NBA star and part time actor Shaquille O’Neal now has a show on ABC called “Shaq VS” where he takes on professionals in other sports. The competitions seem to be all in good fun but Shaq has had some real life battles that might make better TV.
5) Vs.Dwight Howard
When asked last season if Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard was the next Shaq O’Neal replied, “He’s a good player, but everything he’s done, I’ve invented. So I’m not impressed.” Later on Shaq posted a picture of what Howard and his coach, Stan Van Gundy’s baby would look like. While he hasn’t retaliated directly Howard recently made fun of Shaq in an ESPN interview with a spot on impersonation. We’ll see what happens on the court this season.
4) Vs. His biological father.
On his album Shaq Fu: The Return O’neal voiced his feelings of disdain for his biological father, Joseph Toney on “Biological Didn’t Bother.”
“You brought me into the world but your not my dad
Mess around with those drugs makes my moms mad..”
Toney was in prison when Shaq was an infant and surrendered his parental rights to O’Neal’s stepfather, Phillip A. Harrison (pictured above).
3)Vs His Wife
On September 4, 2007, O’Neal filed for divorce from his wife Shaunie in a Miami-Dade Circuit court. According to the petition, “The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken”, and that Shaunie was “secretive about her assets .” The Big Aristotle thought she was hiding money but Shaunie later said that the couple had gotten back together and that the divorce was withdrawn.
2) Vs His Right Wrist
O’Neal is a career 52.6% free throw shooter, sixth-worst among players with a minimum of 1,200 attempts. A wrist injury from childhood makes it difficult for him to flex it properly making the “Hack-A-Shaq” (fouling him and forcing him to miss freethrows) a common practice in the NBA.
1) Vs Kobe Bryant
On June 22, 2008, O’Neal freestyled a diss rap about Bryant in a New York club. While rapping, O’Neal blamed Kobe for his divorce from his wife Shaunie and claims to have received a vasectomy, as part of a rhyme. He also taunted Bryant for not being able to win a championship without him. O’Neal led the audience to mockingly chant several times “Kobe, tell me how my a$$ tastes.”
Shaq lost his Maricopa County Sheriff’s badge for his freestyle, but unfortunately, not his license to rap.
He and Kobe have since reconciled and Shaq became his cheerleader from the sideline during the 2009 NBA finals.
