Shaquille O’Neal has done a great job over the years to clean up his image as one of the worst shooters in basketball ever. There’s no better way to do the uphill task, which some even might dub impossible, than to associate yourself with the greatest shooter of all time. And Shaq has done exactly that. In fact, he continues to do so.
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The four-time NBA Champion once again referred to himself as the ‘Black Steph Curry’ as he went against NCAA prospect Amari Evans in a three-point shooting contest. The big fella had invited Overtime Elite stars Evans and Jeremiah Faumuina to Studio J in Atlanta. In between the TNT broadcast, Shaq found some time to go against Evans in a three-point shooting contest.
The legendary center talked a lot of smack to young Amari as the contest progressed. Evans, who has signed for Tennessee, was shooting from the top of the key as Shaq chose to shoot from the right corner.
In the clip of the contest, that Shaq posted on his Instagram, the big man was heard saying, “The first one to miss loses. That’s gonna be you [to Amari].”
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Both Shaq and Amari drained the first three shots they took as Faumuina stood under the rim to retrieve the ball. The pressure mounted on Shaq after the Overtime Elite star nailed his fourth shot. The Lakers legend tried his best to nail his fourth, but his shot hit the rim and went out of bounds.
However, the Big Diesel was still full of confidence about his shooting as he captioned the clip of the shootout, “Had to show my two favorite young players [Amari Evans] & [Jeremiah Faumuina] why they call me the black [Stephen Curry]”
Stephen Curry’s mother, Sonya, had once corrected Shaq that Curry is Black as well. She even suggested alternatives like ‘Dark-skinned Steph Curry’. But the big man is unlikely to let go of the moniker anytime soon.
Shaq and Amari have been getting along pretty well
This was not Evans’ first meeting with Shaq by any means. The teenage sensation had invited the Diesel to his Overtime Elite contest against the Blue Checks. Evans’ City Reapers lost the contest 86-97, but the young small forward got the opportunity to put up some thunderous dunks with Shaq sitting courtside.
Evans had 17 points and 11 points in the game. He did receive some quality advice from the legend at half-time that bettered his output. “I like the way you playing. Stop getting frustrated, just play the game,” Shaq told him.
The rapport with Shaq will help Amari a lot in his basketball career as he continues to gain ground as a Top 75 recruit in the country.
