Shaquille O’Neal Admits He Gifted Damon Wayans A Lakers Ring For Berating Him During Missed Free Throws

Co-creator of the iconic show ‘In Living Color, ‘ Damon Wayans and his siblings popularized the Wayans name in Hollywood. They were such mainstays of their community that they formed a close bond with Shaquille O’Neal during his days as an LA Laker.

That relationship was commemorated during the latest episode of The Big Podcast, with Damon appearing as the guest. Wayans revealed that Shaq had gifted him one of his championship rings during their conversation.

As a superstar in Los Angeles, O’Neal was well-connected with the film industry, but his relationship with Wayans stands out. Notably, he gifted the comedian/actor a championship ring for his help in bettering his free-throw shooting.

“I got a beautiful three-peat ring,” Damon admitted. “I’ve never worn it, it’s that special.”

Adam Lefkoe, the co-host of Shaq’s podcast, prodded the 15-time All-Star to elaborate on how he ended up gifting Wayans the ring.

“As a professional athlete, it’s our job to entertain. So, I can remember going to the game and being like ‘Oh s**t, that’s Damon Wayans’, ‘Oh s**t, that’s Eddie Murphy’, ‘Oh s**t, that’s Tom Cruise’. I wanted to give them the joy that they gave me,” O’Neal said.

“Damon was always there. And when I missed free throws, he’d give it to me… So, whenever I would win, I would find out where my favorite people lived at, and I would just send them that as a token of my appreciation,” the 2000 NBA MVP added.

Shaq further explained how the rigors of his life in the NBA forced him to seek distractions off the court. In his words, “Mr. Wayans Jr. and his whole family was at the apex of making me laugh.” That’s the reason Diesel maintains a close relationship with the entire Wayans family.

Marlon Wayans once won $20,000 from Shaquille O’Neal

In September of 2024, Damon’s brother, Marlon, was a guest on The Big Podcast. Shaq took the opportunity to engage in a trivia contest with the famed actor, though it would end poorly for the Hall of Famer.

He asked his guest if he knew who Shaq’s favorite Wayans family member was, and without thinking, the actor confidently answered, “Kim.“ Marlon’s elder sister was the right answer, and O’Neal, who had wagered $10,000 on the question, was forced to pay up.

Marlon explained that Kim was the people’s favorite, describing her as “the heart of the family.” However, Diesel wasn’t satisfied with the outcome of his quiz, so he went for a double-or-nothing question against his guest.

He asked Marlon to guess what O’Neal’s favorite performance from Kim was. Once again, the actor was rather confident in his answer. “It’s either one of these two. ‘I’m Gonna Get You Sucka’, where she was singing. Now it’s a movie… Okay, when she goes, ‘Not my baby, Lord, take me instead.'”

It was the latter of his two guesses that hit the mark: an iconic role Kim Wayans played in a sketch from ‘In Living Color’. Diesel finally conceded defeat and ended the episode owing his guest $20,000.