Shaquille O’Neal recently sat down with Overtime where he spoke about one of his most iconic catchphrases. With a reputation for being somewhat silly, Shaq has come up with several phrases and nicknames for himself over the years. Be it Big Diesel, Shaq Fu, or the Big Shaqtus, his creativity knows no bounds. But, perhaps the phrase most people associated with him is “barbeque chicken alert”. Still wearing his “Shaq for President” t-shirt, Shaq gave a wild explanation as to why he uses that phrase. All while advocating himself for the $400,000 paying position of President of the United States. A role that he seems interested in, but hasn’t really entered the race for.
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Shaquille O’Neal provides a wild explanation for his iconic “barbeque chicken alert” catchphrase
The term “barbeque chicken alert”, is one that became popular thanks to one person and one person alone, Shaquille O’Neal. The Big Aristotle coined the term, seemingly out of the blue. Recently he was asked about it and its origins in an interview with Overtime. And, to be honest, his explanation was wild.
Starting off by explaining how tasty and delightful “barbeque chicken” is, Shaq revealed that the phrase has a lot to do with his opponents. Over the course of his 19-year career, several players have tried guarding him, but more often than not they failed. This had a lot to do with his physical ability and dominance in the paint.
So, whenever an opposing team put a player on him, all Shaq could think was “barbeque chicken”. Why? Well, it’s simply because he knew that he would “eat their a** up”. After all, they were all just like barbeque chicken, nothing more than a tasty meal for the most dominant player in NBA history.
“So, barbeque chicken is a tasty, delightful meal, right? So when I see somebody that really can’t check me, which is everybody…I’m about to eat they a** up and I’m about to eat them up real quick. Like some barbeque chicken. Like, ‘You put this guy on me? Okay…barbeque chicken alert, I’m about to eat his a** up!'”
In the annals of history, “barbeque chicken alert” certainly is now one of the more memorable catchphrases the NBA has ever seen. But then again, this is the “Godfather” of catchphrases and nicknames we are talking about. He has come up with many many nicknames for himself, from the “Hobo Master” to “The Big Agave”. It’s quite incredible, the way his mind works.
Shaq has labeled many a player over the years as “barbeque chicken”
Shaquille O’Neal may be retired, but that hasn’t stopped him from using his iconic “barbeque chicken alert” phrase. Over the years, he’s labeled many a basketball player as “barbeque chicken”. Most notably, he went off on Dwight Howard for not being able to handle Robin Lopez, one of the players he claims is “barbeque chicken”.
He even praised legendary WNBA star Candace Parker and former UConn Huskies player Adama Sanogo for making “barbeque chicken” of their opponents.
There have been times when even his favorite modern NBA player, Stephen Curry has made “barbeque chicken” of his opponents. Either way, there are plenty of players Shaq feels are “barbeque chicken”, especially in today’s NBA. And, in a likelihood, there will be more players to come that just don’t live up to his standards.
