides as they might slip out in between. Shaq on the other hand, had to be limited because he was too big. Approximately 350lbs of muscle and fat compacted into one person on the ride would most definitely increase the risk factor.

Somehow, O’Neal was allowed on the rides and it’s safe to say that the major problem here was his discomfort. In that moment, he decided to take to Twitter and tweet out, “I’m at Knott’s Berry Farm and my butt’s too big to fit in the seats on the ride. Ahhhh (that’s me yelling).”

Truly a Hall of Fame tweet as in the 13 years that have passed, it has garnered 141,000 likes and reached his 15 million followers as of September 5th, 2022.

Also read: 7’1″ Shaquille O’Neal had seriously dangerous plans for horseman Charles Barkley

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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