Shaquille O’Neal Once Ended a Game of Horse Against Rob Gronkowski By Ripping Off the Rim

The stories of Shaquille O’Neal breaking backboards during his NBA days are well known. The 7’1 giant used to casually bring down the entire structure with his dunks. Even after retirement, Shaq didn’t lose his power. He showcased his might during a game of horse against NFL legend Rob Gronkowski in 2020.

Shaq and Gronk have become a dynamic duo over the years. Known for their otherworldly strength and shared love of having fun, they have collaborated several times. During one of those collaborations for Medium Rare, Shaq and Gronk played a game of horse. The NBA legend ripped off the rim after his dunk, shocking everyone on set.

Shaq, whose association with Medium Rare started in 2018, hosted a party called ‘Shaq’s Funhouse’ in Miami. The big fella had artists like Diplo, Carnage (now goes by the name Gordo), and Steve Aoki performing at his party. Gronk was also in attendance, and by the looks of it, he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

The two produced an iconic moment while partying when the NFL legend decided to hop on Shaq’s shoulders and dance shirtless. Their chemistry gave birth to the Shaq vs Gronk idea. Medium Rare then did a series of challenges between the two during the pandemic, and one of those challenges was a game of horse. While competing, Shaq threw the ball to the glass and went for a dunk. On his way down, he ripped off the rim.

The big fella then started flexing his muscles while screaming the iconic line from Gladiator, “Are you not entertained?” People on set immediately started calling for the next challenge because they knew that the game of horse was over at that point. As entertaining as it was, ripping the rim off isn’t even the craziest thing Shaq has done.

Shaquille O’Neal and the broken backboards

In his 19-year-long career, Shaq showcased the power that he had in him, especially during his prime years. Throughout his career, the Big Aristotle is alleged to have damaged 12 rims.

Even though the record is unofficial, Shaq has provided evidence of it via an Instagram post from 2017. The big fella posted an image on IG with the caption, “These are all the backboards I have broken this is the “BROKEN RIM TREE”.”

The most memorable backboard-breaking incident happened in 1993 when he played for the Orlando Magic. With his powerful dunk, Shaq brought down the entire backboard structure. The impact of that was such that the NBA had to ‘Shaq proof’ the backboards and introduce a more durable collection.