“Oh Nicki Minaj, will you marry me?”: When Shaquille O’Neal got hilariously shot down by Harajuku Barbie on sets of Inside the NBA

Raahib Singh
|Published 08/06/2022

In 2014, Nicki Minaj joined Shaquille O’Neal and the cast of Inside the NBA for a fun game of cypher while promoting Pinkprint

The NBA world is always connected with the entertainment industry, especially since the 2000s. Ever since Michael Jordan made the NBA a worldwide phenomenon, a lot of stars have been showing their love for the game. The world of Hip-Hop, once again, has deep connections with NBA.

Drake is the best example of the same. The Canadian rapper was a permanent courtside fixture come playoff time, during the KD-Warriors run. He’s dropped several bars mentioning NBA players such as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and more. Nicki Minaj is no different. The undisputed Queen of Rap has mentioned Steph and LeBron in her songs quite a few times.

Also Read: “Shaq created a hookah lounge in the studio”: Kenny Smith reveals the Lakers legend was terrible to work with during his initial days at TNT

In 2014, she was releasing her LP Pinkprint and was on a promotion tour for the same. Nicki was slammed with “The Tonight Show,” “The View,” and “106 & Park”, but she surprised everyone as she made an appearance on Inside the NBA.

Shaquille O’Neal proposed to Nicki Minaj in a freestyle verse, gets shot down

Shaquille O’Neal, as we know it, is never afraid to speak his mind, and shoot his shot. While Nicki was on the sets, the crew decided to play a game of cypher. Kenny Smith kicked the thing off and passed it to Grant Hill. Hill read his verse from a sheet, before passing the mic to Shaq.

Shaq, or BIG Shaq, if I may say, got into his groove. Having 4 studio albums, 2 compilation albums, 2 soundtracks, an unreleased album, and 9 singles, O’Neal was up for the challenge. Getting on the mic, he started off with,

“Ballers tryna be like me, if this is Hip-Hop, I’m B.I.G. Oh Nicki Minaj, will you marry me?”

There was an instant ‘NO’ coming from Nicki’s side, which threw the Lakers legend off for a second.

Granted Shaq kept going, but getting shot on National TV like that must’ve hurt.

Also Read: “Shaq bought 155 Five Guys for less than $100 million”: How the Lakers legend invested in a fast-food chain with hundreds of millions of dollars

The entire thing can be caught here.

 


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About the author
Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him toward TSR. He started playing basketball when he was 14, and fell in love with the sport ever since. His interest in the NBA developed at the same time as when Stephen Curry put the entire league on notice. Raahib was spellbound by Steph and the Warriors and has been a fan since. From starting off as a Warriors fan, Raahib has evolved into someone who can never miss a good game of basketball. He converts his love for the game and the knowledge he has gained into the articles he writes. In his spare time, he enjoys cricket, going for walks, and murder mysteries.

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