Shaquille O’Neal may show a lot of bravado on and off the screen to people he knows, but he won’t forget the time he had to exit a game.
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The Lakers legend is famous for endorsing practically anything and everything under the sun. There is probably not even one significant product segment in which he hasn’t been a brand ambassador.
Shaq’s propensity to go for all of these commercials has served his bank account a great deal. He has maximized his visibility and appeal to the American public, and made bank while doing so.
Today, Shaq has a net worth well in excess of the gross salary he was paid during his NBA career. Much of this can be attributed to his investments, but Shaq has also earned a ton from endorsement deals. One of those was for the pain relief mantra IcyHot, but Shaq narrates how he once had a bad experience with it.
Shaquille O’Neal describes why he had to go out from a game
Shaq described a highly unusual scenario during an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s podcast:
“I always used to see IcyHot in the locker room, and one day I kind of had like a thigh bruise. And the guy rubbed it, but he rubbed it too high.”
“So, during the game, my little guys started getting hot… like, really hot. Like, I thought something was wrong. It got to the point where I was like, ‘Hey man, I think I need a doctor. My little guys are on fire.’”
Shaq recalls IcyHot mishap: “My little guys started getting hot… like, really hot” https://t.co/t5k5IsUw4U
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 17, 2021
Shaq then had to turn to a janitor in the locker room for some advice. The janitor in question seemed to know his homemade remedies, so he asked Shaq to use milk at the affected area:
“I gave him some money to go get me milk,” said O’Neal. “So now I’m in the shower pouring milk on my boys. And the guys coming in, they’re looking at me like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’”