Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most hilarious athletes in the history of sports. Whether he’s the one cracking the jokes or the one being made of. More often than not it happens to be the latter. It just so happens that Big Diesel has a very “roastable” personality. And, in 2020, comedian Jay Pharoah did just that, roasting the four-time NBA Champion with an impression.
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Over the years, Shaq has developed a reputation as a man who is easy to laugh at. Looking at some of the questionable things he has done, it’s no wonder that some have classified him as “dumb”. After all, very few wonder how long a trip to the moon is or claim that scoring 18 of 39 free throws is over 50 percent.
So, when the time came for the Inside The NBA Roast, it comes as no surprise that it was Shaq’s proneness to say dumb things that were targeted. And, in terms of getting his likeness down, Jay Pharoah got it spot on.
Jay Pharoh roasted Shaquille O’Neal with a hilarious impression of the Hall of Famer
In 2020, as part of the All-Star weekend celebrations, TNT hosted a special segment. A segment titled “Inside The NBA All-Star Roast”. A roast of the loveable cast of Inside the NBA that included Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley.
The roasting panel was quite an elite one. With roast master Tiffany Haddish leading the charge, and comic acts Jeff Ross and Jay Pharoah involved, the boys were in for a tough night. Especially The Big Aristotle, who unfortunately is an easy target for roasters.
Case in point, a hilarious joke Jay Pharoah made about Shaq’s intelligence. The comedian, known for his exemplary impressions claimed he had been impersonating O’Neal for so many years that he knew exactly what he was thinking. And, what followed was perhaps the most accurate depiction of a dumbed-down version of the Hall of Famer. He even managed to throw a jibe at Charles Barkley in the process.
Pharoah: “I’ve been doing Shaq for so long, I can tell you exactly what he’s thinking right now. (impersonating Shaq) All my friends are saying mean things. Hurt my feelings. Shaq a big strong man outside, but soft inside. Shaq hate bullies. Everyone is calling Shaq dumb. But Shaq not dumb. I have a doctorate. Charles is the dumb one. Charles probably think doctorate is a girl doctor. Shaq a boy doctor!”
To say he hit the nail on the head with that impression would be an understatement. Luckily for Jay, it looked like Shaq found it funny as well. And why wouldn’t he? He is an experienced roaster himself.
Shaq was one of the members of the panel at the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber
He may have been in the hot seat in 2020, but five years earlier, Shaquille O’Neal was the one making the jokes. He was one of the roasters at the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber. And, much like Jay Pharoah did with him, Shaq got in a few good jokes at Bieber’s and the rest of the panel’s expense.
