There may be no greater honor than someone naming their child after you. It conveys respect, admiration and the hope that some day, they hope to see their kid take after their namesake. What about when someone names their dog after you, though? That’s when it gets dicey, as Shaquille O’Neal found out earlier this year in a live taping of The Big Podcast with Shaq with comedian Shane Gillis.
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Gillis is known for being willing to say and do just about anything on stage. That’s partly because he’s an equal opportunity comedian who jokes about any race, ethnicity or political affiliation, even if it results in some personal blowback.
You’d think it might be a little different when you’re sitting in a chair across from one of the most physically intimidating athletes in history, but apparently not.
Shaq asked Gillis if it was true that he had named his dog after him, and Gillis admitted that it was. He then revealed that the dog was a black lab, drawing a laugh from Shaq and a joking reply of, “mother******,” as he pondered the racial implications of that. Shaq then mentioned another time when a woman told him she had named her dog after him.
“Am I supposed to take this s*** as a compliment?” he wondered incredulously.
Gillis defended naming his dog after a 7-footer who used to rip down backboards for fun by saying, “Yeah, I was a fan,” as Shaq and cohost Adam Lefkoe continued to laugh.
Shaq isn’t the only member of the three-peat NBA champion Lakers who’s been faced with this situation, as his former teammate Kobe Bryant was once the namesake for Paul George’s new puppy back in 2016.
If you’re looking for a good dog name, look to the Los Angeles Lakers
Just as Gillis was a fan of Shaq when he named his first pup, George wanted to honor Kobe, his basketball idol.
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What better pet than a pit bull to name after the inventor of the “Mamba Mentality”? OK, maybe a snake, but you get the point. I couldn’t find any mention of what Kobe thought of the name, but I imagine he would have taken it the right way, coming from a quality player like George.
Maybe others are missing the boat when it comes to naming their pets, as a quick look at the retired numbers in Lakers history reveals some pretty intriguing name choices.
How about a pointer named West? A rabbit named Magic? A Great Dane named Worthy? A Spanish water dog named Pau? The possibilities are endless. For the more adventurous pet owner, you could even go with a falcon named Kareem because it flies and has talons, which are kind of like sky hooks if you think about it. No? Listen, not everyone can be a winner. Even Shane Gillis bombs sometimes.
