Professional sports athletes often feature in brand advertisements and commercials. But Shaquille O’Neal might have the most number of commercials under his belt; something that Charles Barkley once called him out for as well. But did you know there was a Shaq commercial with Jerry West that once ended up backfiring on him?
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Back in 1997, Shaquille O’Neal was featured in a commercial for Taco Bell with Los Angeles Lakers legend, Jerry West. The commercial revolved around the seven-footer suffering from ‘Taco Neck’ syndrome.
This plot was created by Taco Bell’s marketing and creative team. The advertisement showcased Shaq, created by Taco Bell’s marketing and creative team, suffering from a supposed neck syndrome where his head was constantly tilted to enjoy the brand’s tacos.
The commercial not only had Jerry West but also featured his teammates like Derek Fisher and Eddie Jones as well. While the ad was created to influence viewers to believe the irresistible taste of Taco Bell’s tacos, it ended up doing more harm than good for The Big Aristotle.
In his book, Shaq: Uncut, O’Neal revealed how it ended up offending people who were suffering from Neck Syndrome. After the commercial aired on television, numerous people dealing with the ailment ended up picketing O’Neal’s next game.
“One time I did a commercial for Taco Bell with Jerry West. The idea was that I loved Taco Bell tacos, and I’d crane my neck to eat the taco. I did it so many times my neck was stuck sideways. Next thing you know, people with a certain neck syndrome are picketing the game with a picture of the commercial stuck on the sign. What the hell? I didn’t know there was such a thing as a ‘neck syndrome.’”
Unaware that this was a real condition, Shaq was flabbergasted by the reaction people had due to this commercial. While fans now love every one of O’Neal’s commercials, the Taco Bell ad may be one of the few ads that Shaq might’ve regretted doing back in the day.
Shaquille O’Neal’s previous ad for Taco Bell
The Diesel’s aura and presence have such a captivating effect that brands love having him in their advertisements or commercials despite The Big Aristotle having been retired from the league for over a decade.
The amount of commercials Shaq has done even prompted Golden State Warriors star point guard, Stephen Curry to chase his record after retirement. But can Curry duplicate that same aura that Superman has? Here is a snippet of Shaq riding a bike with Houston Rockets legend, Hakeem Olajuwon.
Flashback: Hakeem Olajuwon & Shaq ride a bike in New York City’s Central Park in summer of 1995 for Taco Bell ad pic.twitter.com/Y5n3vNNi6S
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 12, 2016
The picture of the two seven-footers riding a shared bike is from New York City’s Central Park in the summer of 1995 in another advertisement for Taco Bell. Since the initial response to that ad was a positive one, Shaq believed there was no harm in doing another commercial for the brand.
Who would’ve known that it would end up hurting the sentiments of people who struggle with that ailment daily?
