Shaquille O’Neal recently hopped on ‘The Big Podcast’ to discuss an interesting incident involving him and Snoop Dogg. The Big Man has been closely connected to some of the most high-profile Hollywood celebrities and was invited to the Justin Bieber Roast in 2019 by Comedy Central. Speaking to the podcast guest Bery Kreischer, Shaq revealed how Snoop Dogg taught him a valuable life lesson to be himself and embrace humor and jokes.
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Shaquille O’Neal grew up under the strict vigilance of his step-father, Sergeant Phillip Harrison, who had instilled values of professionalism in him. However, seeing Snoop Dogg greet everyone with handshakes and hugs on the stage before getting roasted, Shaq was left shaken.
Realizing he had to break his aura of being a corporate guy, Shaq remarked,
“You know, no more all the way, corporate guy. Like, I’m still going to be corporate, but I’mma be Shaq.”
Shaq added that he would take any joke on himself as long as they are funny. The podcast crew then discussed how taking a joke was essential to embracing oneself.
Though Shaq and his crew believe everyone has slowly started understanding the value of some fun humor, the Big Fella feels that the world would be happier and better if people learned to embrace comedy and fun as an essential part of their lives.
Shaq has always been the ‘fun guy’ of the NBA
Before Kawhi Leonard, Shaquille O’Neal earned the ‘fun guy’ title in the NBA. During his playing days, the league felt incomplete without reports of at least one goofy incident involving Shaq. One such moment came during the 2007 All-Star weekend when Shaq challenged his Eastern Conference team to a dance-off during practice. Well, the Big Fella had got Dwight Howard and even LeBron James breaking a leg, which speaks volumes about the Big Fella’s infectious personality.
Another time, Shaq started showing his butt cheeks during a media day while he was still with the Lakers. Years later, Shaq was starring in one of TNT’s Inside the NBA episodes, and the clip once again resurfaced, embarrassing the now older Shaq. However, as much as Shaq tried to show his embarrassment, deep inside, it seemed like he was quite proud of pulling such a prank during a media day.
“Turn that off man, my momma watching the show.”
Can’t believe @SHAQ did this at media day. pic.twitter.com/7zaLxxMAuJ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 28, 2021
Shaq finished his career at the Boston Celtics, where he played alongside the 3x Slam Dunk contest champion Nate Robinson. As much as Robinson loved dunking, he found much delight in dunking over his teammate Shaq during practice sessions.
Shaq and Robinson formed a hilarious NBA duo on the floor, who had an incredible chemistry going forward while playing together. Shaq is still the same goofy and humorous person that he always was. Now, his fellow TNT co-analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith bear the brunt of his pranks.
