Big Diesel arrived in New York and took on a local legend. But at 53 and with a titanium hip, Shaquille O’Neal knows his limits. O’Neal’s trip to New York has been nothing but full of Shaq-ness. From giving out Shaq-a-Licious candy, to beating The Messiah, and even coming to the aid of a local having an emergency, Shaq’s been busy. Between making a small comeback to basketball, Overtime checked in with the former MDE about his legendary posterizing abilities.
At Pier 36, Shaquille O’Neal beat George Papoutsis in a one-on-one game, promoted Shaq-a-Licious’ new launch, and gave out free sneakers. Between all that, Overtime had to ask, “Shaq, can you still dunk?”
It’s not a perfect world. So his answer was, “No, not at all.” Shaq instead reminded us that the last time he dunked was a meme. It was last December when Charles Barkley insinuated Hakeem Olajuwon was better than Shaq. Big Diesel took off his jacket and squared his shoulders to take on the challenge.
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Despite Chuck, Ernie, and Kenny worried about Shaq’s health, the big guy dunked a basketball with style and walked back with his signature line, “Are you not entertained?” When have we never been entertained by a Shaq dunk. But this is the most we’re going to get.
When was the last time you dunked?
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This was the last time I dunk on TNT, right here, check it out.
What happens if you try to dunk?
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Almost a year later, the 7’1″ giant who weighs around 325 lbs now told Overtime if he tries to dunk now, “I’ll get hurt.” When Shaquille O’Neal was a million dollar center in the NBA, he was prone to severe injuries when he came down on his feet after a dunk. He took a break from TNT duties to get hip replacement surgery in 2023 but has been upto a lot physical antics since then. Yet he’s not going to dunk and risk injury.
You’d need someone like Chuck to goad him into pulling this stunt again. That dunk sighting in the wild is going to scarcer too.
Shaquille O’Neal’s making his offseason worthwhile
As Inside the NBA moves to ESPN, NBA analysis with a sprinkle of Shaq’s shenanigans are going to be limited. The tentative schedule revealed that the Inside Guys will be on NBA broadcast only on the season opener and the Christmas day games. That means the unscripted madness is going to be restricted the rest of the season.
O’Neal had promised they’ll make the most of it and Inside the NBA will keep its unfiltered identity. During this uncertainty, Shaq arrived in New York to challenge The Messiah. He promoted his new gummies shaped in his legendary Reebok sneaker style and gave out free sneakers from the affordable SHAQ brand shoes to the kids present. He also personally rescued a lady who was having a medical episode. But he was in NYC to come out of retirement for a brief minute.
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Papoutsis is a Big Apple streetball legend who has embarrassed hoopers a third his age. His challenge to Shaq was easy and within the big guy’s current limitations – the first basket wins. O’Neal’s sheer size made Papoutsis miss at his possession.